The Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) has called on the government to urgently reinstate free education warning that rising school fees and worsening learning conditions are forcing thousands of children out of school.
In a statement issued as schools opened for the new term on Tuesday, the student body said Zimbabwe's education system had reached what it described as a "national disaster" due to the increasing cost of schooling.
ZINASU spokesperson Kimberley Timothy Joni said education had been turned into a privilege for the wealthy, rather than a basic right.
"Education, which was once free in Zimbabwe after independence, a proud achievement of the liberation struggle, has been brutally commodified and turned into a privilege for the children of the elite," Joni said.
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The union said the combination of school fees, levies and hidden costs was excluding children from poorer households, contributing to rising school dropouts, early marriages and increased drug and substance abuse among youths.
It also raised concern over overcrowded classrooms, shortages of learning materials and weak teacher morale which it attributed to low salaries and poor working conditions.
"This systematic sabotage of public education is producing a generation of semi-literate youth unprepared for the modern world, deepening poverty, inequality and national underdevelopment," the statement said.
ZINASU pointed to neighbouring Zambia which has recently moved to legally guarantee free education saying Zimbabwe should follow suit given its historical reputation for strong education standards.
"Why can Zambia do it, but Zimbabwe, a country that once led the continent in education, fail?" Joni asked.
The union demanded immediate reforms, including the abolition of school fees, increased investment in school infrastructure, improved teacher recruitment and motivation, and the introduction of a modern skills-based curriculum.
"Free education must be restored by law. Beyond access we demand a quality, competitive and skills-based curriculum that equips our youth with critical thinking, innovation, industrial and digital skills," the union said.
ZINASU warned that failure to address its concerns could trigger stronger action from students and communities.
"Any delay or half-measure will be met with sustained resistance, mass mobilisation and revolutionary pressure from below," it said.
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The student body reaffirmed that access to quality education remains central to Zimbabwe's long-term development, insisting: "Free education is our right. Quality, skills-based education now."
