When schools opened their doors for the new year on March 15 and March 22, a significant number of female learners did not turn up for classes, and there are now disturbing reports explaining why.
Some of the learners fell pregnant, while others simply got
married or eloped.
Schools in rural areas and mining towns were affected the
most. There was a lot of upheaval in the 2020 school calendar owing to the
raging coronavirus pandemic.
Initially, schools were closed on March 24 only to re-open
in phases after a six-month hiatus, starting with examination classes on
September 28. They were followed on October 26 by learners sitting for exam
classes this year, while the rest of the classes opened on November 9.
However, they closed again on December 18. The short
learning time and lengthy lockdown is understood to have created fertile
conditions for teen pregnancies and early marriages, as learners had a lot of
idle time on their hands. According to a latest Government report, 4 959
teenagers were impregnated in January and February this year, while an
additional 1 774 got into early marriages. The report indicates the figures
might actually be higher, as some of the cases go unreported.
“During lockdown, learners spent more time at home, which
left most men converting the community to a hunting ground,” said Minister of
Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Dr
Sithembiso Nyoni.
“What is worrying is that most of the perpetrators are
never brought before the law and that these teenagers are abandoning school yet
Government allows for them to go back.”
A source from Dalny Mine Secondary School in Kadoma told
The Sunday Mail Society that at least 28 girls did not return for class when
schools reopened last month.
“Most of the dropouts were Form Four students. There were
supposed to be writing their Ordinary Level this year. It is so disturbing,
especially when you look at it from a district or provincial level. How many
schools recorded such cases and how many girls have left school,” said a source,
who chose to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“Due to the stigma associated with being pregnant in
school, most of them simply opt out. Six of the 67 girls that had registered
for Form One enrolment also dropped out due to early marriages. A lot needs to
be done quickly if we are to salvage the situation.”
At Seke 6 Secondary School in Chitungwiza, six girls
dropped out this year. Two of them have since indicated their willingness to
return to class, provided they get the necessary support.
“Out of six, four of the girls eloped, while the other two
still live with their parents. After talking to their parents and guiding them
accordingly, we are happy two of the girls are willing to get back to school.
We are expecting them back anytime,” revealed one of the school officials.
At Kalungwizi Secondary School in Binga, at least 12 girls
absconded. Efforts to talk to the
parents for the girls to continue with school have been in vain.
“Some of the parents seem not to understand the importance
of having their children complete secondary education. This has made me realise
the need for strategies that will also enlighten the parents about the
importance of education over early marriage,” said one of the teachers who lost
three learners.
Child representative organisations argue that at least 40
percent of girls have dropped out of school since the first lockdown on March
31 last year. Shamwari ye Mwanasikana said in 2019 the organisation recorded a
total of 94 cases of drop-outs.
However, the figure rose to 304 last year. “It is a very
sad development. Our survey indicates that some of the victims are as young as
Grade Six or Seven. Government allows for pregnant girls to still attend
school, but there are some issues that still need to be dealt with for this to
be practical,” said Girl Child Network national coordinator Ms Shingayi
Nyirenda.
Girl Guides Association of Zimbabwe commissioner Ms
Florence Madhuku described the trend as disturbing.
Reasons for dropping out of schools, she said, included
poverty, low self-esteem, pregnancy and being chased away from home.
“It takes a lot of maturity for one to be able to attend
classes while pregnant. Looking at the ages involved, that is between 12 and
18, these are girls that still need a lot of counselling and grooming for them
to be able to face their colleagues in such a state.
“Also, there is need for the creation of structures that
deter young girls from sexual activities. Most of these marriages end up in
divorce, gender-based-violence (GBV) and even murder. Thus, we really need to
protect our children, and the only way we can do that is bring them back to
school,” argues Ms Madhuku.
One of the school drop-outs, Shelly Maronda (not her real
name), is four months pregnant. She was impregnated by a cattle herder who is
13 years older than her.
Maronda is supposed to be writing her final Ordinary Level
examinations this year at Damba Secondary School in Hwedza.
“This was a mistake, I knew he is married and it was not
meant to be anything serious,” narrated the 16-year-old.
“I still want to be in school but I have become a laughing
stock. My friends have abandoned me, I am insecure and fear I will not cope in
class.”
For Tanyaradzwa, a Bindura-based 17-year-old, the case is
totally different. Her parents forced
her to elope.
“We lived in a compound and they could not stomach the
embarrassment of having a pregnant child under their roof so they chased me
away from home. “I now live with my 19-year-old husband and in-laws. School is
no longer an option. I was not ready for all this but I am left with no
choice.”
The new Education Act, which came into force on August 21
last year, prohibits State (public) schools from expelling or excluding girls
who fall pregnant from attending lessons, among wide-ranging reforms in the
education sector. Primary and Secondary Education Minister Ambassador Cain
Mathema said the move was meant to eliminate poverty by empowering the
girl-child.
“On issues like child marriages, parents and community
leaders have to do most of the job to protect the girls because they are the
custodians,” he said.
“What is currently happening is sad. Government is playing
its part to stop this school drop-out menace, thus communities should also
fight for what is best for these children.”
Girl Child Network national coordinator Ms Nyirenda
encouraged Government to come up with ways to re-enrol female learners who
would have been affected.
She said some of the girls are victims of sexual
exploitation who need counselling.
“We need to come up with ways to help these children get
back to school. The numbers involved are huge, thus we cannot just let it go.
Social workers need to come on board, school authorities likewise, let us go
into the communities and do what is noble. On the other hand, we need to ensure
that stigma and discrimination in schools is properly dealt with,” she said.
Psychologist and University of Johannesburg post-doctoral
researcher Dr John Ringson said the situation requires all hands on deck.
“This is now a delicate situation, especially looking at
the communities that we live in. Parents and teachers need to play a key role
here; proper counselling is needed,” explained Dr Ringson.
“It is possible to re-admit students at school. But a lot
comes with being pregnant and being a wife. Some of them are no longer prepared
to go back to class, hence we need parents, teachers, guardians and experts to
unite in this purpose.” According to UNICEF, teen pregnancies remain a global
challenge.
It is estimated that at least 16 million girls aged between
15 and 19 fall pregnant every year. Sunday Mail
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