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Moving forward in Zimbabwe Reducing poverty and promoting growth It is clear from Tables 6.9 and 6.10 that after 2000 the level of investment in staff salaries and per capita grants was variable from year to year, but it was severely eroded by inflation. A return to the 22 per cent of the total state budget pattern of investment into education and training as a target would be a salutary first step in any new dispensation. A second step would be to try and ensure that staff salaries are reasonable enough to satisfy basic needs. By the time the IG was formed staff salaries in US$ terms were a paltry 12 per cent of the average salary in 1990. The poor working conditions accounted for the brain drain of teaching staff, many of whom were not able to utilise their academic and professional skills in the jobs they hold outside the country. Per capita grants have shrunk to less than one US cent per child in 2008 compared to US$6.26 in 1990-91 (see Table 6.10), and this explains why schools are unable to purchase textbooks and other teaching/learning materials. Note that the average textbook in Zimbabwe costs about US$7, very high by regional and international standards. It may be useful to utilise 1990-91 as a benchmark. At that time investment in education was US$581 million, of which about US$456 million, 78.5 per cent of the total, was for staff salaries. Whilst it may not be possible to return very quickly to this level of real investment, it will nevertheless be essential to plan a closer approximation. Another clear trend is that the percentage of the budget spent on higher education has increased, relative to that spent on primary and secondary education (see Table 6.12). Whereas 86.7 per cent of the budget was spent on primary and secondary education in 1990-91, this had shrunk to 69.5 per cent by 2008. Meanwhile the percentage spent on higher education had increased from 13.3 per cent to 30.5 per cent (see Table 6.11). The ratio of the unit cost of primary to secondary to university was roughly 1:1.54:18. From these figures it appears that secondary education in Zimbabwe is relatively cheap, costing only about 54 per cent more than primary education. University education is expensive, costing about 18 times more than the unit cost of primary education. The increasing importance of higher education relative to primary and secondary education may reflect a number of concerns and problems. Lower investment in primary and secondary education could mean that unit costs as well as quality may have been lowered. The higher investment in tertiary education may reflect the fact that tertiary education lecturers demand salaries that are closer to international salaries, if they are to be retained. The rapid increase in enrolments at universities may reflect a higher demand for university education as a result of the expansion of secondary education over the previous two decades. Tables 6.11 and 6.12 indicate that in addition to the need to increase the percentage of the budget allocated to education from 14.5 per cent in 2008 to bring it closer to the 22 per cent that was prevalent in the earlier years of independence, there is also a need to consider the importance of providing a higher allocation for primary and secondary education. Another noticeable factor is the increase in the percentage of the budget for ‘other’ costs, covering areas such as administration. This amount doubled from 8.4 per cent in 1990-91 to 17.2 per cent in 2008. This may indicate that there are increased inefficiencies in the present system of administration. Table 6.11: Comparison of the budgets of the Ministries of Education and Culture and Higher Education, 1990-91 and 2008. Ministry 1990-91 % 2008 % Education and Culture 1,329,074,000 86.7 798,244,383,122,000 69.5 Higher Education 203,141,000 13.3 350,742,252,286,000 30.5 Total 1,532,215,000 100 1,148,987,635,408,000 100 Sources: Ministry of Finance Estimates of Expenditure, 1990-91 and 2008. Table 6.12: Investment in primary, secondary and tertiary education, 1990-91 and 2008. 1990-91 % 2008 % Primary education 809,715,000 52.7 470,604,822,479,000 41.0 Secondary education 452,474,000 29.4 245,748,428,678,000 21.4 Teacher education 24,968,000 1.6 28,577,551,514,000 2.5 Technical vocational education and training 30,275,000 2.0 24,877,603,846,000 2.2 University education 91,835,000 6.0 181,565,697,500,000 15.8 Other 128,948,000 8.3 197,613,532,391,000 17.2 Totals 1,532,215,000 100 1,148,987,636,408,000 100 Sources: Ministry of Finance Estimates of Expenditure, 1990-91 and 2008. 78
Moving forward in Zimbabwe Reducing poverty and promoting growth Investment in education is one of the key ways of moving and staying out of poverty (Photo © Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi). 6.3 Recommendations for the future Given the drastic changes which have taken place nationally, regionally and globally, there is an urgent need to re-examine educational policies and strategies. Some of the changes required are examined below. Basic education It is necessary to ensure that all children are able to access nine years of free, compulsory and quality basic education. 4 Basic education is a human right which Zimbabwe needs to respect. At the same time, having a substantial number of its citizens deprived of primary and junior secondary education creates serious developmental problems. Presently about 100,000 children out of about 400,000 who enter primary schools do not complete Grade 7. A further 70,000 do not enter secondary school. Thus, about 170,000 children a year do not gain the requisite nine years of compulsory education that is deemed to be important for social, political and economic development. These school leavers will find it difficult to find jobs or to create jobs for themselves. Unless Zimbabwe returns to its original policy of free primary education, and even extends it to cover two years of junior secondary education, it is likely that a substantial percentage of its population will continue to have a substandard level of basic education. 1. Linking education and training more closely to economic development. The urgent need for economic development and expansion within the country and the region, as well as globally, requires a serious adjustment of the education system at all levels, but particularly at secondary, technical/vocational and tertiary levels. This would include: 1.1 Inclusion of more science and technical/vocational orientation in primary education, in particular the scientific approach to problem solving and the entrepreneurial skills that are required in a private sector-dominated economy. It is noticeable that changes which have taken place in science and technology since the 1980s are absent from the primary and secondary school curriculum. These include genetically modified food crops, the advent of bio-fuels, genetic engineering as a whole, the use of computer and other information and communications technologies in the work place, etc. 1.2 Providing more technical/vocational training at secondary school level. While Zimbabwe presently possesses a good quality technical and vocational education and training system at tertiary level, with enrolment of more than 19,000 into technical colleges and about 1,000 into vocational schools, this will be totally inadequate if Zimbabwe is to become more industrialised and if the economy is to expand. A larger number of secondary school graduates who can operate at middle and lower technician levels can fill this gap in practical terms. At the same time, Zimbabwe can supply some of the skilled human resources needs of the region. This change can be effected through the provision of nine years of free basic education for all, followed by some degree 79
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