MS Getrude Sibanda (68) of Umguza District in Matabeleland North Province has a 12-year-old son who is no longer attending school as he suffers from autism, a developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact.
With the nearest primary school situated at about 10km away, her son’s plight is one of the major problems for people in Village 19, a resettlement area in the district.
She lives at Red Leaf Three Farm, a resettlement area off Bulawayo Nyamandlovu Road.
Primary school children from this village travel long distances to either Mbuyazwe Primary (15km) or Joanna Mafuyane Primary School, which is 10km away.
After travelling for seven years to the nearest primary school to complete Grade Seven, most of them struggle or completely fail to proceed to Form One as schools are located even further away.
The situation forces boys to turn to tilling the land and collecting firewood for resale while some girls either fall pregnant or also work in the farms.
This emerged during a recent visit to Red Bank Primary School by Unicef officials and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
School treasurer, Mrs Yvonne Dube, told the visiting delegation the first term usually has low attendance as pupils will be busy tilling the land with their families.
“There are pupils that don’t attend lessons, especially in the first term. This is because parents would go to fields with them working for other people and each is given a portion to till the land,” she said.
After completing Grade Seven Mrs Dube said several pupils lose interest in school and start working menial jobs as the nearest secondary school, Mbuyazwe, is 15km away, .
“There are no child marriages here, but there are just young mothers; 13, 14 and 15 falling pregnant. Those children that have finished Grade Seven are now mothers and still at home,” she said.
A local villager, Mr Joseph Lunga (73) also said children who finish primary school are reluctant to attend high school due to distances. He pleaded with the Government to establish a new secondary school and a clinic in the area.
“We ask the authorities that there should be a secondary school in this area that is close by so that our children don’t walk long distances,” he said.
“Even a primary school is also needed. Pupils who are lucky are given lifts by cars going to Bulawayo in the morning and in the direction of Nyamandlovu when they have knocked off school. Some pay five rand or some are givenfree rides.”
Another villager, Mr Adrian Dube (32), said to remedy the situation he decided to take his daughter to relatives in Bulawayo and she is learning at a school in the city.
Commenting on the situation, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education director of Communication and Advocacy, Mr Taungana Ndoro, said the need for a secondary school within the area was critical.
Mr Taungana Ndoro
“Without one, you may have, for example, a girl child who lacks interest in proceeding to secondary school because the distance is just too much. When they then stay at home that’s when the challenge begins,” he said.
Mr Ndoro said that the lack of schools at walkable distance was evidenced by the reports of teenage pregnancies and boys turning to menial jobs.
“The school system by its very nature is a protective system. When children aren’t in school, they aren’t protected,” he said.
“This is why when we had Covid-19 and schools were closed there was a lot of indiscipline, pregnancies, drug and substance abuse. It was because the school system was longer there to protect these growing children so that they don’t fall prey to these vile activities,” said Mr Ndoro. – The Chronicle
