Voice of AmericaÂ
By Gibbs Dube
14 November 2012
Representatives of the Ministry of Education, the World Bank and United Nations Children’s Education Fund held a crucial meeting Wednesday in Kadoma, Mashonaland West Province, to find ways of funding Zimbabwe’s $4.5 billion five-year Education Medium Term Plan launched in May this year.
Education Minister David Coltart said there are high hopes that these organizations will fund the plan designed to fully stabilise Zimbabwe’s education sector crippled over the years by lack of money.
Coltart said the World Bank and UNICEF are assisting his ministry in formulating a proposal for funding to be submitted to the Global Partnership for Africa, a coalition of international donors.
Zimbabwe’s Education Medium Term Plan will lead to the construction of 750 secondary schools, refurbishment of 24,000 classrooms by the year 2015, restoration of the professional status of teachers and promotion of electronic learning, among other issues.
Coltart said this can be achieved with the help of the World Bank and UNICEF. “Once the Global Partnership for Africa meets next year, we expect that line of funding to start flowing into Zimbabwe,†he said.