Chronicle Editor
Mkhululi Ncube, Chronicle Reporter
LIFE for Simphiwe Dube, which was certainly going to an unknown dead-end, has changed for the better after finally enrolling at Gwambe Primary School in Bulilima District on Tuesday.
The six-year-old orphan could not be enrolled in the past due to the fact that the school was not taking learners without birth certificates.
A story in the Chronicle last month, which highlighted the challenges the girl together with her grandmother, Mrs Bekiwe Dube, were facing to enrol her at school and get her a birth certificate, saw authorities intervening.
Her breakthrough could also open gates for many other children in a similar situation who have been forced to stay at home or who had to walk past the school to other distant schools for education.
Clad in her green uniform, Simphiwe joined other ECD A pupils at the school, which has the motto: Knowledge is Power. This marked her long journey of discovering the power of education.
Simphiwe was born in South Africa where her late mother was based and only came to the country after her mother’s death. She is now in the care of her 67-year-old grandmother who is a widow.
Her grandmother had tried in vain to enrol her at Gwambe Primary School just as she had tried without success to obtain her a Zimbabwean birth certificate.
Gwambe Primary School, which ironically is a few metres from the homestead of the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, like most schools, did not enrol learners who do not possess birth certificates.
“Simphiwe was left in my care when my daughter passed away recently after she came home sick from South Africa where she worked for years. I went to registry offices, but they demanded that I bring the birth record.
“I presented the death certificate of her mother and told them it is impossible for me to travel to South Africa for the birth record as I have never been there.
“I was told I could get her the birth certificate in Bulawayo for R1 000 through illegal means, but I cannot afford to raise that amount.
“She has never been to school and it pains me when other children go to school while she is home doing nothing. As a girl child, this is pointing to a very difficult life for her. Schools should allow children to enrol even without birth certificates because it is not the children’s fault that they do not have the documents.
“Government should address this to avoid the hardships we are going through trying to get these documents, which are a part of the children’s rights,” said Mrs Dube last month.
But that all changed after the Chronicle article headlined: More needs to be done to ease access to national documentation.
“I am coming from the school as I am talking to you right now and left Simphiwe in classroom with other pupils. I am relieved and very excited because her continued stay at home was worrying me greatly,” she said.
“I could not sleep at night as I kept thinking about what I should do with her. We spoke with the school head and he accepted the clinic baby card she has been using. She said once I have a breakthrough with the birth certificate issue I should bring the photocopy to the school,” said an elated Mrs Dube.
She said after this breakthrough, she is confident she will get her the birth certificate as the social welfare department is now handling matter.
Bulilima Ward 2 Councillor, Melusi Nkomo hailed the move by the school but urged parents to take the issue of birth applications seriously.
“While we celebrate this good development, I want to appeal to all parents to make it a point that they do not create problems for children by failing to get birth certificates.
As soon as a child is born, parents must start the process because by delaying no one knows what may happen. I encourage our relatives based in the diaspora who have children born outside the country to also follow the laid down laws to get their children these important documents,” he said.
Clr Nkomo said they were pinning their hopes on the mobile registration exercise started by the Government last year, which covered the San community in Tsholotsho where people without documents were assisted with the usual demands waived.
He also urged the Government to revisit the national identity documents laws in the country to address some of the problems being encountered by parents and guardians applying for documents.
Bulawayo-based lawyer Emmanuel Mlalazi said schools need to have a human face when dealing with children so that they do not shutter their dreams.
“It is a pity that although our Constitution among others things, provides for the right to education and broad rights of children under Section 81, we still find the authorities paying lip service to these rights to an extent that children fail to enrol for school for want of a mere birth certificate, a document that can be secured while a child is attending school.
For schools not to appreciate education rights is even more worrying. We expect schools to be more enlightened, more accommodating and compassionate.
“These are some things that do not necessarily need funding but just require the will from the relevant stakeholders, a lack of will is more dangerous than a lack of funds.
We hope the schools, the Registry Department will approach these issues with more compassion going forward and a long-lasting solution for children to easily acquire their birth certificates will be reached soon, or else their dreams will go up in smoke,” he said. — @themkhust
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter