The Herald
By Felex Share
3 November 2011
Government will today launch a US$10 million secondary schools textbook facility under the Education Transition Fund.  ETF is a Government-initiated programme being co-ordinated by Unicef and the donor community and is aimed at mobilising resources for the education sector. Over eight million textbooks, to benefit secondary schools countrywide, have been printed under the scheme.
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart on Wednesday said the bulk of the textbooks were now in the country. Vice President John Nkomo and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will launch the facility. Minister Coltart said the move would help Government achieve its target of one textbook per pupil in six main subjects; Mathematics, English, Science, Geography, History and indigenous languages.
He said: “The launch is on tomorrow (today). We wanted President Mugabe to officiate but due to his tight schedule he will not be there. The majority of the books have arrived in the country and are ready for distribution.
“The distribution will only commence after officials select the schools to benefit but it is certain that when the next term begins, pupils will have books in the classrooms,” he said. Rural schools, Minister Coltart said, would get a huge chunk of the textbooks.
“Most of them (rural schools) have no resources and our intention is to prioritise them such that their pass rates improve,” he said. About 6,5 million of the textbooks were printed outside Zimbabwe while local companies printed the remainder. Over 13 million primary school textbooks have already been distributed to schools countrywide under the ETF, a move that saw more than 5 757 primary schools benefiting.
The textbook to pupil ratio stands at 1:10 at most secondary schools while an estimated 15 percent of schools in rural areas have no textbooks at all. The Government’s target ratio is 1:1 by first term next year.
Minister Coltart said the books would go a long way in improving the country’s education standards. “We want to continue building on from the achievements we have made in the sector,” he said.
He commended rural teachers for their commitment to educate pupils under deplorable conditions. Most rural teachers do not get incentives from parents like their urban counterparts. Minister Coltart said after distributing the books Government would focus on reviewing and reforming the country’s curriculum with US$52 million secured for the purpose. The curriculum was last reviewed in the 1980s.