Zambia: Mpulungu District Commissioner, Gehard Sikazwe has asked people in the Chinakila area to desist from marrying off-school-going children. The practice of marrying young children can often lead to disruption of education for the children.
The situation is especially unfortunate for the female students, who are thrown into housework after their marriage. According to District Commissioner Sikazwe, the Chinakila area has been recording high levels of school dropouts.
This phenomenon is majorly due to girl children that are married off at a tender age.
He announced that the government introduced free education to give a chance to children whose parents could not afford to pay for school fees. The administration of the country is dedicated to providing equal opportunities to the vulnerable population of the country.
The free education initiative was also a part of the efforts to encourage less fortunate families to send their wards to schools.
District Commissioner Sikazwe has been informing the various communities of the district about the government’s initiative. He also encouraged parents to ensure all children are returned to school when schools open next month.
He stated that the government is also coming up with measures to combat the challenges of illiteracy in the Mpulungu District communities.
A representative of the parents, Elizabeth Namuchenje thanked the government for putting measures in place to help reduce illiteracy in the area.
Namuchenje, has however bemoaned the attitude of some parents who think it is more beneficial for a girl child to be married than to go to school. The families find it disadvantageous to invest in education, especially for the female sections of society.
She explained that some parents are even forcing their daughters to get married and have children at a tender age.
She added that this is retrogressive. She observed that children who are married off at a tender age end up going back to their parents with children. This is because they cannot copy the hardships of marriage.