HARARE
–
At
least
4,557
girls,
a
majority
based
in
rural
areas,
dropped
out
of
Zimbabwean
schools
in
2023
due
to
pregnancy,
Primary
and
Secondary
Education
Minister
Torerai
Moyo
told
parliament
on
Wednesday.
Of
these,
Moyo
said
while
responding
to
questions
from
MPs,
134
were
girls
still
in
primary
school.
“Therefore,
for
the
year
ending
December
2023;
4,557
girls
dropped
out
of
school
due
to
pregnancy,
the
majority
of
these
3,942
being
from
rural
schools.
“There
were
134
girls
who
dropped
out
of
primary
school
as
a
result
of
pregnancy,
meaning
that
the
majority
of
dropouts
were
recorded
in
secondary
schools,”
he
said.
Moyo
said
his
ministry
has
instituted
several
measures
to
curb
the
problem,
one
of
which
is
the
introduction
of
guidance
and
counselling
in
schools.
“Through
the
Education
Act,
the
ministry
has
also
ensured
that
the
legal
provisions
are
there
to
enable
girls
who
fall
pregnant
to
continue
with
their
education,”
he
said.
“According
to
the
Education
Amendment
Act
of
2020,
we
do
not
encourage
girls
to
drop
out
for
reasons
that
they
are
pregnant,
we
encourage
them
to
continue
according
to
the
Act.
“According
to
the
law,
they
are
allowed
to
be
on
maternity
leave
for
a
period
of
2
weeks.
After
giving
a
normal
birth,
the
girl
is
allowed
back
to
the
school
and
that
is
according
to
the
Constitution.
“So,
we
encourage
those
technical
and
vocational
skills
to
be
equipped
to
all
the
students
regardless
of
whether
one
has
dropped
out
or
not.”
Moyo
said
his
ministry
continues
to
encourage
all
the
girls
who
fall
pregnant
to
complete
their
studies.
“Quite
a
number
of
students
have
been
accepted
back
and
have
gone
back
to
school.
“We
also
have
the
support
of
our
partners
CAMFED
where
students
who
have
dropped
out
if
they
have
any
challenges
in
terms
of
resource
mobilisation,
CAMFED
provides
scholarships
for
girls.
“Last
December,
we
had
a
launch
of
US$48.8
million
and
of
that
amount
from
Global
Partners
in
Education,
US$80
million
has
been
allocated
to
CAMFED
to
provide
funding
for
such
girls
and
that
has
been
impacted,”
said
Moyo.
The
rise
in
teenage
pregnancies
has
been
attributed
to
lax
enforcement
of
laws,
widespread
poverty,
as
well
as
cultural
and
religious
practices.