Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
THE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has launched the “Not in My School” campaign in Matabeleland South Province, a bold initiative to stamp out violence, bullying and all forms of abuse, as Government moves to ensure safer learning environments for pupils.
The campaign seeks to ensure a safe learning environment for learners as well as a safe environment for staff members.
Violence, gangsterism, cyber bullying, drug and substance abuse, stigma and discrimination, school dropouts and peer violence are some of the vices blighting the school environment.
Some learners in areas where artisanal mining is common have been reported to come with knives and machetes to intimidate and, in some cases, attack other learners.
Through the national campaign, authorities hope to inculcate a new culture and re-establish schools as safe spaces for learners.
The campaign also seeks to guard against abuse of learners outside the school environment.
Speaking in an interview during a recent launch of the campaign at Jahunda Primary School hall in Gwanda, Matabeleland South Provincial Education Services Chief Director, Mrs Beatrice Manjere, said they conducted a one-day workshop to capacitate stakeholders before the campaign cascades to various districts.
Provincial staff, line ministries, heads of schools, teachers, learners and partners attended the event.
Among key objectives is the need to develop safe learning initiatives and key messages that drive the campaign, reviewing Child Protection Committee guidelines and ensuring these are effective in every school.
“The ‘Not in my school’ concept was launched in Kadoma last week and we are now launching it in the province. The purpose of the programme is to ensure safe spaces and learning environments for our children,” said Mrs Manjere.
“To launch this project in the province, we have brought together stakeholders for a one-day workshop.
“If there is violence in schools, be it to learners or members of staff, violence by teachers or violence by children, it affects both children and teachers.
“Our message is that each and every school should ensure there is no violence and that all learners are safeguarded.”
Mrs Manjere said learners were facing a number of challenges and are exposed to abuse within the learning environment and outside. She said in cases of abuse the school staff should know what steps to take.
Mrs Manjere said after the provincial launch, the campaign should cascade to districts, clusters and then schools.
“We want each and every school in the province to take up this initiative. We have to speak in one voice and act in one accord and say no to violence in our schools, no teenage pregnancies, no drug and substance abuse, no absenteeism because of abuse and violence,” she said.
Mrs Manjere said the schools initiative will also complement the “Not in my village campaign”, an initiative spearheaded by traditional leaders that seeks to curb teenage pregnancies and early child marriages in the fight against HIV and Aids.
In a bid to combat the challenge, which is affecting several provinces in the country, the Government, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), launched the campaign being led by adolescents and young people themselves, through the Young People’s Network on Health and Wellbeing (YPNHW), working with the National Aids Council.
The campaign was launched in 2024 during the World Population Day commemorations at Nzvimbo High School in Mazowe District in Mashonaland Central.
The programme has been rolled out to all provinces in the country based on the premise that change starts at the grassroots level, where people can influence their own communities and cultures. It involves engaging traditional and religious leaders, such as chiefs and headmen, who have the authority and respect to challenge the harmful practices and attitudes that support child marriage.
Eliminating child marriages and teenage pregnancies aligns with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), which aims to create a prosperous and empowered upper-middle-income society by 2030. – @DubeMatutu.
