The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Wednesday, May 12, 1993 — The Department of Social Welfare spent $3,5 million in assisting more than $15 000 pupils with examination fees at Zimbabwe Junior Certificate and O-Level, says the acting director of Social Welfare, Mr Anselm Mukwewa.

Responding to questions from The Chronicle, Mr Mukwewa said a total of 15 462 pupils were assisted with funds from the Social Dimensions Fund, which was put into place to cushion people from the effects of the economic structural adjustment programme.

The figure represented 95 percent of the total applications, excluding underprivileged children who had traditionally received assistance from the public assistance programme.

He would not, however, say exactly how many applications the department received. The highest number of children to get assistance was from Masvingo with 2 014, followed by Manicaland with 1 900 children.

Mr Mukwewa said the children who received help were identified by school headmasters and not by the department. Those whose applications were turned down did not consult the headmasters about their inability to pay, he said.

Reacting to reports that large numbers of children would be unable to sit for their examinations after failing to secure State assistance, he said the issue was being addressed.