Finance Minister Honorable Professor Mthuli Ncube has urged all school children who cannot afford to pay school fees to visit Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare with their parents or guardians to register so that they can be helped.
Hon. Prof Mthuli Ncube said this while addressing the media at National University of Science and Technology (NUST) after delivering a public lecture on economic development under National Development Strategy 1(NDS1).
He said, “School children who cannot pay school fees should come to Ministry of Social Welfare to register as children who are not able to pay fees with their parents.”
Hon. Prof Mthuli Ncube added that those children can also join Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) program as the Ministry has that money specifically for BEAM.
During the NDS1 period Government’s priority is to broaden education through giving additional attention to access and participation to education by marginalised populations in both rural and urban areas.
According to a November 2022 research by the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) 63% of rural pupils dropped out of school in 2022 due to poverty.
BEAM is a preventive measure for child labour as it caters for orphans and other vulnerable children between the ages of six and 19 who are vulnerable to harmful practices.
In 2022 BEAM Programme paid fees for 1.5 million children however there have been reports that learners on BEAM were stranded as government delayed 2023 selection of beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, children under the Basic Education Assistant Module (BEAM) program are reportedly being turned away from schools due to late payment of school fees.
