The Government of Zimbabwe has suggested that unemployed teachers should consider establishing their own schools or companies. Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Raymond Machingura, made this statement during a graduation ceremony at Belvedere Teachers’ College in an interview with a local radio station. Machingura said:
Unemployed teachers should start their own companies which produce stationery and other consumables used in schools or even start their own schools.
If you look at it, private schools are charging exorbitant fees. So if we have our own teachers with their own private schools, they will not be charging high fees but will be providing quality education.
Machingura’s remarks come as Zimbabwe, with a student population of six million, is facing a shortage of 3,000 schools. In an effort to address illegal operations, the government closed down hundreds of schools and colleges last year. However, earlier this year, private schools were re-registered to accommodate South Africa-based pupils returning home after the expiration of Zimbabwe Exemption Permits.
Critics, such as Walter Muzamani, President of the National Council of Student Teachers, argue that encouraging teachers to establish their own schools is an acknowledgement of the education system’s failure. Muzamani said:
That teachers should start their own schools is an admission that it has failed to manage the education system. The government has failed to fund the education system which has resulted in the private education sector thriving.
It is a fact that private schools are offering quality education compared to public schools.
Goodwill Taderera, Secretary-General of the Zimbabwe Teachers Association, warns that the proliferation of private schools will further weaken the public education system. Taderera said:
If teachers become entrepreneurs, then the education system will be commercialised. It’s privatising the education system which is exclusive to low-income earners. Accessibility to education will be compromised. Government undertook to provide quality education and has to stick to that mandate and not abdicate its responsibility to job-seeking teachers.
However, the Zimbabwean government contends that it lacks the necessary resources to recruit more teachers in order to balance the teacher-student ratio. This has resulted in a longstanding dispute between teachers and the government over inadequate salaries. Teachers are demanding the reinstatement of pre-October 2018 salaries, which were approximately US$450. Last year, Zimbabwe sent 154 teachers to Rwanda to provide training and share knowledge with Rwandan teachers and learners.