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Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
A Kwekwe High School history teacher has penned a book that seeks to help end child marriages, teen pregnancies and drug abuse.

Manners Msongelwa, who is also the president of the History Teachers Association of Zimbabwe (HTAZ), penned the book to try and discourage learners from indulging in drugs and early sexual debuts.

The book is titled Towards your destiny.

“I am both a teacher and a parent and I was moved by the rate at which children are dropping out of school due to early marriages. I was also touched by the rate at which children are abusing drugs within schools and decided to pen the book. I imagined my child being a subject of such kind of abuse,” he said.

The book speaks to both students, parents and guardians.

“To students, it motivates them and encourages them to concentrate on their education, it also empowers the girl child, encouraging them to avoid being lured into sexual intercourse giving them the repercussions.

“To the parents, who pledge girl children to marriages because of poverty, the book also seeks to warn them of the dangers of doing such acts,” he said.

Msongelwa said the book is set to be launched together with another opus that he penned with former Primary and Secondary Education Minister, (now Minister without portfolio) Cain Mathema.

“I also wrote another book where I warned learners against succumbing to peer pressure, indulging in drugs and sexual relationships amongst other issues. There is another one that I wrote together with Minister Mathema and we are likely to launch them by end of October if all goes to plan,” said Msongelwa.

His works come at a time when Government has vowed to end child marriages and drug abuse that have become rife among the youth.