BEAM receives US$15 million boost from UK

Sunday News

18-24 March 2012

The Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), a programme that assists disadvantaged children to access education and complete school, has received a financial package worth over US$15 million from the United Kingdom to fund the shortfall of disadvantaged primary school children.

Mr Dave Fish, head of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), handed over the money to the Zimbabwean Government last Thursday.  Meanwhile, Government is also in the process of reviewing the BEAM administration with the intention of doing away with it’s ambiguities and irregularities that have existed amid accusations the BEAM committees might have engaged in imprudent practices.

Education stakeholders have been complaining that they way BEAM is presently running was not in line with its particular purpose of serving the vulnerable children.

This made Government undertake a comprehensive assessment on the way BEAM was operating and made recommendations so that it makes changes to support the disadvantaged children.

During the handover, Mr Fish said he was delighted the UK was lending a hand to Zimbabwean efforts, which sort to provide education for all and assist underprivileged schoolchildren.

“We are delighted to help the Government of Zimbabwe channel assistance to those Zimbabweans who most need it. The $15 million we are committing today as an investment in Zimbabwe’s future, which we, as friends of Zimbabwe, are only too happy to support,” he said.

Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart, expressed gratitude saying the package would help “hundred thousands of the most vulnerable Zimbabwean children who would have been deprived of an education this year,” if BEAM failed to access money.

Also on hand to receive the money, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, Mrs Paurina Mpariwa, said: “We are highly appreciative of the $15 million assistance to BEAM 2012 provided by the UK Government. This will change the lives of 400 000 orphans and children in need.”

Since 2000, BEAM has been supporting orphans and vulnerable children through its basic education package that includes levies and school and examination fees but over the years the administration has suffered knockdowns due to the deteriorating economy.

Therefore, BEAM has failed to cover children against the increasing numbers there is now compared to what it was back then when the demand was manageable.

This year the Government has allocated $15 million to BEAM to fund secondary schools students and at the request of the ministries responsible for the programme- Finance, Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, and Labour and Social Welfare- the UK through DFID, agreed to fund the shortfall for the primary school students.