Too many girls drop out of school: Unicef

Lumbidzani Dima, Chronicle Reporter
MORE girls than boys complete primary education in Zimbabwe, but far too many girls drop out by Form Four, UNICEF has said.

According to a report on the UNICEF Country Programme (2022-2026), household poverty, abuse, remoteness, poor infrastructure, and socio-cultural norms are all impediments to boys and girls getting an education.

It said shortage of teachers and inadequate capacity, as well as the threat of violence and or emergencies jeopardise the quality and consistency of learning.

The United Nations agency said girls drop out from secondary school due to several reasons that affect them based on their gender.

“This is mainly due to poverty, teenage pregnancy, early marriage, school-related gender based violence (GBV), parents’ prioritisation of boys education over that of girls, and insufficient gender-sensitive infrastructure in schools,” it said.

“In response to current realities, Unicef Zimbabwe’s ‘Quality Learning and Skill Development’ programme has shifted the emphasis from education to learning, focusing on services and inclusiveness for both children and adolescents, particularly the disadvantaged and those in humanitarian settings.”

The organisation said it was geared to ensure that there is access to inclusive, quality, basic education services and learning opportunities for all children regardless of gender or background.

It will continue enhancing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programmes in schools across the country.

Unicef said it supports efforts to prevent students, particularly girls from dropping out of school and encourages pregnant girls to return to school, the enhancement of non-formal education options, as well as strengthening inter-sectoral collaboration on education for children with disabilities.

During humanitarian situations, the organisation has pledged to provide both teaching and learning materials.

“Unicef will use social and behaviour change campaigns and community engagement to promote and increase demand for children’s learning and adolescents’ participation in skills development, and for ECD,” it said.

“Another priority is to build capacity within the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in terms of planning, budgeting, resource management and monitoring. This also includes supporting the development of disaster-risk management and resiliency planning for the education sector and building sufficient capacity to effectively implement such plans, at all levels of education.”