Crisis in education must be unmasked
Zimbabwe’s education sector has been hard hit by the political and economic crisis of recent years. As schools opened for the new year, teachers are so poorly paid, some couldn’t afford transport back to their schools. Parents, meanwhile, are struggling to afford the school fees, uniforms, and supplies their children need.
Last week, Kubatana sent a text message to ask our members what could be done to resolve the challenges in the education sector in a way that improves things for parents, students and teachers alike.
In addition to Dennis Nyandoro’s blog on the subject, here are some replies from our subscribers:
The situation is a nightmare. It’s not only teachers, what of health professionals? Where is NSSA & NAC fund going to? ARV’s coming from NGO’s cover 3 quarters of patients.
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The crisis in education must be unmasked by us in conjunction with the media. Once parents understand the depth of the crisis, they can stop their children attending school unless there is an overhaul. Teachers seem to be satisfied with their earnings. If not, they should not have attended until they got reasonable amounts in their accounts.
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Nothing can be done to the education sector in Zimbabwe until the bankrupt regime goes on the 29th of March & the new government goes back to the drawing board. Everything needs cash.
Thursday, January 31st 2008 at 12:14 pm
I am the parent of a daughter who has justed her Grade One. I know that at the school (government) that she went to for the first week of this term before l transferred her to a private school, we were asked to pay Z$60m fees and levies. Then we had to buy everything from exercise books to plastic and khakhi covers, to manila sheets, bond paper and markers for the teachers as well as pencils and crayons and much more. I can tell you the cost of these things exceeded the $60m l paid in fees. On the Tuesday that she stopped going to the government school, there was a meeting scheduled. Items on the agenda included “staff shortage, school fees top-up, support to teachers” as the main items. I can also tell you that in the week that she attended the school, not much learning took place.
I am fortunate that for the time being at least, l am able to afford a private school where learning is taking place (for a fee!). l know a colleague whose daughter is at yet another government school where parents have resorted to supporting their teachers by contributing to “top-up” their salaries and/or buying groceries for them. I am also aware that I do not have any answers but my heart bleeds for every parent who wants their child to have an education but every day they see that hope being squashed.
If it is a revolution, then it has lost its way. It has begun to eat its own children.