Grade Sevens abusing long holiday to do sex, says MP

By Auther Chimbgwa

St Mary’s Member of Parliament Brighton Mazhindu has asked government to reduce the long school holiday enjoyed by Grade 7 pupils after writing their final exams while waiting for enrolment into Form One, warning that some end up abusing drugs or engaging in sex.

In a question he directed at Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi during the ministers’ question time this past week, Mazhindu asked the government to consider reducing the long period that pupils spend idle.

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“In the near future, we are going to enter into the examination period of the Grade Seven and Form Four. May we push the exam days further. The Grade Seven pupils are going to end their examinations on 3 October and then they open schools in January 2026.

“During this vacant period, the students are going to cause a lot of problems, like drugs and substance abuse; Some might even engage in sexual intercourse. Can they push the days further so that we can reduce the time of students lying idle?” said Mazhindu.

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Responding as leader of government business in the house, Ziyambi alluded to that he was going to relay the MP’s concerns to the responsible ministry.

“We are going to hand over the issue to the responsible ministry,” Ziyambi said.

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“They talked about reducing the period of students lying idle after their examinations because it causes a lot of problems. The minister is going to be given the word so that he can also look into the issue, then we revert to the august House.”

Idleness among school leavers has often been flagged as a contributing factor of high teenage pregnancies and early child marriages.