"Zimbabwe's educational system is, in essence, 'dualized': there is the private-schooling system that caters for 5% of Zimbabwe's students—who are typically from extremely affluent backgrounds; and then, there is the public-schooling system that caters for 95% of Zimbabwe's students—who are typically from low-to-middle-income backgrounds. Curiously, the Zimbabwean private-schooling system 'programs' its students for a life of mediocrity at the very least; and contrastingly, the public-schooling system 'programs' its students for a life of mediocrity at the very best. Hence, evidently, educational inequity is one of the nation's greatest injustices."
— My Abstract Description of Zimbabwe's Educational System
Background facts:
- Since the beginning of 2009, half of Zimbabwe's children of school-going age have not attended school.
- Over 50% of Zimbabwe's schools are currently closed.
- Zimbabwe's public school exams still remain uncorrected; the results of which, were due during the last month.
- According to United Nations statistics, school attendance in Zimbabwe fell by 20% in 2008.
- Zimbabwe's teachers are currently being paid USD100 per month, and have refused to resume conducting lessons until their demand to be remunerated USD1 200 per month—in line with the South African average of teacher remuneration—is met.
- In February of 2009, teachers were paid the Zimbabwe-dollar equivalent of USD2.
- Half of Zimbabwe's 120 000-strong teaching force has left the Zimbabwean teaching profession.
- According to Senator David Coltart, the country's Education Minister, the Zimbabwean educational system requires an immediate financial injection of USD400 million. So far, the Zimbabwean Ministry of Finance has only been able to provide one-hundredth (USD4 million) of the required financial injection.
- Public schools spent an average of just USD0.18 per student last year, down from an average of about USD6 per student in 1991.
- The average class size in Zimbabwe's public-schooling system currently stands at 50 students per class.
- Public schools (which are run by the Zimbabwean government) in Zimbabwe typically charge between USD50-and-USD150 per student per term (1 Zimbabwean term ~ 3 months).
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Since 1998, Zimbabwe's educational system has been unraveling in tandem with the country's beleaguered economy. Shockingly, an educational system that burgeoned forth an adult literacy rate that is currently hovering over 90%—the second highest in Africa—is now in a pitiful state of decay. Currently, Zimbabwe's educational system is generally characterized by; a mass exodus of proficient teachers to neighboring countries in search of more fecund pastures (brain-drain), and an acute-shortage of material resources that aid the delivery of educational services.
According to the 1992 Economics Nobel laureate, Dr. Gary Becker (of the University of Chicago), the human capital value of any random person ranges between USD500 000 and USD5 000 000. Therefore, the exodus of an estimated 60 000 skilled teachers from Zimbabwe's educational system translates to a loss of between USD30 billion and USD300 billion of value from the Zimbabwean educational system's human capital balance sheet. To put it into perspective, Zimbabwe's GDP for 2007 (According to the C.I.A. World Factbook), stood at USD6.186 billion, hence, the human capital leakage in Zimbabwe's teaching profession translates to between 4.85 and 48.5 times Zimbabwe's 2007 GDP. Evidently, it is of paramount importance for the Zimbabwean government to implement measures to arrest, and reverse, the tremendous loss of value from the Zimbabwean educational system's human capital balance sheet.
Refreshingly, the new Zimbabwean Education Minister, Senator David Coltart, recently announced a USD400 million plan that will see Zimbabwean teachers being remunerated along the lines of the South African average remuneration of teachers. When fully implemented, the plan will help to eradicate, albeit in a small way, the financial push-factors that motivate Zimbabwean teachers to relocate to neighboring countries. However, functionaries in Zimbabwe's educational sector also need to focus their attention on attracting an increasing proportion of Zimbabwe's graduates to the teaching profession.
I'll address how they can achieve this in the remainder of this script.
Economists, from different walks of life, concur that a decade of persistent economic free-falling has left Zimbabwe with virtually non-existent; industrial, service and agricultural sectors. During the said period of economic decline, the Zimbabwean educational sector has been steadily churning-out a stream of graduates from its institutions of higher learning. Hence, this implies that Zimbabwe currently has multiple batches of graduates from its institutions of higher learning, and a shrinking spectrum of opportunities to offer them. Or, otherwise stated: Zimbabwe's economy cannot absorb its tertiary educational sector's graduates.
Whilst this is extremely unfortunate indeed, the new Zimbabwean government (of national unity) can channel Zimbabwe's plethora of multiple-batches-of-graduates-with-no-jobs into plentiful teaching opportunities available in its primary and secondary educational sub-sectors, thereby helping to reduce the Zimbabwean educational sector's present human capital deficit.
Interestingly, this can be achieved by creating a movement modeled on the Teach for America initiative, that will enlist Zimbabwe's most promising future leaders (recent graduates and skilled professionals), to commit to teach for a minimum of two years in Zimbabwe's (urban and rural) primary and secondary schools. Additionally, the Ministry of Education can invest in the training and professional development necessary to guarantee the new recruits' success as teachers. For the process to be smooth-flowing, an innovative and attractive cocktail of incentives can be employed (e.g. tax holidays, free health care, subsidized housing, hefty grants) to induce the flow of graduates into the teaching profession.
To conclude, it is my sincere hope that the changes I suggested will be implemented to expedite the recovery of Zimbabwe's educational sector.
Since 1998, Zimbabwe's educational system has been unraveling in tandem with the country's beleaguered economy. Shockingly, an educational system that burgeoned forth an adult literacy rate that is currently hovering over 90%—the second highest in Africa—is now in a pitiful state of decay. Currently, Zimbabwe's educational system is generally characterized by; a mass exodus of proficient teachers to neighboring countries in search of more fecund pastures (brain-drain), and an acute-shortage of material resources that aid the delivery of educational services.
According to the 1992 Economics Nobel laureate, Dr. Gary Becker (of the University of Chicago), the human capital value of any random person ranges between USD500 000 and USD5 000 000. Therefore, the exodus of an estimated 60 000 skilled teachers from Zimbabwe's educational system translates to a loss of between USD30 billion and USD300 billion of value from the Zimbabwean educational system's human capital balance sheet. To put it into perspective, Zimbabwe's GDP for 2007 (According to the C.I.A. World Factbook), stood at USD6.186 billion, hence, the human capital leakage in Zimbabwe's teaching profession translates to between 4.85 and 48.5 times Zimbabwe's 2007 GDP. Evidently, it is of paramount importance for the Zimbabwean government to implement measures to arrest, and reverse, the tremendous loss of value from the Zimbabwean educational system's human capital balance sheet.
Refreshingly, the new Zimbabwean Education Minister, Senator David Coltart, recently announced a USD400 million plan that will see Zimbabwean teachers being remunerated along the lines of the South African average remuneration of teachers. When fully implemented, the plan will help to eradicate, albeit in a small way, the financial push-factors that motivate Zimbabwean teachers to relocate to neighboring countries. However, functionaries in Zimbabwe's educational sector also need to focus their attention on attracting an increasing proportion of Zimbabwe's graduates to the teaching profession.
I'll address how they can achieve this in the remainder of this script.
...Attracting Human Resources to The Educational Sector
Economists, from different walks of life, concur that a decade of persistent economic free-falling has left Zimbabwe with virtually non-existent; industrial, service and agricultural sectors. During the said period of economic decline, the Zimbabwean educational sector has been steadily churning-out a stream of graduates from its institutions of higher learning. Hence, this implies that Zimbabwe currently has multiple batches of graduates from its institutions of higher learning, and a shrinking spectrum of opportunities to offer them. Or, otherwise stated: Zimbabwe's economy cannot absorb its tertiary educational sector's graduates.
Whilst this is extremely unfortunate indeed, the new Zimbabwean government (of national unity) can channel Zimbabwe's plethora of multiple-batches-of-graduates-with-no-jobs into plentiful teaching opportunities available in its primary and secondary educational sub-sectors, thereby helping to reduce the Zimbabwean educational sector's present human capital deficit.
Interestingly, this can be achieved by creating a movement modeled on the Teach for America initiative, that will enlist Zimbabwe's most promising future leaders (recent graduates and skilled professionals), to commit to teach for a minimum of two years in Zimbabwe's (urban and rural) primary and secondary schools. Additionally, the Ministry of Education can invest in the training and professional development necessary to guarantee the new recruits' success as teachers. For the process to be smooth-flowing, an innovative and attractive cocktail of incentives can be employed (e.g. tax holidays, free health care, subsidized housing, hefty grants) to induce the flow of graduates into the teaching profession.
To conclude, it is my sincere hope that the changes I suggested will be implemented to expedite the recovery of Zimbabwe's educational sector.
