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International Women's Day commemorations
Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU)
March 09, 2009

The history of all times and of today especially, teaches that ... women will be forgotten if they forget to think about themselves.
~Louise Otto

Zimbabwe National Students Union joins the rest of the world in commemorating International Women's Day Commemorations under the theme "Women and men united to end violence against women and children". International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. As we celebrate this day, it is imperative to take stock of the contribution of female students to the struggle for affordable and quality education.

This struggle has been long and painful. It is a struggle which has no beginning and no end; it is a continuous fight for basic human rights which should under normal circumstances is naturally granted to every Zimbabwean. Unfortunately it has become the mainstay for the children of our political leadership whose children have the luxury to be exported abroad while we cannot afford a morsel of sadza nor pen and paper. It is a struggle many a women have fought and continue and will continue to fight at great risk for their own education and life.

As female students we have rebuffed to be excluded .We have proudly and gallantly fought side by side with our male counterparts against the denial of our educational rights. The history of the student movement will not be complete without mentioning the contributions of a succession of young courageous women who have filled the streets of Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Gweru, and Mutare to demand education rights. These students were equally brutalised, not because they were women, but because they had made a choice to stand up and be counted. Many more were expelled, suspended, while others were arrested.

Women had to face the patriarchal society head on; inorder to fight for their rights and priviledges.We had to awaken our parents to the reality that freedom knows no gender or sex, but is a reality which is not granted in a silver platter. It is quite clear that our Government is not willing to ensure that education remains a human right and indeed, unless we continue to fight for equal educational opportunities, education will remain a privilege for the elite.

During this transition phase in our country's broader struggle for democracy, we hearten ourselves to be more focused. Zimbabwe needs rebuilding. The Union rejects the dollarization and elitisation of education. We salute all female students who have remained steadfast in these trying times of our struggle and we urge them to continue striving for equal opportunities and high quality education.

Visit the ZINASU fact sheet

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