Speaking at the launch of the Global Partnership for Education in Copenhagen, Denmark, Coltart said the Zimbabwean government was pursuing several initiatives to improve enrolment and the quality of education by 2015.
“We will introduce a major programme of second chance and skills education for children and youth who have missed out through the political chaos of the last decade, in particular for orphans and vulnerable children,” he said.
Thousands of children have been forced to cut short their education since 2000 following the displacement of their families from rural areas.
Marauding gangs of Zanu (PF) youth militias and self-styled war veterans have terrorised students and teachers at rural schools, accusing them of supporting Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T.
Coltart said other initiatives being pursued by the government included a 75 percent increase in public spending on education during the next four years and introduction of stricter rules barring the expulsion of pupils over fees payments.
“We will endeavour to increase domestic government funding for basic education by 75 percent from $469 million in 2011 to $822 million benefitting over four million young Zimbabwean learners,” he said.
He revealed that Zimbabwe, which has already abolished rural primary school fees, would “offset the school costs for 700,000 orphans and vulnerable children in 2012 and prohibit exclusion of learners for non-payment of levies through the reform of education regulations”.
Post published in: News