Gender equity in student enrolment improves

Zimbabwe's higher education affirmative action policy has resulted in a sharp increase in the number of female students at institutions of higher learning.

The policy allows female applicants to tertiary institutions slightly lower admission qualifications than their male counterparts.

In his 2011 report on Zimbabwe's human rights situation, Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the policy was paying off.

He said that the government's effort to achieve gender parity in higher education enrolment had achieved female enrolment levels of nearly 72% and 63% for primary and secondary teachers' colleges respectively. "Polytechnics, at 44.28%, are close to parity whereas universities are nearly at 40% female enrolment," read part of Chinamasa's report.

"The constitution prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex, gender and marital status. It provides for the application of affirmative action to previously disadvantaged women. In addition there are several laws that have been put in place to protect the rights of women."

The latest statistics came a year after the United Nations Development Programme, in its 2010 assessment, said Zimbabwe had a literacy rate of 92%, the highest in Africa. In terms of basic education, Zimbabwe had surpassed the Millennium Development Goal gender parity target.

But despite these advances, problems and barriers still persist for female students at institutions of higher learning.

These barriers came to the fore late last year at a workshop discussing issues that impact on female learners, hosted by the Students Solidarity Trust in conjunction with the Female Students Network.

The conference highlighted the major problems affecting female students as being lack of adequate accommodation, lack of grants, sexual abuse and rape, victimisation by lecturers, lack of sanitary facilities, early marriages, poor access to affordable health care, gender imbalances in institutions, low female involvement in decision-making and in student bodies, low self-esteem, and lack of prenatal care.

A report prepared by Student Solidarity Trust after the workshop said: "Female students had to struggle with fighting off sexual advances from lectures. The problem was heightened as some of the lecturers would fail female students who would not accept their advances."

"Female students highlighted that there was no clear policy in terms of how the government or authorities deal with lecturers who are involved in the sexual harassment of female students," said the report. Lecturers were also said to have an inclination to fail pregnant students regardless of their performance.

Minister of Women's Affairs Dr Olive Muchena asked delegates to come up with a documentary on the life of a female student, which would then be presented to parliament to ensure that the legislature was aware of what female students are going through.