Precious Manomano — Herald Reporter
The Government has so far employed 1 800 teachers with the recruitment of 5 000 more educators underway.
Apart from that, Government is also in the process of building 2 800 schools to further reduce the distance learners walk to school.
Speaking during a meeting with teachers' unions and other stakeholders in Harare yesterday, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Torerayi Moyo said the ministry will address the shortage of schools and teachers.
"We decentralised the recruitment of teachers starting from January 2024, so far we have recruited 2 000 teachers, we are left with 5 000 more teachers. We are sure that in the second term we will recruit more. We are also going to address the shortage of schools by building a further 2 800 schools".
Zimbabwe is ahead of its African peers in the provision of quality education with the Second Republic under President Mnangagwa committing a huge chunk of its budget towards the sector and currently building new schools to ensure every child, regardless of location or financial background, acquires basic education.
For perspective, while on average a child in Africa has to walk more than 15km to access the nearest school, in Zimbabwe the average distance is 5km.
While on the continent it is estimated that 9 out of 10 children under the age of nine find it hard to read or write, in Zimbabwe only one out of 10 children under 9 years can neither read nor write.
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Dr Moyo told trade unionists that when recruiting teachers' preference will be given to those who completed their college studies long back.
The Minister also said he will make sure that BEAM disbursements are done timeously to ensure that schools operate efficiently and procure materials on time.
He also said allowances that were given to teachers should be brought back to motivate them, adding that teachers in rural areas deserve hardship allowances.
On technology infrastructure, the Minister said the ministry is going to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a New Zealand based Zimbabwean who is going to provide software and some gadgets that will be disbursed to rural schools.
He also said another MOU will be signed between the Government of Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom targeting Zimbabwean teachers to work in the UK.
The Federation of Educators Unions of Zimbabwe (FEUZ) president, Mr Akuneni Maphosa, said the Ministry should continue improving teachers' welfare.
The Second Republic under President Mnangagwa continues to commit resources towards the education sector focusing on quality and inclusive education, in tandem with the mantra "leaving no one and no place behind".
On the continent, access to classrooms and other learning enablers is still a major challenge, but Zimbabwe fares better than its regional peers, even as it carries the albatross of illegal economic sanctions.
