Govt: Parents of school dropouts to face jail. The government has made education compulsory up to the age of 16 to stem rising school dropout figures blamed on the poor state of the economy. Parents in Zimbabwe could face up to two years in jail if they fail to send their children to school.
BBC reported the legislation extends to criminalising and expelling children for not paying school fees or falling pregnant. According to the government’s regulatory body, the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVac), at least 20% of children have dropped out of school and 60% of primary school scholars are expelled for non-payment of fees.
The new law also makes it is an offence to expel children for non-payment of school fees or for becoming pregnant. Last year at least 60% of the children in primary school were sent home for failing to pay fees, according to ZimVac.
Zimbabwe’s first leader Robert Mugabe, a former teacher who died last year, was praised for the education policies he adopted after independence in 1980. The school system he established gave black Zimbabwean greater access to education as hundreds of state schools were opened, leading to Zimbabweans enjoying among the highest literacy rates in Africa.
However, free education ended in the 1990s and in the following decade the education system began to crumble.
What has changed?
The education law has been amended to make sure children in Zimbabwe go to school for a total of 12 years, five years more than was previously prescribed. Parents are now also in the firing line if their offspring fail to go to school.
They face up two years in jail – or a $260 (£200) fine if they can afford to pay it – if their children are found not to be attending classes. The BBC’s Shingai Nyoka in the capital, Harare, says it seems to be a bold attempt to force parents to prioritise education during an economic crisis.
But some believe the government is shirking its responsibilities amidst broken promises to provide free basic education and a chronic shortage of state schools. The high drop-out rate has also been blamed on pregnancy, early marriages, the long distances to schools and a lack of interest, our reporter adds.
Source – Bulawayo24 News
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