Access to education programme to benefit 73 000 girls

Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
A total of 73 492 girls from four provinces are set to benefit from a four year programme to improve girls’ access to education.

The programme, Improving Girl Access to Education (IGATE) is sponsored by World Vision Zimbabwe (WVZ).

The organization’s manager for the Limpopo Area Programme, Mrs Pretty Dube said the programme started in May this year and will run until September 2021.

She said the IGATE programme was being rolled out in Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South, Masvingo and the Midlands provinces.

Beitbridge, Binga, Mangwe, Lupane, Gokwe South, Nkayi, Insiza, Mberengwa and Chivi districts are the participating districts.

She said most of the schools in the districts were selected based on the high level of drop outs either in primary or secondary schools or during the transition from primary to secondary level of education.

“The Open University of UK is providing technical support, while we are leading the consortium with other partners including CARE, SNV, EFZ, UDACIZA and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education,” said Mrs Dube during a rural development committee meeting held in Beitbridge last week.

“The programme covers both formal and non-formal aspects of primary and secondary education in nine districts in the participating provinces. A total of 56 schools from 56 clusters will benefit from the programmes. These will be achieved through improving gender attitudes and education outcomes in line with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s mandate.”

She said the programme was in its second phase following the first phase which ran from May 2013 to March this year.

“Unlike the first phase of IGATE, this time around boys will also be included in the scope of the project. We are also looking at sustaining learning and transition gains and unpacking the role of the community on education related matters. Resources will be availed to enable a learner friendly environment in formal schools and non-formal set up,” she said.