Lufwanyama schools in accommodation SOS

LACK of accommodation is forcing school children, especially girls in Lufwanyama to stay in boarding houses, thereby exposing them to possible gross abuse such as early pregnancies and HIV/ AIDS, Geoffrey Chongo of The Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has said.

Mr Chongo observed that despite being the largest district in the Copperbelt, Lufwanyama only had 11 secondary schools and out of them, two had boarding facilities.

He said some parts of the district were situated many kilometres from schools, prompting the girls to live in boarding houses as weekly boarders to avoid covering long distances on daily basis.

Mr Chongo said that children living in boarding houses lacked parental care, which exposed them to peer pressure and caused them to engage in bad vices such as alcohol, unprotected sex and drug abuse.

Mr Chongo said this at a media “indaba” on the findings from a case study on the role of mining companies in promoting children’s rights to education, health, water and sanitation in Lufwanyama conducted by JCTR and Centre for Trade Policy and Development.

“Children walk long distances, affecting their concentration in class because they arrive at school tired. The most affected are girls who have to take care of other chores such as fetching water and firewood before or after school,. He further said that the district also faced a challenge of accommodation for teachers who were forced to live in makeshift houses in the villages.