MKOBA

TEACHERS
COLLEGE

DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES
CLUSTER: HUMANITIES

SUBJECT:...............HEALTHAND LIFE

SKILLS.....................................................................................................................CAND

IDATE’S NAME:..........MUSONI

SHELLY....................................................................................................... CAND

NO.:.................210/19/18..................... GROUP:..........3A.... CLASS

OF:..........................2O18................

ASSIGNMENT NO.: 02

ASSIGNMENT TOPIC: ..........EXAMINE THE ROLE PLAYED BY ANY THREE CHILD

DUE DATE:...30 JUNE 2020....................................................................

LECTURER:..Marima...........................................................................

INITIAL MARK:
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MARKER’S NAME: ................................................................
MARKER’S SIGNATURE:......................................................

MODERATED MARK:

REMARKS:.........................................................................................................................
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MODERATOR’S NAME:.........................................................
MODERATOR’S SIGNATURE:..............................................

FINAL MARK:
Children in Zimbabwean primary schools face various challenges which affect their academic
performance. The problems include shortage of food, shortage of school fees, and lack of
emotional and psychosocial support. Child support systems like Capernaum Trust, Unicef,
Basic Education Assistance Module to mention but a few, play a major role in alleviating
problems faced by learners in primary schools. The purpose of this write up is to explore the
child support systems and the role they play in assisting vulnerable children in Zimbabwe. Terms
to be defined are child support network and vulnerable.

Child support network is a specialised service that locates missing parents and collects court
ordered support payment [ CITATION Onl \l 1033 ] .Therefore child support networks are the non-
governmental organisations that offers educational, food, clothing, and sports support to the
orphans, and less privileged children.

[ CITATION Mer \l 1033 ], also defines vulnerable as someone who is weak and without protection
with result that they are easily hurt physically or emotionally. However, vulnerable can be
defined as single and destitute in the middle of nowhere.

Basic Education Assistance Module is one of the major child support systems that the
Government of Zimbabwe is providing to vulnerable children in primary schools. It is a school
fees assistance programme whose beneficiaries are chosen from across the country. Basic
Education Assistance Module is administered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Services in
conjunction with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. The primary objective of
Basic Education Assistance Module is to reduce the number of children dropping out and reach
out to children who have never been to school due to economic hardships that came as a result of
sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States and its Western Allies like Britain. The
main development objective of Beam Education Assistance Module is to prevent irreversible
welfare losses for poor households who resort to perverse coping mechanisms, like withdrawing
children from school, in response to increasing poverty. To date millions of children in
Zimbabwe have benefited from this noble module. This study was carried out to establish the
efficiency of Basic Education Assistance Module in the provision of life skills to orphans and
vulnerable children. Children in both rural and urban areas have benefited from the Basic
education assistance module.

However, although we appreciate that millions of learners have benefited from the Basic
Education Assistance Module, the survey established that 53% of respondents from teachers said
nothing was being done by Basic Education Assistance Module to support individual pupils’
abilities and talents. This was also reviewed from the statistics taken from the pupils’ survey
where 66.7% of pupils were in need of additional funds to pursue their talents and abilities.
Results concurred with results by UNICEF 2003 which found out that student had no choices in
curriculum selection (BEAM Module Draft Version 7). USAID (2017) in a study of programmes
that benefited orphans and vulnerable children carried out in communities in Sub-Saharan Africa
found out that most programmes focused on provision of material. Payment of basic education
and Education did not consider the abilities of the individual this concurred with the findings of
the study. This means that only the academically gifted benefit as compared to slow learners
because their talents are not catered for, for example, the learners who are gifted in soccer could
benefit greatly if Basic Education Assistance module was paying for learners to go for soccer
trainings in clubs like the Highlanders.

The Basic Education Assistance Module is of great importance in Zimbabwean primary schools
because boys and girls now have equal opportunity of attending school since Basic Education
Assistance Module pays fees for learners from both sexes. Results from the study reveal that
there was equal representation of the sexes among the beneficiaries. Result concurs with studies
by UNICEF (2016) in Zimbabwe which showed that entry to primary school stood at 100% for
girls and boys which is a great achievement since the girl child did not have the opportunity to
attend school just like the boy child.

The study which was carried out revealed that Basic Education Assistance Module in Zimbabwe
did not support those who were not academically gifted. Beam only pays for six basic academic
subjects and children have no choice in subject or skill selection. From the results it was also
noted that those who were gifted, creative and talented were not supported. From literature
reviewed it was noted that talented and creative learners in schools had no provisions but were
supported by non-governmental organizational in their personal pursuits. Thus, there is need to
support learners with various talents so that all the learners benefit.

Capernaum Trust is one of the child support systems that are available in Zimbabwean Primary
Schools. Capernaum trust’s major program on orphaned and vulnerable children is educational
scholarship which is a comprehensive intervention that covers tuition and management levies,
school uniforms, examination fees, textbooks and stationery and other support materials.
Capernaum Trust has been hailed for providing the holistic approach because their assistance
ranges from financial, psychosocial, emotional and physiological support, (UNICEF, (2014).

They offer empowerment through evangelism, nutritional (food) packs, child welfare and
support, medical support, psycho-social support, learning hubs, History Makers Alumni where
highest achievers meet after finishing school, talent management, technology and innovation
through e-learning. They offer higher life clubs and leadership and development. All these are
done to make sure that whatever that may hinder success and progress on the History Makers is
totally taken care of.

However, it has been noted with concern that there are cases whereby after offering all these
provisions drop outs are still recorded in Capernaum trust’s records (Ministry of Education,
Sport, Arts and Culture, 2016). Hence, primary school learners get tremendous support from
Capernaum Trust, but some learners may drop out of school maybe due the fact that they do not
like learning.

Hampson (2018) points out that, being orphaned or made vulnerable can play a role in whether a
child goes to school. Orphaned and vulnerable children may lose access to school for several
reasons including poverty, need for domestic labour need for income-generating activities,
stigmatization, and parental sickness or death. School enrollment inequalities among all types of
orphans have been documented through-out sub-Saharan Africa. One estimate suggested that
orphans are approximately 13% less likely to attend school than non-orphans. Studies have also
shown the same disparities in grade progression is found in several countries including
Botswana, Niger, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwean rural areas, some
learners may leave schooling due to the fact that they travel long distances on foot going to
school, the child may be tired and then leave school. The children may be child headed; there is
no parent to encourage the children about schooling. Therefore, child support systems are
important to a great extent because they may act in loco-parentis, taking the role of the parent in
offering necessary support, and there is also need for the parents to encourage learners because
they may suffer from the same fate by virtue of their vulnerability.

United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund is also significant in child support in
Zimbabwe. It are important in the payment of school fees to the Orphans and Vulnerable
Children a, provision of stationery and uniforms school uniforms. The learners’ attendance has
improved due to payment of fees and provision of books, pens, rulers and many more.

The learners enjoy going to school because the organization also purchases new uniforms for the
learners. In that way, they will be excited about learning and attendance has greatly improved.

Nearly 100 % of community members confirmed that United Nations International Children’s
Emergency Fund provided assistance in the education of children. This was echoed by responses
such as “we had an education fund where we were paying school fees for children. Basilwizi
links children in Zimbabwe to those in Italy. They write messages to friends in Italy, and they are
then paid school fees. Thus, Basilwizi implemented the child scholarship project in Luunga ward
that identified and linked the Factors affecting the success, (Muponde, 2015).

The learners were given textbooks for all the subjects in the primary school curriculum which
made the teaching learning process easier, the learners enjoy learning because of the availability
of resources.

In conclusion, the child support systems in the primary school play a major role in ensuring that
there is effective and efficient teaching and learning due to provision of emotional, psychosocial,
economic and moral support. The holistic approach which is offered makes the learning process
to be fruitful.
References
Accelerating progress towards UPE, Equality, equity and empowerment through education.[
Available at] http://info.worldbank.org/ etools/docs/library/164047/sector/health6.htm (Accessed on 14 May
2017).

Hampson, F. (2018). Madness in the Multitude: Human Security and World Disorder, Oxford
University Press. Ontario.s
Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, 2011. Education Interim Strategic Plan 2011.
Government
Muponde, R. 2015. Binga Council Blasts NGOs. Southern Eye, October 7, available at
www.southerneye.co.za, [Accessed on 23 April 2016].

NANGO, 2006. Zimbabwe NGO corporate governance manual, Harare: Smoothedge Designs.
of Zimbabwe.
Online www.childsupport .com
UNICEF, (1998), Children in especially difficult circumstances in Zimbabwe. Final report of
UNICEF consulting to the government of Zimbabwe Ministry of Public Service, Labour and
Social Welfare.

United Nations, 2011. Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2012-
2015, Harare.

Zimbabwe National Strategic Plan for the education of Girls, Orphans and Other Vulnerable
Children.