By Beni Bamusi

Thyolo, December 19, Mana: Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) held community awareness on child education in Thyolo where district authorities called on chiefs, religious leaders, parents, and guardians to ensure children stay in school as the district records high school dropout rate.

Thyolo District Council, Chairperson, Petro Bowman said on Wednesday at Kozalendo Primary School in Traditional Authority Mbawera that the dropout rate of children from schools continues to swell each passing day.

He commended CAMFED for supporting girl child education through the provision of school fees, exercise books, uniforms and other educational materials to needy students in secondary schools as one way of supporting children to stay in school uninterrupted by poverty.

The Council Chairperson however expressed concern over the high school dropout rate in the district, which he said needs collaborative efforts to address.

“Education is the foundation of development. CAMFED is doing commendable work, it is, therefore, everyone's responsibility to ensure children stay in school and we need to address the problem,” said Bowman.

Thyolo District, Chief Education Officer, Rabbeca Misiri, disclosed that in the 2022/2023 academic year, Thyolo registered 277 dropouts, with 187 boys and 190 girls.

“This 5.4 percent dropout rate is higher than the national average of 4.3 percent. This is mainly attributed to poverty, long distances to schools, sexual harassment, and lack of basic needs," she added.

She urged the community to implement bylaws to ensure that children return to school and remain in school, emphasizing that education is a right for every child, including those with disabilities.

“Education is a long-term investment. Children must be resilient to hardships, and communities must support them to complete their education,” she said.

Traditional Authority Mbawera hailed CAMFED for supporting needy children’s education, observing that CAMFED’s support enabled children in Thyolo to progress from secondary to tertiary education.

He urged parents and guardians to make use of the messages shared during the campaign and to priorities children’s education as the most important thing above all.

CAMFED campaign was held under them; School Dropout is Real; It is Our Responsibility to Make Children Stay in School and was aimed at drumming collective support to keep children in school.