GOVERNMENT has launched the second phase of the Early Warning System (EWS) in a major milestone meant to deal with the problem of school dropouts through various intervention measures.
This phase follows the success of the pilot project and will expand to include 30 more districts.
The first phase of the programme, which targeted only five districts with 103 schools, witnessed 78 percent of these schools registering an increase in enrollment.
Government is now contemplating having the programme spread in all schools across the country in line with the inclusive development agenda.
“The ministry is also committed to ensuring that the Early Warning System’s practices are universal in all schools and not only limited to those few selected districts from where various projects are operating.
It is for this reason that a ministry-driven EWS framework intends to bring inclusivity as it will provide general guidelines on how to curb dropouts within our schools,” the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Honourable Torerai Moyo said.
“I would therefore like to call upon all of you to engage with this process cognisant of the duties we all have in fulfilling the educational dreams and ambitions of the Zimbabwean child and consequently, contributing to the country’s educational and developmental priorities,” he added.
Development partners have committed to continue assisting government in shaping the country’s educational landscape.
“We will continue to support the ministry in building the capacity of school leaders, strengthening data systems and empowering local communities to drive change from the ground up,” CAMFED’s co-director, Mrs Jastina Hama stated.
The Early Warning Systems programme, which started in 2023, was initially targeting the girl child but has since grown to also include the boy-child after stakeholders realised that the school dropout problem knows no gender.
