The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) is appealing to members of the public to assist the association with details of school dropouts.
In a statement on Friday, ARTUZ said it was attempting to find children that have school dropped out of school in order to help them to return to class. The teachers’ union said:
We are tracking school dropouts and helping them continue with their education through different initiatives.
Help us track all dropouts. Contact Makaita Ngwenya on +263771910870 and share details of anyone you know who needs assistance.
On Friday the Government announced that schools open for the first term on 7 February after a one-month delay caused by the COVID-19 fourth wave.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also forced learners to stay home for long and this has resulted in teenage pregnancies, early marriages, and increasing the number of school dropouts.
Zimbabwe has approximately six million students in learning institutions and 840 000 pupils have dropped out of school in recent times according to Friedrich Nauman Foundation programmes manager Fungisai Sithole.