Kiwis helping UNICEF get books to Zimbawe children

UNICEF (UN Children's Fund)
Media Release
Kiwis helping UNICEF get books into hands of Zimbabwe children

16 September 2009. – The New Zealand Government is supporting a NZ$100 million UNICEF campaign to ensure every child in Zimbabwe gets a quality education.

The initiative involves a massive campaign to get textbooks into school classrooms and accessible to every child. Currently one in five primary schools has no textbooks for some subjects. 

Zimbabwe’s education system – once one of the best in sub-Saharan Africa – has declined to the point where one in five primary schools has no English, mathematics or African-language textbooks. As a result, pass rates have fallen significantly and more than 50 per cent of primary school pupils do not go on to secondary school.

UNICEF Zimbabwe Representative, Dr. Peter Salama, says the initiative will increase the ratio of learning materials – currently estimated at 1 textbook for every 10 students – to one book for every two pupils within the next year.

The campaign will also ensure that school fees are paid for a large number of the country’s orphaned and vulnerable children, and those affected by the country’s catastrophic economic downturn.

Dr. Salama says that Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product has contracted drastically since 2000, resulting in a rapid increases in household poverty levels.

“When households are poor, they find it very hard to fund the basic school fees or levies or costs associated with getting kids to school, such as uniforms or text books.”

The education drive is supported by the Governments of New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Commission.

The initiative’s broader goal is to kick-start Zimbabwe’s educational system as a whole.

“We know that historically Zimbabwe has highly valued education, so the issue is not so much getting kids to come to school,” says Dr. Salama.

“It’s more about ensuring they get a quality education once they’re there. And, of course, if you’re sharing one textbook between 10 kids, it’s very hard to get a quality education."

Dr. Salama says that support from donor governments and organisations represents a bold and visionary recommitment to Zimbabwe’s children.
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