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Rutendo Rori

Mash East correspondent

Pupils from rural communities have pleaded with Government to provide online learning facilities since a sizeable proportion of the children do not have smartphones and laptops which are needed to access internet and to utilise e-learning tools.

A prolonged lockdown which has seen children going for months without going to school, has resulted in an increase in teenage pregnancies and child marriages, especially in rural areas and other remote areas where they cannot afford online lessons.

This was revealed during a mobile awareness campaign conducted by a local organisation Shamwari Yemwanasikana (SYS) in Chihota last week.  SYSis currently doing a nationwide campaign to raise awareness on issues to do with child marriages, gender based violence (GBV) and information on sexual reproductive health rights.

Paida Makanjera (16), a Form Four student at Mahusekwa Secondary School, said like other children, she had since forgotten about her studies because of the lockdown.

She said she could not afford to do online lessons because she had no access to the internet. “I am doing my Form Four at Mahusekwa Secondary School but because of the lockdown, I am staying at home and have since forgotten about my studies,” she said.

“I cannot afford online lessons because I don’t have a smartphone or a laptop. I cannot even access the internet because there is no Wi-Fi in our community.

“Even if I wanted to study while I’m at home, I have no textbooks and we cannot do group work because of the lockdown regulations. This means that online learning is crucial at this moment.” She said if children were provided with online learning facilities, this would see a decrease in cases of teenage pregnancies and child marriages.

“If Government could assist us with online learning facilities this would be helpful to our community because we have gone for months without learning. We need computers, smartphones as well as wi-fi in our communities so that we can study from home.

Another student Yolanda Mafenya (17) said the prolonged lockdown also resulted in child labour, which has exposed the girl child.

“Child labour has become common in our community as most parents are failing to fend for their families. Most children are going out of their way to seek employment. As a result, this is exposing the girl child, leading to an increase in cases of rape.

“If Government could assist with online learning facilities, it could bring an end to teenage pregnancies, child marriages and rape cases.