The Sunday Mail
Government has thrown a lifeline to people who drop out of school for varying reasons with the re-introduction of non-formal education curricula under a model similar to yesteryear’s night school.
This is in line with the revamped education curriculum and will see schools absorbing thousands of teenagers and young adults who fail to complete or pass exams during formal education.
Last year more than 4 500 out of 329 549 pupils failed to write Grade Seven exams after dropping out for reasons that included failure to pay school fees and pregnancy.
Government statistics show that in 2014, nearly 50 000 forms four and six pupils either failed to register for public examinations or dropped out of school for various reasons.
But under the new curriculum, school have been directed to establish non-formal education to cater for the drop outs.
The majority of the drop outs are in rural areas.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora told The Sunday Mail that Government was intensifying efforts to ensure everyone had access to education in line with President Mugabe’s vision. Dr Dokora said the number of children who are out of school was alarming hence the need to introduce non-formal education.
He said non-formal education would offer adult literacy, the Zimbabwe Adult Basic Education Course, functional literacy, open and distance learning and part-time and continuing education.
“We want to ensure that every child has an opportunity to learn and those who have dropped out for various reasons will be enrolled through the non-formal education,” he said.
Dr Dokora said in line with the updated curriculum, every school should open a non-formal education class so that “young mothers and fathers are given another chance” to be educated.
“We commission a survey which has shown that 1 234 642 children were out of school so in order to deal with that challenge, non-formal education is the answer,” he said.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association secretary-general Mr John Mlilo said it was important to ensure that school drop outs were given another chance.
“It’s important that non-formal education is re-introduced but we also need to address what is causing our children to drop out of school. As long as the economic fundamentals are not addressed pupils will continue to drop out of school.”
His Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe counterpart Mr Raymond Majongwe said Government needed to create more opportunities for people to be employed so that they could send their children to school.
“If people are not working what do you expect? Obviously they cannot afford to send their children to school resulting in these cases,” he said. “But we are not saying the non-formal education is bad. We need to give our children a second chance.”
The re-introduction of non-formal education classes is in line with Section 75 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution, which says every citizen has the right to education.
