Government launches programme to trace school dropouts

Taungana Ndoro

THE Government has embarked on an ambitious programme to trace and reintegrate learners who have dropped out of school following revelations that nearly 40 000 pupils left the education system last year due to various challenges.

According to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) Report, a total of 39 736 learners dropped out of school in 2025, comprising 13 032 primary school pupils and 26 704 secondary school learners.

The report identified financial constraints, early marriages, teenage pregnancies and child labour as some of the major factors contributing to the high dropout rate.

At primary school level, 116 pupils dropped out due to marriage while 102 left school because of pregnancy. The report also noted that 138 learners with special needs discontinued their education, with the figures almost evenly distributed between boys and girls.

Responding to the findings, the Ministry’s spokesperson, Mr Taungana Ndoro, said the Government was treating the issue with the seriousness it deserves, stressing that every learner who leaves school prematurely represents a loss that must be reversed.

“The Ministry views the EMIS report with the seriousness it deserves and every learner who leaves school prematurely represents a loss that the Ministry is determined to reverse,” said Mr Ndoro.

He said the Ministry is implementing a multi-pronged strategy centred on an Early Warning System (EWS), robust re-entry policies and strong community partnerships.

Mr Ndoro said the Early Warning System, which is now embedded in the EMIS platform, identifies learners at risk of dropping out by monitoring chronic absenteeism, declining academic performance and vulnerability indicators such as orphanhood and economic hardship.

“Once flagged, school-based response teams comprising teachers, guidance counsellors and School Development Committee members immediately conduct home visits to understand the barriers and work with families on support plans,” he said.

He said Government interventions include the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), which provides financial support to vulnerable learners, and the School Feeding Programme, which currently benefits more than 3,5 million learners across the country.

Mr Ndoro said guidance and counselling services are also being strengthened to address psychosocial challenges including child marriages and gender-based violence.

He said policy measures such as the Re-Entry Policy under the Education Amendment Act of 2020 ensure that pregnant girls and young mothers can continue with their education and return to school after giving birth without facing discrimination.

The Ministry is also expanding inclusive education through the provision of assistive devices, accessible infrastructure and specialised teacher training for learners with disabilities.

To improve access to education in remote communities, Government continues to roll out satellite schools to reduce long walking distances, which are often cited as a cause of school dropout.

For learners who have already left school, Mr Ndoro said Government has shifted from passive approaches to active tracing and reintegration.

“The same Early Warning System generates a real-time list of learners who have been absent for extended periods. District and school authorities, working together with Social Welfare officers, community child-care workers and traditional leaders, conduct door-to-door tracing exercises,” he said.

He said the initiative is being implemented through the National Case Management System in partnership with the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.

Once traced, learners are offered flexible reintegration pathways, including accelerated learning programmes that enable them to rejoin school at age-appropriate levels.

Mr Ndoro said School Development Committees, village heads and other community structures have also been empowered to monitor school-age children and ensure that no child remains outside the education system.

“The message we are driving in every ward is: ‘No child out of school’,” he said.