50:50 representation in decision making positions in commissions and other elective bodies is a key equality provision of the new constitution. This new constitutional mandate is strong rationale for the development of new policy mechanisms. The reality however still falls far short of the target as there still exist disparities in a number of areas. Some of the statistics that highlight this disparity are: Public Service Institutions Parliament of Zimbabwe House of Assembly Parliament of Zimbabwe Senate Cabinet Ministers Permanent Secretaries Public service Principal Directors Public service Directors Public service Deputy Directors Supreme and High Court Judges ZRP Deputy Commisioners Zimbabwe Defense Forces Highest Levels % Women 24 14 20 26 26 33 28 29 25 0 (ii) Gender in Education and Training: The right to education for all has been a long standing commitment for Zimbabwe. As such, Zimbabwe boasts of the highest literacy rates in the region. The commitment has been reaffirmed in the new Constitution’s Founding Principles Chapter 1.27.2 which asserts the need to ensure that girls are afforded an equal opportunity with boys. The Ministry of Education Sport and Culture (MoESAC), ZDHS 2010/11 statistics reveal that, overall, 94% of women and 96 % of men are literate with the 15-24 years age group recording 99.6% literacy. Zimbabwe has achieved gender parity at primary and secondary school levels in terms of enrolment and completion rates. The net enrolment ratio (NER) for both boys and girls reached parity at 91 percent in 2009. However the outcomes at tertiary level are still below the parity target as shown by the university enrolments. According to Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education 2011 statistics, although female university enrolment increased from 23% in 2006 to 41% in 2011, the figures fall below the targeted 50%. The main challenge in sustaining these achievements is school drop outs. This needs to be addressed so that the current and future parity achievements in education are not lost. School dropout is caused by long distances travelled especially in newly resettled areas, incapacity to pay fees mostly due to orphan hood and unemployment of guardians, pregnancy and early marriage. Gender stereotyping of subjects in secondary school level, and courses at tertiary level, also presents challenges. (iii) Gender in Productive Resources and Employment: Zimbabwe is committed to economic equity, which has been reemphasised in the new Constitution. The main target is to ensure equal 4