Flooded rivers disrupt rural school attendance, government urged to act

As Zimbabwe’s rainy season begins, senators have raised alarm over rural school children missing classes due to flooded rivers, prompting calls for urgent government intervention.


Senator Lilian Mlilo questioned the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education on its plans to ensure uninterrupted access to education, especially in areas where children must cross rivers to reach school. “It is the right of children to go to school every day,” she emphasized, urging the construction of safe crossings and bridges.

Deputy Minister Angeline Gata responded by outlining the Ministry’s Disaster Risk Management strategy, which includes contingency plans for weather-related disruptions. She encouraged parents to organize safe transport and assured that children stranded at school during floods would be cared for until conditions improve.

Gata also noted that ZIMSEC has protocols in place to ensure examinations proceed even when students are affected by flooding. Long-term infrastructure solutions, such as strip and proper bridges, are expected to be addressed under the government’s devolution programme in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.