More State-funded schools should be introduced

TODAY is International Day of Education and Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (Viset) joins the world in commemorating this important day whose 2023 theme is To invest in people, prioritise education.

Education plays an important role at both individual and societal levels in that it is a driver to national prosperity.

In Zimbabwe, according to the Education Act (Chapter 25:04), primary education for every child of school-going age is compulsory. This was further amended in 2020 to bring it in conformity with section 75 of the Constitution and further provides that every school should provide suitable infrastructure for students with disabilities and requires government authorities to ensure disability rights are protected and accounted for in every school in the country. The law reasserts the constitutional provision that pupils should not pay fees, or levies, from preschool to Form Four, the end of lower secondary education, and adds that no pupil shall be excluded from school for non-payment of school fees.

What we, however, see obtaining on the ground is that many children are being forced into the informal sector by parents and guardians in order to augment family incomes.

Viset in no way condones this practice and will continue to engage other stakeholders and came up with measures to ensure that children are kept in school in order for them to reach their full potential.

We also urge the government to come up with more State-funded schools, as there continues to be a decline in State infrastructure funding for education, leaving children vulnerable to child labour and social ills such as drug abuse, child marriages and human trafficking.