School drop-outs on the increase

Zimbabwe's economic crisis has resulted in a record number of school dropouts as parents struggle to pay the fees, and the rate of illiteracy among children could rise even further, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned. The economic crisis, coupled with HIV/AIDS, is threatening to erode the gains made in education since independence in 1980. "Children have difficulties getting fees, uniforms, adequate learning materials ... this has led to dropouts and, in cases where children continued to go to school, the environment was not good. Many children share [the] little resources available, which compromises the quality of education," said UNICEF spokeswoman Shantha Bloemen. She told IRIN thousands of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, particularly those in rural communities, had been the most affected as they lack the resources needed to meet educational costs. "The combination of AIDS and economic hardship has meant children have to fend for themselves and end up on the streets. UNICEF is spearheading the Harare Taskforce on Street Children and has provided grants to various community-based groups that are helping these children in both Bulawayo and Harare," she added. According to Bloemen, Zimbabwe experienced a net primary school enrolment ratio of 82 percent in 1984, four years after independence. This figure had risen to 90 percent by 2000, but because of the economic crisis that has gripped the country since then, it dropped to 65 percent last year. She also noted that about 25 percent of those who graduate from primary schools could not afford to proceed to secondary level because of the current harsh economic conditions. In the prevailing political and economic conditions, children begging have become a common sight in cities and towns. This situation, Bloemen warned, needed immediate attention, as education was the only conduit through which they could escape poverty. Earlier this year UNICEF and the Harare Taskforce on Children Living on the Streets undertook a survey in the capital, which revealed that a high percentage of children found on the city's streets were virtually illiterate, although they had a strong desire for education. While UNICEF plans to assist dropouts in a programme to be run from 2005 to 2006, Bloemen noted that "it has been difficult to mobilise additional [donor] resources to assist [children in need of education], since there is uncertainty over the land issue".