News / Education
Fay Chung calls for free primary education
12 Feb 2011 at 11:40hrs | Views
Former Education minister Fay Chung has urged government to implement free primary education because many pupils are dropping out of school after failing to pay tuition fees, NewsDaily reports
Chung, who served as Education minister between 1988 and 1993, was speaking in Bulawayo yesterday at a seminar organised by the University of Zimbabwe's Institute of Environmental Studies and the National University of Science and Technology.
The seminar coincided with the launch of a report on education, titled: Moving Zimbabwe Forward: Reducing Poverty and Promoting Growth.
Chung, who in the early post-independence era played a major role in advocating for free education, said free education was imperative for the development of the nation.
"Now we have a situation where 14-year-olds are out of school and are becoming thugs," she said.
Chung said Zimbabwe, whose education once ranked top among Sadc countries, was now placed ninth out of 14 countries in the region.
She said the absence of funds to adequately pay teachers' salaries, medical and housing allowances had crippled Zimbabwe's education sector.
She added that the country was sliding back to the colonial era in terms of access to education for the majority of the population.
"We seem to have maintained a similar system to that which existed before Zimbabwe's independence.
"Only 68% of children complete primary school and only 53% go on to secondary school," she said.
Chung, renowned for her infusion of "education with production" values into the curriculum, said the standard requirement of five Ordinary Level passes for individuals to be accepted into technical and vocational institutions further limited the levels of education available to the youth.
Chung, who served as Education minister between 1988 and 1993, was speaking in Bulawayo yesterday at a seminar organised by the University of Zimbabwe's Institute of Environmental Studies and the National University of Science and Technology.
The seminar coincided with the launch of a report on education, titled: Moving Zimbabwe Forward: Reducing Poverty and Promoting Growth.
Chung, who in the early post-independence era played a major role in advocating for free education, said free education was imperative for the development of the nation.
"Now we have a situation where 14-year-olds are out of school and are becoming thugs," she said.
Chung said Zimbabwe, whose education once ranked top among Sadc countries, was now placed ninth out of 14 countries in the region.
She said the absence of funds to adequately pay teachers' salaries, medical and housing allowances had crippled Zimbabwe's education sector.
She added that the country was sliding back to the colonial era in terms of access to education for the majority of the population.
"We seem to have maintained a similar system to that which existed before Zimbabwe's independence.
"Only 68% of children complete primary school and only 53% go on to secondary school," she said.
Chung, renowned for her infusion of "education with production" values into the curriculum, said the standard requirement of five Ordinary Level passes for individuals to be accepted into technical and vocational institutions further limited the levels of education available to the youth.
Source - NewsDaily
