Tanyaradzwa, 21, pans for gold after school and on weekends to support her family. She dreams of becoming a social worker, a goal she edges closer to through her role as a peer educator, helping other girls stay in school. “I believe it’s my responsibility to bring change to my community,” she says.
Her story is one of resilience, but it is also a common one in Zimbabwe, where the high aspirations of millions of girls are systematically thwarted by a cascade of financial, social, and systemic barriers. Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution and its 2025 National Gender Policy frame education as a basic human right, championing gender parity on paper. The government has even embraced international programs like the Gender-Responsive Education Sector Planning initiative.
Yet, a chasm separates policy from reality. While the nation celebrates near-equal primary school completion rates for boys and girls, this parity shatters at the secondary level. In 2021, 8,000 more girls than boys dropped out of secondary school, doubling the disparity from just two years prior.
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This exodus of young women from education has profound consequences, not only for their own futures but for the nation’s development. The journey through education for a Zimbabwean girl is akin to navigating an obstacle course where the hurdles are both economic and deeply cultural. Child rights activist, Theresa Takafuma emphasised the need for families to keep girls in school, saying this creates a win-win situation for both their family and the nation at large.
“When a girl is kept in school; she is more likely to empower herself and her household, breaking the poverty cycle in most Zimbabwean families. Educated women drive various sectors of the economy and when a girl learns, the whole country grows hence the need for collaborative efforts to champion girls’ education,” she said. Financial constraints are the most frequently cited barrier.
When family resources are limited, the choice of which child to educate often falls along gender lines. According to one survey, eight in ten respondents believed that boys’ education should be prioritised over girls’ when resources are scarce. Girls are often expected to help with domestic chores or, like Tanyaradzwa, engage in informal work to support the household. Takafuma added that no child should take precedence over another when it comes to education.
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