Parental opposition led three in 100 children to drop out, while undisclosed reasons affected three out of 10 cases. “A concerning seven in 10 public schools reported incidents of children learning in the open, whereas private schools exhibited a lower rate at 2.5 in 100. Additionally, disparities in facilities are evident, with eight in 10 private schools being fully fenced compared to seven in 10 public schools. Overall, 46 in 100 enrolled children and 28 in 100 out-of-school children at least met expectations in reading a Grade Three appropriate English text,” said Dr Manyasa. “Overall, public schools face a teacher shortage, reflected in the national Permanent and Pensionable teacher-to-classroom ratio of 0.99,” Dr Manyasa noted.
