Plan Zimbabwe has launched Learn Without Fear

Children welcome the Learn Without Fear campaign

Plan Zimbabwe has officially launched Learn Without Fear in the Mutasa District with a call for teachers to transform schools into child friendly places. In Zimbabwe, the Learn Without Fear campaign is underpinned by a baseline study that revealed high prevalence of violence against school children which include corporal punishment, sexual abuse and bullying.

Provincial Education Director Peter Muzavazi made the appeal at St Mathias High School where over 700 children from different schools attended the launch: "To some students, going to school make them shiver due to fear of being punished by teachers or bullied by other students. That was somehow accepted in the past. Let our teaching staff reform and adopt child friendly methods of teaching which make schools the best place to be for children".

The district launch is one of many activities planned for 2010 following the official national launch of the campaign in Zimbabwe by Senator David Coltart, Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture in October 2009.

School children welcomed the campaign which they said was long overdue. "Some teachers still believe that corporal punishment is a teaching aid, yet it actually scares away students" said Tariro, a school girl who is also a member of the school based child protection committee. "We hope that all forms of punishment will be a thing of the past with the coming of this campaign".

Children’s poems, drama and songs recited at the launch buttressed the campaign’s call to make school the best place to be.