Zim Universities Incompetent: Zimbabwe Education Minister says

THE MINISTER IS CLEARLY DISTURBED BY THE CURRENT EDUCATION SYSTEM OF ZIM...BUT DOES THIS GIVE US HOPE?

The Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Cde Godfrey Gandawa has expressed dissatisfaction and disbelief at the level of incompetence and sub-standard nature of Tertiary institutions in the country, this publication has learnt.


In an interview with New Zimbabwe.Com, Gandawa said universities have in the past proven to be inadequate in helping the nation build and develop its economic state. "The problem with Zimbabweans is that we boast of having high intellectual capacity but our economy is going down. Universities must be used as think tanks and at the moment they are a disservice. We need independent researchers who can help the country out of the economic problems," said Godfrey Gandawa, during the tour of Zimbabwe Open University recently.
 

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Gandawa gave reference to European countries and the United States of America where universities are used as think tanks to help government with research policies, which is why they have stable economies. He said the country was in need of straight forward researchers who are not afraid to tell the truth.

"We don't want researchers who want to please certain individuals," said Gandawa.

He went on to say that local universities were producing half-baked graduates who are failing to make inroads into the new world of technology. Gandawa also raised concerns about the fact that university students are failing to make it today because they are mainly being taught theory rather than practical, hence Zim Universities are incompetent indeed.

deputy minister hon Godfrey Gandawa

Zimbabwe continues to be a hopeless case in terms of faccilitating education...question is where are our leaders in times like these?

UNPAID UNIVERSITY LECTURERS DOWN TOOLS AT UNIVERSITIES IN ZIMBABWE


MSU and  NUST lecturers have gone on strike over unpaid February salaries. LECTURERS and non-academic staff at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) reportedly went on strike on Tuesday, demanding that government pays them outstanding February salaries.This decision was announced at a meeting addressed by the Nust Educators Association (Nusteda) at the university's campus.
At the meeting, the Nusteda members unanimously agreed to down tools until they are paid their dues.
Lectures  vowed not to return to work until the government honors its obligation.

 On the other hand, Midlands State University (MSU) lecturers have embarked on an industrial action, protesting the late payment of February salaries. The lecturers downed tools on Monday following a meeting held at the university’s main campus last Friday came up with a resolution that they (lectures) should not report for duty until they are paid.

Last week Great Zimbabwe University lecturers and non-teaching staff went on strike, protesting non-payment of their salaries since January and their outstanding December bonuses.
The government did not take immediate action, so the situation has spread to other state universities as the state battles to keep the economy afloat.






The lecturers accused government of violating the Labour Act that salaries should be paid on or before the last day of the respective working month but the university has been struggling to pay lecturers’ salaries on time since last year and has been shifting pay dates without notice.

lecturers on strike...

Universal Primary Education(MDG NUMBER 2): Is the Zim government doing anything with regards to achieving this gaol

Our ministry of education, sports and Culture has really shown its genuine interest in achieving MDG number 2. The Ministry of Education, Sports, Art and Culture with support from the United Nations launched the Accelerated Action Plan (AAP) for MDG2 for Zimbabwe that aims at ensuring that by 2015, all Zimbabwean children—boys and girls alike—will be able to complete primary education. 

The plan, which was developed using the MDG Accelerated Framework (MAF) methodology, identified Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), School Feeding Programme, Second Chance Education and School Improvement Grants as selected focus areas of intervention. , School Feeding Programme, Second Chance Education and School Improvement Grants as selected focus areas of intervention. The methodology defined opportunities for scaling up the effectiveness of these interventions to meet the MDG targets by 2015.

During the launch of the Accelerated Action Plan for MDG2 report for Zimbabwe that was held on 29 May 2013, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sports, Art and Culture, Ms. Constance Chigwamba expressed the government’s full commitment to the plan.

Against the background of constrained resources, UNESCO suggested that government and education partners intensify their efforts to increase resources for programmes such as BEAM and ensure that teachers can be retained by improving their conditions of service and opportunities for professional development. Providing the same conditions for early childhood development programme as for primary schools is necessary. In addition, UNESCO urges building capacity of the planning department of the MESAC in respect of data processing and analysis.
Through these measures, Zimbabwe hopes to retain its pole position in sub-Saharan Africa in the area of universal primary education.

However, the government's failure to solve economic challenges facing the country, so the economic situation for the average Zimbabwean family has worsened during the past decade. This has had a direct nega­tive impact on their ability to send their children to school and pay for school fees and uniforms. Fewer children in rural areas attend school than do children in urban areas. The primary school dropout rate is also much higher in rural areas, which account for 78.9% of the total number of dropouts.

Primary children at school

literacy rate in Zimbabwe

The literacy rate in Zimbabwe is embarrassingly deteriorating

Zimbabwe's most touted literacy rate of  more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on the data collected by UNESCO and the government over a decade ago. The literacy rate of those over 15 years of age is dropping by half a percent every year and that is likely to escalate to 1% a year.

The Zimbabwean education situation is likely to worsen if the poor economic and political conditions in the country continue to prevail. The Zimbabwean literacy rate might even drop to 70% by 2020 if nothing is done with regards to solving political and economic problems which have proven to have a bearing on the education sector of the nation.

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago. - See more at: http://www.harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-13815.html#sthash.ooIk4w6k.dpuf

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago. - See more at: http://www.harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-13815.html#sthash.ooIk4w6k.dpuf

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago. - See more at: http://www.harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-13815.html#sthash.ooIk4w6k.dpuf

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago.

We roughly estimate that the literacy rate for those over 15 is dropping a half percent each year and that will accelerate to 1% each year as those who left school after 2005 reach age 15," writes Zimbabwe Reads on its website.

The same organization goes on to state that the Zimbabwean education situation is likely to worsen if the current conditions continue to prevail adding that Zimbabwe might not even be the continent's highest literary country.
- See more at: http://www.harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-13815.html#sthash.KVskFvGl.dpuf

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago.

We roughly estimate that the literacy rate for those over 15 is dropping a half percent each year and that will accelerate to 1% each year as those who left school after 2005 reach age 15," writes Zimbabwe Reads on its website.

The same organization goes on to state that the Zimbabwean education situation is likely to worsen if the current conditions continue to prevail adding that Zimbabwe might not even be the continent's highest literary country.
- See more at: http://www.harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-13815.html#sthash.KVskFvGl.dpuf

 Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology-driven world and Zimbabwe is currently at a risk of  becoming a completely economically crippled nation due to these poor education levels that are continuously decreasing.
The Zimbabwean government can only pay teachers' salaries since it is collecting ever less tax in the shrinking economy as more and more companies lose patience with the administration and pull out yet today, the government estimates that approximately a million children, mostly from primary schools, will need help with school fees. 

Classrooms used in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago.
- See more at: http://www.harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-13815.html#sthash.8tDsd2jD.dpuf

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago.

We roughly estimate that the literacy rate for those over 15 is dropping a half percent each year and that will accelerate to 1% each year as those who left school after 2005 reach age 15," writes Zimbabwe Reads on its website.

The same organization goes on to state that the Zimbabwean education situation is likely to worsen if the current conditions continue to prevail adding that Zimbabwe might not even be the continent's highest literary country.

"If current conditions continue, Zimbabwe will have a literacy rate of 70% in 2020. At this stage, it seems unlikely that Zimbabwe still has the highest literacy rate in Africa, with the more reliable estimates from Botswana (85%) and Tunisia (87%) probably surpassing it," it states.

Zimbabwe Reads observes what it refers to as "a very disturbing tendency" of high rate of children dropping out of school since 2005 where it states that about 15% of the country's children never enter the school system while a further 30% never make it to secondary schools.

According to the organization, the number of patrons in almost all the libraries in the country continue to decrease since the late 80s with the current figures standing at as less as half the 1989 figures.

"In 1989, there were more than 150,000 registered public library users using 76 public libraries. The user numbers for 2011 are certainly less than half of that. The Bulawayo Public Library reported 10,289 patrons for the year preceding July 2011; the National Free Library had 8016 patrons (but only 250 paid the registration fee to borrow)."

The organization has also noted that most libraries in the country carry materials that are published only in English at the neglect of local languages estimating fewer than 50 titles in indigenous languages. Most books with titles in local languages are reported to have been published long ago and have been kept in stock by local bookshops like Mambo Press.

The Zimbabwean government and UNESCO reports that the country has a literacy rate of more than 90% with the current Minister of Education David Coltart intensifying efforts to restore the education sector which had sharply declined as a result of the economic meltdown which characterized the country for a period spanning to more than a decade.

Meanwhile the United Kingdom through its Department of International Development (DFID), recently injected 24 million pounds (around 38 million USD) into the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Zimbabwe, to support the country's second phase of the Education Transition Fund (ETF II) which is a multi-donor pooled fund set up at the inception of the inclusive government in 2009 by Education, Sports, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart in partnership with UNICEF in a bid to bridge the sector's funding gap from emergence to recovery. - See more at: http://www.harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-13815.html#sthash.8tDsd2jD.dpuf

 This is the current situation in Zimbabwe and it is likely to even get worse if our politicians continue to turn a deaf ear to these crucial problems that the nation is facing.

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago.

We roughly estimate that the literacy rate for those over 15 is dropping a half percent each year and that will accelerate to 1% each year as those who left school after 2005 reach age 15," writes Zimbabwe Reads on its website.

The same organization goes on to state that the Zimbabwean education situation is likely to worsen if the current conditions continue to prevail adding that Zimbabwe might not even be the continent's highest literary country.

"If current conditions continue, Zimbabwe will have a literacy rate of 70% in 2020. At this stage, it seems unlikely that Zimbabwe still has the highest literacy rate in Africa, with the more reliable estimates from Botswana (85%) and Tunisia (87%) probably surpassing it," it states.

Zimbabwe Reads observes what it refers to as "a very disturbing tendency" of high rate of children dropping out of school since 2005 where it states that about 15% of the country's children never enter the school system while a further 30% never make it to secondary schools. - See more at: http://www.harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-13815.html#sthash.8tDsd2jD.dpuf

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago.

We roughly estimate that the literacy rate for those over 15 is dropping a half percent each year and that will accelerate to 1% each year as those who left school after 2005 reach age 15," writes Zimbabwe Reads on its website.

The same organization goes on to state that the Zimbabwean education situation is likely to worsen if the current conditions continue to prevail adding that Zimbabwe might not even be the continent's highest literary country.

"If current conditions continue, Zimbabwe will have a literacy rate of 70% in 2020. At this stage, it seems unlikely that Zimbabwe still has the highest literacy rate in Africa, with the more reliable estimates from Botswana (85%) and Tunisia (87%) probably surpassing it," it states.

Zimbabwe Reads observes what it refers to as "a very disturbing tendency" of high rate of children dropping out of school since 2005 where it states that about 15% of the country's children never enter the school system while a further 30% never make it to secondary schools. - See more at: http://www.harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-13815.html#sthash.8tDsd2jD.dpuf

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago.

We roughly estimate that the literacy rate for those over 15 is dropping a half percent each year and that will accelerate to 1% each year as those who left school after 2005 reach age 15," writes Zimbabwe Reads on its website.

The same organization goes on to state that the Zimbabwean education situation is likely to worsen if the current conditions continue to prevail adding that Zimbabwe might not even be the continent's highest literary country.

"If current conditions continue, Zimbabwe will have a literacy rate of 70% in 2020. At this stage, it seems unlikely that Zimbabwe still has the highest literacy rate in Africa, with the more reliable estimates from Botswana (85%) and Tunisia (87%) probably surpassing it," it states.

Zimbabwe Reads observes what it refers to as "a very disturbing tendency" of high rate of children dropping out of school since 2005 where it states that about 15% of the country's children never enter the school system while a further 30% never make it to secondary schools. - See more at: http://www.harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-13815.html#sthash.8tDsd2jD.dpuf

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago.

We roughly estimate that the literacy rate for those over 15 is dropping a half percent each year and that will accelerate to 1% each year as those who left school after 2005 reach age 15," writes Zimbabwe Reads on its website.

The same organization goes on to state that the Zimbabwean education situation is likely to worsen if the current conditions continue to prevail adding that Zimbabwe might not even be the continent's highest literary country.

"If current conditions continue, Zimbabwe will have a literacy rate of 70% in 2020. At this stage, it seems unlikely that Zimbabwe still has the highest literacy rate in Africa, with the more reliable estimates from Botswana (85%) and Tunisia (87%) probably surpassing it," it states.

Zimbabwe Reads observes what it refers to as "a very disturbing tendency" of high rate of children dropping out of school since 2005 where it states that about 15% of the country's children never enter the school system while a further 30% never make it to secondary schools. - See more at: http://www.harare24.com/index-id-news-zk-13815.html#sthash.8tDsd2jD.dpuf

Programs that facilitate education in Zimbabwe

Poor management of educational programs that are meant to facilitate education in Zimbabwe

Since 2000, Zimbabwe has had to confront multiple and complex challenges that had been partly due to the country’s social and political instability. Reaching a peak in 2008, the meltdown left everything, including education, in tatters, leading to the dropping of these crucial educational programs.

"Poor examination results suggest that the combined shortage of infrastructure, high pupil ratios, and lack of teaching and learning materials have had an adverse effect on the quality of learning,” Coltart said.
Textbook supplies, which had been largely financed by parents from levies and their own household income, have dropped to a record low. Unicef estimates that there are 15 children for each textbook in the core subjects in primary schools, while a recent survey showed that at least 12% cent of secondary schools had no maths textbooks at all in 2009.
Decreasing government expenditure on education has forced schools to increasingly rely on tuition fees and levies. The consequent rise in fees and levies has been a serious obstacle to educational access and completion for many school children. Lack of resources disproportionately affects the marginalized, especially girls. The use of student levies and fees to supplement salaries and retain teachers has exacerbated inequalities between students who can afford higher supplements and those from poor socioeconomic backgrounds.

Children in poorly infra-structured schools 
 

The history of Zimbabwe education system in relation to the politics of the country

EDUCATION SYSTEM OF ZIMBABWE AND ITS POLITICAL HISTORY

At independence, democratisation of access to education became one of the key policy priorities of the new government. Accordingly, government embarked on a massive expansion of education facilities. Government invested heavily in this sector and this resulted in a phenomenal increase in enrollments. Primary education was made free to enable children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to attend school as well. By 1990, most of the quantitative expansion of the education system has taken place and focus changed to improvement of the quality of educational provision.
In spite of the massive expansion of the education sector since independence, access, equity and quality of educational provision continue to persist. Access to education is still restricted amongst children from low socio-economic backgrounds, farming areas and other remote parts of the country. Furthermore, rural district council day schools tend to be poor, whilst high-fee-paying private schools have superior facilities and staff.
To illustrate the issues of equity, access and quality of educational provision in Zimbabwe, Dr. Nherera made a specific reference to the Early Child Education and Care (ECEC). He pointed out that ECEC was not included in the massive expansion of educational facilities that took place soon after independence. However, notable progress has been made particularly in rural and communal areas. The provision of ECEC, however, remains voluntary and it is not a prerequisite for pupils starting formal primary school. Most of the ECEC centres operating in Zimbabwe are not registered with the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture and statistics regarding the number of centers, enrollments, staffing and funding tend to be unreliable, hence statistics show that access remains extremely limited.

 Dominican Convent school

 

The impact of technology on education, especially rural schools in Zimbabwe

RURAL EDUCATION IN ZIMBABWE

It's really hard to teach kids computers skills when you have no electricity in your classrooms, and this is what has been experienced by most teachers in rural ereas.
Children are growing up in a world where social media, mobile technology and online communities are fundamental to the way that they communicate, learn and develop. In recent years the speed, flexibility and affordability of rapidly evolving digital technology has further strengthened the digital divide between the haves and have-nots and led to the failure of millions of young people in developing countries to join the digital world.
 Children in the rural areas cannot use the computer due to the fact that most rural schools do not have electricity and besides that, the computers are not even there. Due to these problems, most children in Zimbabwe have developed an apathy towards education, hence underage marriage is reportedly common in rural areas. Rape and sexual abuse against children are also reported.

Hopelessness is written all over the children's faces and their sorry story is in stark contrast to the estimated 94% literacy rate touted in Zanu PF’s election manifesto last year and which Zimbabwe prides herself with.

Without sufficient investment of resources to equip the schools, Mwenezi schoolchildren are at risk of losing their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a basic education.
On a larger scale, their society will be starved of the human potential it needs to thrive in the long run. Unless government ropes in the international community to step up its investment in education there, and elsewhere in the countryside such as in Binga in the Zambezi Valley; Uzumba, Maramba, Pfungwe; part of Gokwe; Msampakaruma in Kariba; Chipinge and Chiredzi to name, but a few areas, the prospects are slim that the country will recover even with the change of administration or the end of the economic crisis currently prevailing.
These poor schools should be government and an international community priority.
  
children at rural schools 

Political determination to education in Zimbabwe

ARE THE POLITICAL LEADERS OF ZIMBABWE DETERMINED TO IMPROVE THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF THE NATION

The Minister of  Primary and Secondary Education, Lazarus Dokora raised a lot of concerns patterning to the educational system of the country.

Dokora said:  “Our curriculum has lacked balance; our core subjects are largely academic such as Geography, English, indigenous literature, Mathematics, Science and History.”

“In the next four months, Zimbabwe is embarking on a comprehensive curriculum review process that will witness consultations with parents and other interested parties happening at school, district, provincial and national levels,” the Minister said.

The Minister also announced the introduction of Non-Formal or Second Chance Education which will be used to complement the formal education system in imparting academic and social skills. The non-formal education component will implement some of the recommendations of the 1999 Nziramasanga Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training by increasing access to both basic and secondary education.

Lazarus Dokora...










The curriculum review process and the second chance education are all components that are being funded under the Education Development Fund being administered by UNICEF and is looking at developing a transitional mechanism for development partners to jointly support the re-invigoration of the education sector in Zimbabwe, with Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education assuming the leadership role.

THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN ZIMBABWE AND THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION

On any given day, more than two million children in Zimbabwe go to school. Whether they sit in buildings, in tents or under trees, ideally they are learning, developing and enriching their lives.

For many of these children, though, school is not always a positive experience as shown through their dismal performance at Grade 7 or Form 4. Some endure difficult conditions, like missing or inadequate teaching materials. Others lack competent teachers and appropriate curricula. These conditions are not conducive to learning or development, and no child should have to experience them.

Access to education that is of poor quality usually compromises the future of learners. Education issues in Zimbabwe have led to many concluding  that there is little point in providing the opportunity for a child to enrol in school if the quality of education is so poor that the child will not become literate or numerate, or will fail to acquire critical life skills.

Due to these challenges facing Zimbabwe’s education sector, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Honorable Lazarus Dokora recently announced a review of the school curriculum as part of efforts to strengthen a needs-driven education system in Zimbabwe

The Education Minister added that the sector needed strengthening through a needs-driven education system which would have strong scientific, vocational and technical bias and would also stress a strong value system.

The Minister said education was an empowering component which needed to be exploited to the maximum as captured in the new development blueprint ZimAsset which sought to empower communities and individuals while growing the national economy.

  CHILDREN IN POOR SCHOOLS IN ZIMBABWE

 

HOW DOES POLITICS GENERALLY AFFECT EDUCATION AND ITS LEVELS

Politics and politicians often create a collective shrug in society. This is particularly in relation to education and its levels visa vee the political state of a country. This might sound a little bizarre for people who have not been following our political system and the education rates since then. The political system of the Zimbabwe nation has been of negative effect, as clearly evidenced by the hopelessly decreasing passrates in schools since 2008 especially for those that have been well known for good performance in the past. This is quite disturbing because considering the fact that there is no improvement in politics then there is and there will be no improvement in education levels either.


 The overall pass rate for November 2013 was 20,72 percent, clearly showing the downfall in educational performance of Zimbabwe. ZIMBABWE’S Advanced Level pass rate for 2012 marginally dropped to 82.09 percent from 85.2 percent the previous year, statistics released by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec). The overall pass rate (2012) was equal to 82.09 percent. In 2011, the overall pass rate was 85.2 percent, therefore the pass rate for 2012 was slightly lower than that for 2011.