Welfare Officer encourages parents to keep girls in school

A social warfare officer has called on parents in Luangwa district to encourage girls to be in school instead of taking them into early marriages for income generation.

Bernadate Malungo, who is under the Department of Social Welfare in the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare, said government was concerned with the education of the girl child who has been neglected for some time now.

Mrs. Malungo said this when she addressed a stakeholders meeting in Luangwa district.

She said parents should take advantage of the good policies that promote the girl children if poverty was to be eradicated.

She said government through the Ministry of General Education and in conjunction with the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare, was implementing the keeping girls in schools initiative (KGSI).

Mrs. Malungo said this was a component of the Girls Education and Women Empowerment and Livelihood (GEWEL) project in which 14,000 girls will benefit from school bursaries in 16 districts across the 10 provinces.

She implored parents to take advantage of this initiative and ensure that girl children are educated.

Mrs. Malungo said in Lusaka province, Luangwa was the only district which has been selected and 617 girls will benefit from this project.

She however said only those whose guardians are on social cash transfer scheme and will be in secondary school starting early next year will benefit from this project.

She said the purpose of this project, which is been funded by World Bank, was to increase the number of girls in schools and to improve the wellbeing of the extremely poor households.