BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE -- Zimbabwe was once hailed for its dedication to education.
In the past, the country ranked first in southern Africa and second on the continent for literacy. During the late 1990s, nearly 80 percent of students were passing their exams. That number shrank drastically to 14 percent in 2008 with only eight percent of students passing their exams this year. Tumbling pass rates, literacy statistics and enrollment numbers have signaled that the education system in Zimbabwe is crumbling.
In 2000, enrollment at primary school jumped to 93 percent, up from 81 percent in 1994, according to the Zimbabwe Human Development Report of 2003. At the time, the increase was seen as a remarkable achievement for a country that had just emerged from a liberation war against a colonial government. Historians say the former government worked to block education access for black Zimabweans, forcing them to continue working as cheap laborers. When the country gained independence in 1980, the new government immediately adopted a plan for universal access to education and free education at the primary school level. For nearly two decades, the plan paid off.
But today, education in Zimbabwe is, as one teacher called it, “a shadow of its former self.” Widespread looting of government assets, crippling poverty, mounting HIV rates and unhampered corruption have taken a heavy toll. Many teachers struggle to survive on meager salaries and curriculum standards have not been updated in a decade. The country’s poorest students face a lack of materials and hunger, as wealthier students flock to private schools or pay for personal instructors.
Vusimuzi Mahlangu, 30, the Bulawayo provincial chairperson of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, has no kind words about the government’s decision to dismantle the once thriving education system.
“The government has completely erased education from its list of priorities, preferring to focus on cheap political survival strategies,” he says. Mahlangu confirms that students boasted a pass rate of 78 percent in 1997. He says educators have been dismayed as the pass rates have declined. “Our education [system] is now nearing a dead end and there is virtually no light at the end of the tunnel,” he says.
Mahlangu and the teacher’s union say that the “insulting” salary the government currently offers has turned many teachers into mercenaries, with some demanding that students put money directly into their pockets before lessons begin. He adds that often teachers just wait for students who have money for private lessons.
“A hungry teacher is always easy to corrupt,” Mahlangu says. Teachers in Zimbabwe make, on average, $150 USD. “The current salary is not enough [to] pay for accommodations and food. Teachers are now the subject of ridicule in social circles,” he says, citing a television series called “Zibhodho” on local Zimbabwe Television that portrays teachers as incompetent, greedy and foolish.
The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe recently lodged a complaint with ZTV and the series has been canceled.
“This year teachers were only going to school when they felt like [it], preferring to stay at home to provide private lessons to those with cash. It was a year of undeclared industrial action and the government was also not concerned about the situation,” says Mahlangu, anticipating an even worse pass rate next year.
Advocates say the primary reason for the decline in education is the lack of resources and materials. At public schools in urban areas, 20 to 30 students often share a single textbook. In rural areas, there are frequently no textbooks at all. Mahlangu says materials that are available are severely outdated, including textbooks printed in the 1980s.
“The Curriculum Development Unit that was responsible for reviewing the schools curriculum stopped operations 10 years ago. This means that the curriculum is now outdated and irrelevant to the children,” says Mahlangu.
As a result, many of the nations more affluent families are sending their children to private schools, leaving only poor students attending public institutions. Teachers are paid higher salaries in the private schools, many of which offer the internationally recognized Cambridge Examinations instead of those given by the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council.
At many church schools, the situation is as bad or worse. Pastor Febie Chuma, a teacher at Noah’s Ark School, says high poverty levels in the country and a lack of government support are derailing efforts by teachers to deliver good results.
“Most of our pupils come to school on empty stomachs. The parents cannot afford to provide pocket money or prepare [a] packed lunch,” says Chuma. “As a church school we are now making efforts to provide food to the children.”
Chuma says a pupils’ ability to participate is often interrupted by hunger. She has encouraged the government and other development partners within the humanitarian sector to implement food plans at schools to boost student’s participation. Chuma says she has also lobbied the government to improve conditions and wages for teachers, providing them more motivation to work. To date, she has had seen no results.
For the youth of Zimbabwe, the state of education is beyond frustrating. Charity Mandizvidza, 17, a committee member for the Zimbabwe Youth Environment Network, says the government does not consult young people on developmental issues.
“Consultation meetings with young people are just a window dressing gimmick to hoodwink stakeholders to believe that the government is sensitive to the needs of young people. Yet, when the actual decisions are made, young people’s voices will not be in existence,” says Mandizvidza.
Mandizvidza says her organization is carrying out awareness campaigns in schools to encourage young people to participate actively in the constitution making process that is currently under way in Zimbabwe.
“As young people we need a constitution that explicitly provides for our right to education. The government should be obliged to ensure that resources are available for effective learning,” says Mandizvidza. She added that the Network regularly invites local leaders to meetings, but they never attend.
