THERE is an overall national opinion that the quality of education is going down. This has been stated continuously. This article examines why this is so.
Some of the reasons are obvious, such as the increase of the population from 7,5 million at independence to 15,1 million, according to the 2022 Population Study. This means the population has doubled, but the economy has not expanded in the same way.
Zimbabwe’s total income is now said to be about US$19 billion by economists and about US$27 billion according to government, of course depending on the exchange rate. The per capita income is thus between US$1267 to US$1800, yet teachers are requesting a salary of US$5 500 per month, the salary that was enjoyed by white teachers before independence.
Whites comprised at most 4% of the total population at the period. The civil service has increased from 40 000 in 1987 to 550 000, as almost every employee wanted to be a civil servant. Government employment now comprises more than 60% of the total formal economy employment, which means a very small number pay all the taxes.
The formal economy has not expanded, whereas the informal economy is now dominant, employing more than 80% of employees. Meanwhile between 4–5 million Zimbabweans, mostly well educated, have left the country as the diaspora.
Teachers are forever complaining that they are not paid enough for food or for school fees. Luckily the diaspora regularly sends back about US$1,5 billion a year, a fraction of their earnings, but it makes a big difference to their families for food and school fees, but not necessarily to the economy as a whole.
They do not like giving their money to the banks or to government, instead utilising Kombi drivers as their informal banking system.
Is there anything that can be done about it? Yes, lots of possibilities, but people have been left to their own resources. This has led to the marked division between rich and poor schools; urban and rural schools; high income earners and low-income earners (as well as the unemployed). Luckily the diaspora has been faithful to their families.
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Possibilities include the following:
Some parents believe that former white schools and high fee-paying schools are better. These now charge fees of over US$2 000 per term, way above what the average citizen can pay. In terms of how to judge their success rates, people usually look at the examination results. Most large township schools have good results, yet charge reasonable fees, so fees alone do not determine the quality of education. The high fee-paying schools may indeed be preparing their students to leave the country and work overseas, rather than to develop the country at the present low salaries.
Quality is being judged more and more by examination results, which have dropped drastically. Grade 7 results have fallen from over 72% average pass in four examinations and six syllabuses to the present 37% pass in seven examinations and 13 syllabuses. In addition, there is now the Continuous Assessment Learning activity (CALA), adding to the fees to be paid. Some 20% of Grade 7s parents can no longer afford these fees, so this substantial number of students do not gain a Grade 7 certificate, usually essential to enter secondary school or to gain a job.
In other words, the primary school curriculum has doubled since 2016, ironically when teachers’ salaries have shrunk further. Teachers were also not consulted in the curricular renovation, as such consultation was too expensive, done through hotel-based workshops rather than school and college-based workshops. The “brilliant” new syllabuses were developed by university specialists: Most teachers have not been to university and find the new syllabuses difficult to understand and to implement. The problems are even more difficult for parents. It is important to involve all teachers in curricular reform over the next 2 – 3 years if the curriculum is to become practical. It is also important to return to the free examination fee of the 1980s and 1990s. The newly instated examination fees are due to the payment of teachers for marking examination papers, whereas in the 1980s – 1990s, the Grade 7 examinations were computer marked.
The secondary school curriculum has remained faithful to the “O” and “A” levels continued after independence. These British examinations were originally intended to sort out those who would qualify to enter university. Now they have been localised and are much harder than their Cambridge predecessor’s. Moreover, students now do about 10 subjects rather than the seven before independence, and wealthy families now enrol their children in both the SEC and Cambridge examinations, some students now doing 20 subjects at “O” levels. Presently less than 30% of more than 250 000 entrants pass 5 “O” levels, making it impossible for them to qualify for tertiary training or jobs. Obviously the secondary school curriculum urgently needs reform.
This means returning to the seven subjects average of the past, rather than increasing the number of subjects taken exponentially. At “O” levels there should be additional syllabuses for key subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science and Social subjects. Many students fail these subjects because of their university focus, but they are also absolutely essential for every student and every career. There is every reason why there should be two or even three syllabuses for each of these subjects as overseas today, so a student can do university preparation mathematics and/or local business mathematics. Note that only 10% of the students will eventually go to university, so why make university entry examination essential for every student? Some of the 1980 secondary schools should be improved for instance as agricultural technical vocational schools, enabling every district to be able to provide lower middle level technical skills to their youths. The over 70% who fail to get a full secondary certificate should be allowed to return to school in the afternoons, evening and weekends, and pay for their education. Most of them are employed in the informal economy and pay something to teachers for the additional classes.
“A” levels should to expanded and extended to provide agricultural and technical-vocational education to every district. This should be able to provide a middle level of training recognised for work or for further training.
Agricultural colleges and polytechnics need to be expanded and upgraded. It is amazing that whilst primary and secondary schools have enjoyed huge expansion these tertiary training colleges remain the same number as before independence. They will play a key role in economic expansion and improvement, seriously constrained today by insufficient training facilities
Universities have expanded remarkably. But most of them concentrate on humanities because scientific and technological education and training are expensive. This is of critical importance.
Last but not least, provincial and local authorities are no longer able to employ many personnel.
Most staff are employed by government. This is why government cannot pay its staff adequately.
Government’s 550 000 civil servants, a 14-fold increase, cannot be paid satisfactorily.
It would be much more effective if government went back to the system of providing building, administration and salary grants to responsible authorities, rather than doing everything itself.
The grants system is still intact, and utilised mainly by mission authorities, which have been able to do well.
Such decentralisation will enable responsible authorities to raise additional funds, through their savings, their diaspora and donors, and fund-raising for each school, rather than depending entirely on government.
Of course, government loves appointing all staff and paying for all construction and administration, as it increases opportunities to favour personal interests.
Yet government’s role must be in partnership with the private sector, local authorities, responsible authorities if it is to remain critical for economic progress and indeed for all development.
Chung was a secondary school teacher in the townships; lecturer in polytechnics and universities; teacher trainer in the liberation struggle; civil servant and United Nations civil servant; and a cabinet minister of primary and secondary education. These weekly New Horizon articles, published in the Zimbabwe Independent, are coordinated by Lovemore Kadenge, an independent consultant, managing consultant of Zawale Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, past president of the Zimbabwe Economics Society and past president of the Chartered Governance & Accountancy Institute in Zimbabwe (CGI Zimbabwe). — [email protected] or mobile: +263 772 382 852.
