On the 25th of November 2020 Tag a Life International (TaLI) hosted a cocktail party at Cresta lodge Msasa as a way of celebrating the Education Amendment Act of 2019 and the Secretary’s Circular 3 of 2019 which came as a result of the unrelenting advocacy work of the organisation and its partners, through the campaign Every Child In School – ECIS.
The ECIS campaign was launched in 2017 after the change in govenremtn of the country where the new president was promising a change in the social protection including education.
Inspired by the need to see the improvement and protection in the life of the girl child, TaLI convened the ‘Every Child in School – ECIS campaign which demanded for laws that would ensure a commitment to state funded education by the Zimbabwe government.
The organisation took the opportunity during the first day of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence 2020 to celebrate the achievement in the laws they had been pushing for under the theme ‘An Edcuation Girls is an Empowered Girl’, the ECIS Convener and Founding Director of TaLI, Ms Nyaradzo Mashayamombe in her speech explained that; “when a girl is in school, she is protected from vulnerabilities that include gender based violence, poverty and is enabled to fully participate in public life without limitations”, she said.
Since the enactment of the 2 laws the Every Child in School (ECIS) Campaign couldn’t celebrate its achievements due to Covid-19 lockdowns but found the perfect oporuntity to host members of the media, ECIS partners that include; Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe – WCoZ, Education Coalition of Zimbabwe(ECOZI) and Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children(ZNCWC).
A number of individual organisation; over 200 signed up to the campaign that include; Justice for Children, Mambure Trust, Jonted Hands among others.
Through its work in the communities TaLI observed that most children of school going age were not in school, especially girls who were vulnerable to early and forced marriages, as well as other forms of gender based violence.
Inquiring through its work, it was discovered children were out of school largely because their parents or guardians couldn’t afford admission levies, schools fees and other exaggerated enrolment demands by government schools.
Since then, the ECIS campaign has been advocating for a law that allows children to be admitted in school whilst parents negotiate with the school authorities on payment plans. It further demanded for total free state funded basic education.
It took petitions to the ministry of primary and secondary education, dialogues with members of parliament, lobbying and advocacy, as well as the use of press conferences by ECIS under the leadership of Ms Nyaradzo for the law to change.
According to section 75 of the constitution of Zimbabwe every child has the right to state funded basic education. The 2 laws are for a good cause and will indeed benefit the children in Zimbabwe if implemented.
The event was graced by partnering organisations and media houses. In her words, the convenor of the ECIS campaign Ms Nyaradzo Mashayamombe said the journey had just begun since a lot has to be done to raise awareness on the new laws and to keep advocating for the resourcing of the new law
She said law enforcement tools should be put in place to ensure that every child in Zimbabwe has access to education.