THE Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) has petitioned the Primary and Secondary Education ministry to end school dropouts, period poverty and abuse, and ensure full access to education for girls.
According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, more girls drop out of school than boys, while child pregnancies persist. Over 4 500 students dropped out of school around the country in 2023 after falling pregnant, with at least 150 in primary school.
In a petition dated November 20, Artuz said the statistics were troubling.
“Alarmed by the evidence showing that despite protective laws, girls are continually dropping out of school due to pregnancy, miss classes due to menstrual poverty and suffer sexual abuse within the school system and in the ministry, we call on our ministry to address the prevailing crisis.”
The union emphasised that girls continue to face hindrances within the education system.
“While the law states that girls cannot be excluded from school due to pregnancy or non-payment of fees, girls continue to face overwhelming barriers within the education system,” it added.
“Girls’ education continues to be undermined by stigma faced by pregnant girls or young mothers, persistent menstrual poverty and increasing cases of sexual abuse within the school systems and communities.”
The union cited the Constitution, which mandates the State to ensure that girls are afforded the same opportunities as boys to obtain education at all levels.
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Artuz said the right was upheld by the amendment of section 68C of the Education Act, which explicitly states that no pupil shall be excluded from school for non-payment of school fees or on the basis of pregnancy.
“Furthermore, the Education (General) Regulations, 2025 (SI 13 of 2025) affirm the government’s commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights services in schools, including the provision of menstrual hygiene products, qualified guidance counsellors, and comprehensive sexuality education,” Artuz said.
Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro said every single dropout was a national emergency.
“It is a potential engineer, a doctor, a teacher, or an entrepreneur lost to the shadows of ignorance,” he said.
“We are no longer waiting for children to disappear from our registers; we are now actively hunting for them before they are lost.
“The cornerstone of our new offensive is the early warning system strategy; a data-driven, community-anchored mechanism that identifies children at risk of dropping out — be it due to poverty, distance, or domestic issues — long before they actually do.”
Ndoro said teachers, community leaders and education inspectors were on the frontline scouts, flagging vulnerabilities so the ministry can deploy targeted interventions.
“We are moving from reactive mourning to proactive safeguarding.
“An empty desk in a classroom is a crime against our nation’s future.
“We are replacing the obituary of lost potential with the birth certificate of opportunity through our early warning system.”
Ndoro highlighted that menstrual poverty was a form of violence against girls.
“To call it ‘menstrual poverty’ is to be polite. It is a form of economic violence against our girls, a padlock on their potential,” he said.
“No girl should have to trade her dignity for an education, or miss school because of a natural biological process.
“Our response is, therefore, not a programme, but a declaration of scaling up the provision of free, quality sanitary pads to all government and public schools.”
He added: “This is not a favour we are bestowing upon our girls; it is a non-negotiable component of their right to learn in dignity and safety.”
He said the ministry was working with partners to ensure a sustainable, reliable supply chain that cannot be broken.
“We are building a fortress around our girls’ education.
“If poverty is the siege, then sanitary pads are our ammunition.
“We will not retreat until every girl can sit in class, every day of the month, without fear or shame.”
