Rising school costs and worsening economic hardships are making it increasingly difficult for many Zimbabwean families to keep their children in school, with parents warning that financial pressures are threatening learners' right to education despite the Government's policy that no child should be excluded because of unpaid fees.

Parents say the gap between policy and reality is widening as household incomes continue to shrink while the cost of education continues to rise.

Parent Munashe Munhande said many struggling families were failing to keep their children in school because they simply could not afford the fees.

"We would like the Government to intervene. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has said that no child should be sent home for non-payment of fees. You can see that many people are not getting paid. As a result, most children are now spending their time helping their families in the fields rather than attending class."

Another parent, Mufaro Masocha, said schools also depended on fees to maintain standards, adding that parents should not use the Government's policy as an excuse to avoid paying.

"The directive does not release parents from their contractual obligation to pay their children's school fees. Fees paid by parents go towards the maintenance and expansion of school infrastructure."

The concerns come at a time when many Zimbabwean households continue to battle inflation, unemployment and declining disposable incomes, making it increasingly difficult for parents to meet education costs. Although education is compulsory up to the age of 16, financial hardship continues to contribute to absenteeism and school dropouts in some communities.

The Zimbabwe Youth Council has reminded parents that education is compulsory, warning that those who deliberately fail to send their children to school can face legal consequences, including imprisonment for up to two years.

At the same time, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has maintained that schools act outside the law when they send learners home or withhold examination results because of unpaid fees.

Instead, schools have been encouraged to recover outstanding fees through lawful procedures rather than punishing children.

Against this backdrop, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Torerai Moyo has reaffirmed the Government's position that financial challenges should never deny children access to education.

Speaking at community awareness roadshows on foundational learning at Nembudziya Growth Point in Gokwe North, Moyo said every learner deserves the opportunity to be in school.

"No school head should turn away or deny any child access to learning because of unpaid or outstanding school fees."

Moyo said parents remained their children's first teachers and should actively support learning from an early age.

"Foundational learning officially begins at home through interactive play, storytelling and counting."

He described Early Childhood Development (ECD) as the foundation of children's cognitive and academic development and urged parents to enrol their children in ECD from the age of four.

The nationwide awareness campaign, supported by Save the Children, forms part of efforts to strengthen foundational learning and improve access to early childhood education across Zimbabwe.

For many parents, however, the challenge remains balancing household survival with the rising cost of education, raising fresh questions about how schools, communities and the Government can ensure that poverty does not become the reason a child misses out on an education.