"There is no point pursuing education when you will still be forced into artisanal mining due to lack of jobs. "Now I am making enough money to look after my parents and siblings, something someone who finished school may not be able to do. "Sometimes I think I should have ventured into artisanal mining long ago," he said. "Makonde-based teacher Rosten Mutapa said the problem went beyond poor academic performance and reflected a growing crisis of motivation among pupils. "When you hear government boasting that artisanal mining is the biggest contributor of gold received by Fidelity, it's a confession of failure.