Child-headed Households: Techniques to lessen the detrimental Impacts of Poverty on Secondary School Students from Chimanimani District in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine strategies to reduce the negative effects of poverty among learners from Child-headed Households. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory was employed as the theoretical framework. The study used a qualitative research design. Thirty-two participants were purposefully selected. Interviews, focus groups and document analysis were employed as data collection tools. The study established that the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), supplementary feeding schemes, and income-generating projects were the main strategies which were employed to cushion secondary school learners from child-headed households. It is recommended that school administrators prioritise funding income-generating projects to help schools satisfy the psychological requirements of learners from child-headed households. This study adds to the body of knowledge about how adolescents from child-headed households experience academic success. In several sub-sectors of the Zimbabwean education sector, it expands understanding of the lived experiences of a sample of teenage students from low-income homes in Manicaland Province that has never before been investigated. The report makes a clear call to action for the Zimbabwean government to reconsider the BEAM support model in light of the insufficient funds now provided to learners and children ofchild-headed households. Keywords: Academic Success, Child-headed Households, Poverty, Psychological Development,Vulnerable groups