World Literacy Day highlights the importance of literacy to individuals, communities, and societies. Today, the 8th of September, the Education Coalition of Zimbabwe (ECOZI) and its members, is excited to join the rest of the world in commemorating World Literacy Day. The national World Literacy Day will be held at St Johns Chikwaka, Goromonzi in Mashonaland East Province.
Literacy and reading are essential skills that help us learn and achieve an understanding of the world around us. They also help in proper communication and making communities stronger. Reading and writing are critical to individuals, communities, and society at large and we cannot do without reading, especially in this age of information technology where all subjects are dependent on one’s ability to read. The International Literacy Day 2023 is celebrated under the theme ‘Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies’.
According to UNESCO, in low- and middle-income countries, the share of 10-year-old children who could not read and understand a simple text with comprehension has increased from 57 % in 2019 to an estimated 70 % in 2022. The recent COVID-19 crisis and other crisis, such as climate change and conflicts, have been intensifying the challenges.
As a result, for this years’ theme to be a reality, it is important for the government and all stakeholders to prioritize investment in education through:
- Embracing digital assisted learning in all schools and explore what it means for the poor and vulnerable children especially those in rural areas.
- Sustainable and peaceful societies can be better attained if there is collective effort towards addressing literacy and numeracy gaps among children excluded from the school system.
- We need to intensify basic education support programs in hard-to-reach areas that have higher percentages of children who have never been to school, or those who have dropped out as early as Primary level.
Current Literacy Rate in Zimbabwe
According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zim Stat), the national literacy rate is at 93,7 % with urban areas having a literacy rate of 97,1% and rural areas 91,3%.
Read also: Analyzing Literacy in Egypt
Historical Context of Education in Zimbabwe
Education in Zimbabwe is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for primary and secondary education, and the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development for higher education.
The British South Africa Company arrived in the 1890s to Rhodesia, the area now known as Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia. The Company administration of Rhodesia created Christian missionary schools to serve local communities. Missionary schools provided an education for the indigenous population that focused on agricultural production and industrial development including carpentry and building.
Training of Royal Air Force Aircrew in Rhodesia, 1943. This is an example of the focus on White education during colonial rule until 1980.
Due to large investments in education by the Southern Rhodesian government prior to 1960, Europeans were disproportionately funded more for education than the majority African population because the Rhodesian government controlled access to quality schools based on race, prejudice and ethnicity. Segregation of schools based on funding was most extreme in the 1970s because Europeans only represented a few per cent of Zimbabwe's population, but were allocated around 90% of government spending on education. Funding secondary school was also disproportionally offered to Europeans rather than Africans. In the 1970s, only 43.5% of African children attended school, while only 3.9% of these children enrolled in secondary school.
Read also: Progress of Female Literacy in SA
In 1979, the new government of Zimbabwe Rhodesia called for an education reform that created a three-tier school system. The Education Act of 1979 regulated access to each type of school through a zoning system based on residency. Before the act, Zimbabwe's education system was divided between African and European schools. After the shift in policy and leadership the education system split into government schools, community schools and private schools. Government schools were also split into three divisions called Group A, B and C.
White students historically attended Group A schools that offered highly trained teachers and a quality education. These schools were located in white suburbs that denied housing opportunities for Africans, reinforcing segregation based on ethnicity and race. Group B schools required a low-fee payment and C schools did not require a fee beyond educational materials.
The Rhodesian Bush War from 1964-1979, a fifteen-year guerrilla war, catalysed the shift in power from British colonial rule to de jure sovereignty in 1980. The ZANU party, Zimbabwe African National Union, won the national election in 1980 and took over the historic White minority government in Rhodesia. The ZANU party democratised education by promising free and compulsory primary and secondary education to all children in Zimbabwe. The party's claims were backed by the national constitution, which recognises education as a basic human right. All primary school tuition fees were abolished after independence. Dr. Dzingai Mutumbuka was elected the Minister of Education to support Zimbabwe through another education reform and to keep students in school.
Public expenditure on education in Southern Africa as a share of GDP, 2012 or closest year.
Read also: Overview of Zambia Literacy
Teachers were in high demand immediately following Zimbabwe's independence. In the mid-1980s, thousands of refugee children from Mozambique emigrated to Zimbabwe, increasing the number of children attending public schools and demand for teachers. The Minister of Education brought in teachers from Australia, Britain and Canada for a short period of time to fill the teaching gaps. Schools expanded their human resources to serve as many children as possible with limited infrastructure by practicing "hot-seating," also known as double session schooling. Communities also rapidly built more infrastructure for education.
By the end of 2008, most schools and hospitals were shut down due to thousands of teachers leaving the profession, an economic crisis, an increase in HIV and AIDS, and an outbreak of cholera in 2008 leading to a national epidemic. UNICEF asserted that 94 percent of rural schools, serving the majority of the population, closed in 2009. During this period of time UNICEF also claimed that attendance rates plummeted from over 80% to 20%. The economy regained momentum after 2009 once the Government of National Unity was formed.
Education System Structure
After nearly a century of British colonial rule, the Zimbabwe African National Union took over Zimbabwe and formed an independent country in 1980. The Education Act of 2006 established School Development Committees. School Development Committees have many functions to control the quality of the school system. Their powers include the recruitment and dismissal of teachers, the preservation of facilities and the act of borrowing money and applying for grants. These committees also decentralized the education system by enabling parents to elect five other parents to lead a school.
Currently, government primary and secondary schools are run by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) and non-government schools are run by local authorities including churches and non-profit organizations. The Minister of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is Evelyn Ndlovu as of 2021. Preschools are directed by the Early Childhood Development (ECD) system under the Ministry of Primary and Second Education.
Primary and Secondary Education
Zimbabwe's education system mandates seven years of primary school, encompassing Grades 1 to 7. Urban primary schools teach in English. Rural primary schools teach students in their local native language, typically in Shona or Ndebele, then transition to English by Grade 3. Student to teacher ratios are typically from 30 to 50 students per teacher; however, this varies based on location, the country's economic state and yearly budget for education. The curriculum in primary schools encompasses Language, Art, Contents and Math.
Based on the Education Secretary's Policy Circular No. Students take classes in Mathematics, English, Science, Shona or Ndebele, Geography, and History.
Tertiary Education
Students have the option to enroll in A-Level secondary education or can attend teacher training, technical, agricultural, polytechnic and nursing colleges. The tertiary sector of education is operated by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education which includes universities, technical, polytechnic and teacher training colleges and various vocational training centers. Tertiary education was first introduced to Zimbabwe in 1957 by the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, now known as the University of Zimbabwe. The nation's independency in 1980 expanded the University of Zimbabwe's enrollment from 2,240 to 9,017 by 1990. The National Council for Higher Education was established in 1990 as a measure of quality insurance of higher education in Zimbabwe. Increasing access to education in recent decades has increased the number of higher level institutions in the country.
For example, eight more universities were established between 1999 and 2005. The Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education (ZIMCHE) was formed in 2006 as another measure to guarantee quality and accreditation for university education.
A student works on a school project at Gateway High School in Zimbabwe.
Challenges and Reforms
Despite the initiative during independence to rapidly expand education opportunities, the demand for education was still greater than the supply. Education quality was hindered by teacher shortages, infrastructural pressure and the 2008 financial crisis. UNICEF claims that only a third of schools are considered to be in "good condition." Schools also face capacity challenges, including double session schooling, or "hot seating," and overcrowded classrooms. "Hot seating" means that half of students attend school in the morning and the second half attends school in the afternoon. These methods enable more students to attend school, but quality declines because students are given less attention and time to learn. Quality of education is also impacted by the lack of trained teachers in secondary schools.
The state of Zimbabwe`s education system #THE CHASE
Zimbabwe's education reform in 1980 aspired to provide free and universal education to all children through the Zimbabwe Education Act; however, tuition fees and education costs have accumulated over time. Many families pay for tuition, even if it is a small fee at public government schools. Families that do not pay for tuition due to education subsidies are still required to pay additional fees including building fees, transportation costs, exam fees, uniforms and stationery for their children. Education is not completely free in Zimbabwe due to historical government expenditures focusing on infrastructure for education. Programs like the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) have developed to prevent orphans and vulnerable children from dropping out of primary school due to the expenses.
Gender Disparities in Education
Although education is accepted as a fundamental right by the constitution, gender disparities in education still exist. Females are increasingly more likely to drop out than their male peers in secondary school due to early marriages, cost of continuing education and gender-based violence in secondary schools. Females are considered a source of income through marriage and families are more likely to educate their sons to increase their earning potential.
Textbooks are a method to analyzing gender relations and roles in Zimbabwe's curriculum based on the research of Gudhlanga et al. Gudhlanga et al. claims that gender stereotyping is prevalent in textbooks as males are used to describe scientific or technical fields, leadership positions and jobs rather than females. The study by Gudhlanga et al. found that active and productive roles are more commonly held by males in textbooks, while female roles in textbooks are passive and dependent.
Teacher Issues
Thousands of Zimbabwean teachers have gone on strikes, joined teacher unions and left the profession in recent years over low salaries, poor working conditions, political victimization and violence. Teacher unions including the Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe organize strikes to catalyze salary negotiations and better working conditions. Marked by a time period of hyperinflation, teachers were one of the lowest paid professions in the 2000s, receiving the equivalence of $10 US dollars for every three months of teaching. Many teachers joined the informal economy, or black sector, during the 2008 financial crisis.
In 2009, the national economy stabilized because of the actions taken by the newly established Government of National Unity (GNU). Today, the United Nations of Zimbabwe claims that thousands of teachers are unmotivated due to low salaries, limited resources, pressure, political harassment and the shortage of teachers. Researchers Regis Chireshe and Almon Shumba assert that teachers believe their teacher training did not prepare them for the classroom or to teach special education.
Efforts to Improve Education Quality
In 2009, the Educational Transition Fund (ETF) was launched to improve the quality of education by distributing education materials. The ETF partnered with UNICEF and encouraged private donations. Accumulation and distribution of textbooks has been the focus of ETF in recent years. In 2008, The National Education Advisory Board states that 20 percent of students did not have textbooks for core subjects and the student to textbook ratio was 10:1. Thousands of textbooks have been donated in the past few years along with additional learning materials.
Dr Lazarus Dokora, the current Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, has overseen the implementation of a new curriculum which is designed to create a new student totally different from the pre2017 students. This curriculum is focused more on raising heritage awareness and creating employers rather than employees. However, the success of this move is hovering on dark waters because of the present melting economy.
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