WOMEN parliamentarians and a group of young women activists have threatened a demonstration next week to force Primary and Secondary Education minister Paul Mavima to release a circular that will allow underprivileged children to attend school without paying fees.
BY KUDZAI MUCHENJEKWA
Organisers of the demonstration met in Harare yesterday to fine tune their demands and other issues affecting underprivileged children, whom they believe were being ignored by the government.
Bulawayo legislator, Jasmine Tofa (MDC-T) said Mavima was aware of their grievances, adding the demonstration would be held next Wednesday.
“We went to see the minister concerning this issue, but he was not co-operative. He said he will look into the issue and to my surprise he is still looking into the issue,” she said.
Tag a Life International (TaLI) executive director, Nyaradzo Mashayamombe said the government should prioritise children’s right to education.
“As it stands, 27% of children in Zimbabwe are not going to schools because they do not have money for fees, which is not supposed to be the case. We don’t want our government to rely on donors because donors can just decide to stop donating money.
“We want the government to come up with instruments that will see children being allowed to attend classes even if they don’t have school fees.”
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The women said they would also push the agenda in Parliament next Wednesday while the girls will be demonstrating outside the House
