FOCUS ON PUPIL ENROLMENT: Nachingwea: Over 1,600 await cashew money to enrol
Nachingwea. Over 1,619 students out of 2,070 selected to join Form One in various secondary schools in Nachingwea District, Lindi Region, this year have failed to enrol for studies.
It has emerged that their failure to start school has been caused by various reasons, including their parents lacking money due to delayed payments for the cashew they sold a couple of months ago.
This was explained on separate occasions by residents of the villages of Ruponda, Matekwe, Mbondo Namatunu and Nanjii when they were speaking to reporters in interviews.
Mr John Malibiche, a resident of Ruponda Village, said, “the parents are aware of the importance of sending their children to school, but they can’t because they have no money for purchasing school essentials, including uniforms and learning tools.”
He added that their children would stay out of school until the time they receive payment for their cashew nuts they sold in October last year.
Ms Mwanaharusi Mwembe, a resident of Matakwe Village, said the delay in getting their cash had affected many things, including the plan for their children to join secondary education this January.
She suggested the intervention by the government in making sure the parents were paid their cash for their children to go to school and other stalled development activities to continue smoothly.
When reached for comment, Nachingwea district commissioner Rukia Mwango acknowledged that enrolment in her district was not encouraging because until this week only 451 students had reported to school out of 2,070 who were selected to join Form One.
Reacting to the farmers’ claims, Ms Mwango attributed the poor enrolment to laziness and lack of awareness amongst some parents on the importance of education. She claimed that some of them didn’t encourage their children to like going to school.
She said the reasons given by the parents were baseless because most of them, who are farmers, had already been paid their cashew money.
The DC issued a seven-day ultimatum for the parents to ensure their children had reported to school.
