16 September 2009
Zimeye
The Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Senator David Coltart has acknowledged that Zimbabwe’s education sector still faces challenges although he has ‘tried’ his best to keep it working.
“When I took office in February I found the education sector in a calamitous state. That has been well documented and is known to you all. In many schools the only textbook is the one held by the teacher. In most government schools the ratio is no better than one to 15.
“The first task of the education transition fund will be to arrange for the printing of literally millions of textbooks with the objective of delivering the same to poorest and most needy schools during the first term of 2010,†Coltart said.
Coltart regrets the continued strike by teachers who for some schools have not been teaching in the last two years.
“I deeply regret the ongoing teachers strike and hope that an acceptable arrangement can be arrived at shortly to ensure that we get teachers back into classrooms countrywide will stop,†he said.
Coltart added, “During the last seven months I have done all in my power to seek funding to assist teachers who remain inadequately paid. Regrettably due to factors beyond my control I have been unable to secure such assistance.â€
Teachers are persistently on strike since the beginning of the third term in the last fortnight.
Zimbabwe’s education sector, once a model in Africa continues to be riddled with serious challenges.
Public financing of the sector declined significantly over the last decade leaving schools with no funds to purchase basic teaching materials.
At the height of the political turmoil in Zimbabwe, teachers left the country in droves to in search of better working conditions.
President Robert Mugabe’s government has been blamed for the decline in the education sector in the last 10 years owing to miscued economic policies, while he blames the west for sanctions that he says have contributed to the collapse of the economy and social services. However, western governments have sighted unresolved issues in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement signed between the country’s three political parties to form an inclusive government.