In Lwamgasa Village, Geita Region, approximately 60 students set to begin Form One have disappeared from classrooms, lured by the economic promise of local gold mining. This trend reflects a broader crisis in Geita, which recorded the highest dropout rates in mainland Tanzania in 2022, with 21,596 primary and 9,008 secondary school dropouts. Children as young as 10 are engaging in hazardous labor, such as grinding rocks for small payments, often driven by extreme poverty and hunger. In response, Minerals Deputy Minister Steven Kiruswa announced a crackdown on informal mining operations to eliminate child labor. Local leaders have implemented strict attendance measures, including fining parents one bag of cement for absenteeism. Despite legal frameworks like the Employment and Labour Relations Act prohibiting hazardous work for minors, migration and poverty continue to disrupt education.