16.6. Policies and National Strategies include the Universal Access to Primary Education Policy and the implementation of programmes such as the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), the Education Development Fund and the Cadetship Scheme to promote access to education for the disadvantaged including persons with disabilities. 16.7. Furthermore, Government has introduced the second chance learning initiative whose main objective is to provide a second chance education to children of school going age who have dropped out of school to return to school. The focus of the initiative is not just academic but also takes into account technical and vocational training to equip the children for life after they have left school. 16.8. Government has introduced the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 263 (STEM 263) initiative which contributes towards the realisation of the right to free education. Financial support for the initiative is drawn from the Zimbabwe Manpower and Development Fund (ZIMDEF). The major thrust is to support learners who would have enrolled under the programme. Table below depicts the number of students enrolled under the STEM Programme 16.9. Table 6 Upper 6 Enrolment under STEM initiative (2017)-update Sex Provinc e No. Male o f Subject Combinations Femal Total MPC e MBC MP MPB Tota B C l Sch Page | 44