The effects of girl child school dropout on community development of rural areas in Zimbabwe: a national perspective

Abstract

The study investigated how cases of girl child school dropout negatively affect the overall development of rural communities. Qualitative research design was employed and interviews were used to gather information from participants. The study established that socio-economic factors contributed to high levels of rural girl child school dropout and that the effects of such cases include high rural unemployment, household food insecurity, high maternal and infant mortality rates, domestic violence and anti-social activities. The study concludes that in the absence of development partners to enhance campaigns for rural girl children to remain in school, rural community development in Zimbabwe will remain farfetched.