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Whinsley Masara Chronicle Reporter
BINGA villagers have accused some teachers working in their communities of impregnating pupils resulting in a high percentage of school dropouts in the district. The community at Siansundu Ward told The Chronicle teachers made pupils pregnant but education officials were not punishing them, despite complaints. Chief Saba said community leaders were disturbed by the matter in their secondary schools, especially Siansundu which caters for children from more than four wards.

“Every year, we’ve about 30 school dropouts in each of our schools, which is very sad because it means we’re still far from having female graduates in our wards. “What’s most saddening is that teachers are contributing to these dropouts. In many instances we’ve taken the matter to our district education offices and police but the cases always die a natural death within the courts,” he said.

The Chief said he has never seen education ministry officials coming to the school to address the situation. “It’s obvious these teachers target the better performing girls whom we will actually be looking up to as a community. They dump the children’s dreams and hopes into a drain.

“I’m well informed by locals that in most cases these teachers are actually paying them off to evade prosecution. Some pay locals to take the blame for the pregnancies, as a way to keep their jobs,” he said.

Mr Josh Munkuli, a parent, said teachers had become daring because they knew they would not be punished. He said villagers wanted officials from higher offices to come to Binga and investigate the matters.

“Of course many of the girls will end up getting married to older men in the community as a third or fourth wife, which is bad enough. We also wish to see our daughters go to universities but with such Government representatives, Binga will remain the least developed district with the lowest literacy level in the country,” said Mr Munkuli.

In Sinansengwe Ward, Chief Sinansengwe also expressed concern on the rise of teenage pregnancies. He attributed long distances of more than 10 kilometres to schools and poverty as contributing factors to this problem.

“Distance to school has always been a contributing factor to school dropouts with girls resorting to marriage rather than walking these long distances. Nowadays, teenage pregnancies have become rampant in the district as a whole.

“Today (Tuesday), we’re holding an awareness campaign with guests from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Police and Social Welfare as we try to conscientise pupils in schools and the community at large on the impact of teenage pregnancies and school dropouts,” he said.

Chief Pashu added: “We resolved to having the boy put out of school too when they impregnant a girl. He’s made to stay at home too to make it a little fair. If it is an adult from the community we make sure they are arrested and suffer the consequences too.”

Matabeleland North Provincial Education Officer Mrs Boithatelo Mnguni yesterday said reports of such incidents abound, but there was never tangible evidence. “We’ve received reports of teachers having impregnated pupils. I’ve gone on the ground to Siansundu Secondary School to deal with a certain case but parents tend to protect the teachers,” said Mrs Mnguni.

“We’ve observed that this is a community- driven problem where parents conceal the matters for as long as teachers buy them groceries. They only make reports when the teachers stop sending supplies.

“I once was asked to solve a case where a girl fell pregnant and had become a mother of three. We could no longer assist because the matter had become a civil case.” Mrs Mnguni said parents needed to stop protecting “sick teachers” who destroyed their children’s future. She said if cases are reported while they are still fresh, anyone found guilty is automatically fired.