The Quandary Of The Incapacitation: Zimbabwe’s Education System, A Sinking Ship?

Mass education remains the responsibility of central Government and for it to be effective, there is need to improve the teachers' conditions of service By Nhamo Muchagumisa The incidence of Covid-19 and subsequent lockdowns has had a grievous effect on various sectors of our economy, but the education system seems to have suffered more than any other area of human endeavour. It may be argued that when it comes to education, Covid-19 has only made Zimbabweans more aware of the challenges that have been there for quite some time, before and after dollarisation. It has been a tall order for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to bring back teachers to the classroom after every lockdown, and even if the instructors return to the classroom, one may not be certain that any meaningful teaching and learning is taking place. The teachers' excuses may constitute a full-length book with the main plot and various subplots, but in the end, the colossal book of grievances may be summed up in a single word - incapacitation. Teachers are demanding a basic salary of US540 at least to raise their heads above the poverty datum line.