According to the General Agriculture Plantation Workers Union Zimbabwe, the low wages have had an adverse effect not only on the lifestyle of workers, but have severely impacted future prospects for the children.
“Living conditions at the farms have deteriorated very much and the children have been worst affected,” said Ndaizivei Kamoto, GAPWUZ spokesperson.
Students who were supposed to sit examinations this year will not be able to do so, as their parents cannot afford the fees.
“It’s really bad because parents do not have any other source of income. They work24/7 throughout the year,” said Kamoto Since last year, GAPWUZ, which has more than 25 000 members, has been pushing for a review of salaries of workers to at least $55, but new farmers have dug in their heels, arguing that the agriculture sector is under-performing.
Apart from failing to raise money for fees, students at the new farms also have to travel long distances in order to get to school as the government has failed to provide new schools at the farms. In most cases, the dispossessed commercial farmers had farm schools where the kids received free tuition.
GAPWUZ also noted that most of the children do not have birth certificates and this has also affected their chances of registering for the critical ordinary level examinations.
Post published in: Education