Zimbabwe’s education sector, once the best in Southern Africa and a model for the continent, has been facing major challenges which include teacher strikes, shortage of textbooks and teaching materials. In the last years, due to the political crisis, there has been limited donor financing and involvement in the Education Sector. The majority of support has been channelled through NGOs and UN agencies. Education has not been prioritised as part of the humanitarian response in Zimbabwe, although recently an Education Cluster under the UN Inter-agency coordination has been created in order to try to coordinate the emergency response to the collapse of the education system.

In a “Report on the Rapid Assessment of Primary and Secondary Education in Zimbabwe”  funded by the European Commission, reliable data on which to base the work of restoration of the education sector is now available. For example, this assessment shows  that over 20% of the primary schools had no textbooks at all for English, Mathematics and African Language, all compulsory subjects. At secondary level, one third of rural schools had no textbooks for English language, and 22% had no textbooks for Mathematics and Ndebele/Shona, all of which are compulsory subjects.  Almost 50% of primary school children do not go on to attend secondary school and the general quality of primary and secondary education has declined significantly due to lack of learning materials, textbooks and supplies.

Whilst learning has continued unaffected in most privately owned schools, the majority of public schools have also been hit hard by the high staff turnover and attrition, and have lost a considerable number of employees through the ‘brain drain’. This has resulted in declining morale.

Teachers are currently earning a salary of US 156 dollars, an increase from a flat salary of USD 100 introduced by the government of national unity.

The Ministry of Education Sport Arts and Culture (MoESAC) is faced with these numerous challenges in addition to managing teachers’ terms and conditions of service.
Sweden has pledged to inject SEK 7 million ( USD 1 million) into the Education Transitional Fund, which has received a total of USD 50 million pledges to date. This joint support is the first of its kind to the complex transition for Zimbabwe.