A SEVEN-YEAR education development programme aimed at supporting marginalised young people aged between 15 and 25 to have access to higher and tertiary education is in the pipeline.
This was said during the International Day of the Girl Child commemorations held at Harare Polytechnic on October 11.
The 2024 theme is Girls Vision for the Future.
The event was facilitated by the Forum for African Women Educationalists Zimbabwe (FAWEZI) supported by the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) and Education Coalition of Zimbabwe.
It brought together education shareholders, FAWEZI alumni, students from Seke 3 and 5, including Seke Mhuriimwe High schools.
The schools are part of FAWEZI’s project that involves schools in Chitungwiza.
Officials from the Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology ministry and the Primary and Secondary Education ministry also attended, along with students and department teachers from Harare Polytechnic.
The officials announced that once all due processes were completed the programme dubbed “Second Chance Pathways for Increased Access to Tertiary Education for Marginalised Young Women and Men” will be implemented with support from the Forum for African Women Educationalists Regional Secretariat through the Mastercard Foundation.
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“We envision a Zimbabwe where gender differences in education are reduced. Part of what we are doing today is motivating girls in high school and tertiary institutions to take up science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) so that we cover any existing gaps that may be there in terms of access to the courses,” FAWEZI programme manager Nqobile Nkiwane said.
The commemorations focused on promoting girls’ empowerment, particularly in STEM and technical vocational education and training.
The event featured panel discussions graced by female students and presentations from STEM role models from different fields who shared their personal journeys and offered mentorship tips.
Issues discussed included the digital divide’s impact on girls based in rural areas and the need to motivate girls to pursue STEM courses.
Through the panel discussions, young women shared personal experiences highlighting challenges that they were facing at school, such as menstrual health management, negative peer pressure, body shaming and sexual harassment during attachments.
“Together, we can create a future where every girl in Zimbabwe has the opportunity to reach her full potential and contribute to the socio-economic transformation of our society,” ZIMCHE official Barbara Nemachena said.
ZIMCHE is a body under the Higher and Tertiary Education ministry, which was set up to regulate higher education.
