BEAM must benefit the vulnerable

The news that DFID has pledged $10 million towards the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) for this year is most welcome. The money comes at a time when nearly a million pupils risk dropping out of school due to financial challenges.

That money will go a long way in assisting the needy pupils of this country. If put to good use,that money will consolidate our leading position in the literacy rate ranking in Africa. UNICEF should, therefore, follow suit and so should other NGOs.

However, fears are that this money can be abused as was the case with the previous funds. In most cases, BEAM never benefitted the intended beneficiaries. Some of the beneficiaries came from well-heeled families.

To avoid a repeat of this abuse, the selection criteria must be reviewed. Teachers must be given the responsibility of selecting BEAM beneficiaries. Teachers know the economic background of the pupils they teach.

Some people have developed a dependency syndrome to an extent that those who are supposed to help vulnerable children in the community are the ones who are instead snatching away bread from their mouths.

It is not only BEAM that has benefitted the rich at the expense of the poor. We have witnessed the Presidential Scholarship being subjected to the same abuse. While the scholarship fund is noble, children from affluent families have been benefitting more than those in real need.

Good examples of unbefitting beneficiaries are the daughters of Simbaneuta Mudarikwa, a Member of Parliament for Uzumba then. Mudarikwa could afford a gala where he hired 10 musical groups to celebrate the graduation of his four daughters.

I have had the opportunity to observe the send offs of these beneficiaries where the haves, driving the state of the art vehicles brought their children. Unless something is done on the administration of these facilities that were introduced in good faith, the rich will continue to benefit at the expense of the vulnerable children.