EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL (EI) AFRICA REGION WORKSHOP ON GENDER ISSUES: HELD IN PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA, FROM 25 TO 28 MAY, 2008:

 

REPORT ON THE “SITUATION OF WOMEN IN ZIMBABWE,”

BY TENDAI CHIKOWORE (MRS), ZIMTA NATIONAL PRESIDENT:

 

1.0            Salutation and Introduction:

 

1.1       The Chairperson of this Workshop Session;

The Chief Coordinator of the EI Africa Region, Mrs Assibi Napoe;

Facilitators of the Workshop;

Honourable Guests and Representatives of Cooperating Partners;

Fellow Workshop Participants; and,

Ladies and Gentlemen: welcome to this slot on the “Situation of Women in Zimbabwe.”

 

1.2       We bring you fraternal greetings and messages of solidarity from the 50 000 ZIMTA members, and our 26 National Executive members, 27% of whom are female colleagues.  It is a paradox that in our National Standing Committee of 9 members, 4 or 44.44% are women, yet among our 10 Provincial Representatives, only one, or 10% is a female from the Midlands ZIMTA Province.  Zimbabwe’s total teaching force of 102395, at both primary and secondary school levels, has 51.16% male (52387) and 48.84% female (50008) educators.

 

1.3       The glaring disparity between male (73%) and female (27%) leaders in ZIMTA at National Executive level is fairly representative of the situation of women in other organizations or institutions in Zimbabwe.  The theme or focus of this sub-regional workshop, GENDER ISSUES, with specific reference to the situation of women, is very timely and relevant to Zimbabwe.  We salute the organizers and planners of this workshop for targeting real issues of practical concern to our members and our nation.  They wish us an informative forum and hope that we will come up with focused recommendations that will effectively guide the formation and operation of the “Southern Africa Women in Education Network” for the emancipation of female members of our profession, local communities and our nations.

 

2.0            Numerical Strength Not Positively Exploited to the Full:

 

2.1            Females constitute 52% of Zimbabwe’s population.  More female babies are born or they have a higher survival rate than their male counterparts.  That superiority in numbers manifests itself at primary school level, according to official school enrolment records of 2006, indicating that girls constituted 50,2% of the 2 195 616 learners in the formal primary school system, where there was a 97% Net Enrolment Ratio, nearly achieving the universal primary education as required by the Education For All, Millennium Development Goals, and the World Fit For Children declarations.  

 

2.2       Girls also tend to perform better than boys in primary schools.  They usually excel in both academic and sports, despite being overladen with extra house chores, such as cooking, washing dishes, collecting firewood, and carrying water, particularly in rural areas, and in some urban homes in high density areas.

2.3            However, at secondary school level, boys tend to perform better, in general.  There are more drop-outs among girls than boys, for various reasons.  Some parents seem to prefer sending boys for further education if they are forced to make a choice between educating a boy or a girl, for economic reasons, or if one of the children has to be kept at home to do house chores.  Such preferences contravene the popular saying, “If you educate a boy, you educate an individual; but if you educate a girl, you educate the whole nation.”  Therefore, gender discrimination, against the girl child, retards national development, prejudices equitable growth, and perpetuates poverty and ignorance at family levels.  If girls fail to go to school, or drop out early, they are likely to marry early and become some of the ignorant parents who usually expose their children to preventable diseases. 

 

2.4       Early unplanned marriages lead to the birth of many children, usually because of lack of birth-control measures, or because of false hopes of getting looked after by some of the many children they would have raised, some of whom may not go to school.  In this case, the vicious poverty cycle engulfs both parents and their children, usually worsening the situation of the vulnerable girl-child who might be exploited in forms of child labour, for example, as  underpaid house girls, or be lured into prostitution by elderly rich men, or sugar daddies, with all the dangers of being infected by venereal diseases.

 

3.0            Positive Legislation: Prospects and Challenges:

 

3.1            Zimbabwe acknowledges the plight of women, who are a disadvantaged group of its citizens.

 

3.2       Some people ascribe the disadvantaged position of women to African culture and norms.  For example, Zimbabwe is generally a patriarchal nation, implying that men have an upper hand in most homes, have custody of children born in their wedlock, and usually have the last say in terms of ownership of major assets of the family.  Some male chauvinists may sell family grain or other produce, exposing their families to food insecurity and resultant starvation.  Realised cash may be squandered instead of being invested wisely for family use.  The male dominance may also be evident in families, where most husbands are regarded as the heads of their families, to whom their wives must submit, at times, literally abusing the Biblical provisions of Ephesians 5:22 that reads, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands,” as unto the Lord.

 

3.3       The majority of Kraal Heads, Village Headmen, School Heads, Principals of Colleges, Vice Chancellors and Chancellors of Universities, elected Politicians or Members of Parliament, and people who hold most influential posts are men.  Although men are relatively fewer than women, male dominance in decision – making processes, and in ownership of means of production, is evident. 

 

4.0              Women Treated as Inferior Citizens:

 

4.1              In Zimbabwe, this disproportionate balance of power creates an anomalous situation where women work the land in the rural areas and most husbands decide what is planted in the fields, what happens to the produce or the income therefrom.  In some extreme cases of selfish male dominance, feminisation of poverty, where wives are poorer than the husbands they live with because the women have little say or control over finances and assets that the families own, may occur.  Women in such circumstances, whether they work in the fields, or are formally employed as professionals, including school teachers, nurses, accountants or medical doctors, are denied their social, economic and family rights to co-determine how to plan and/or utilize their products, incomes or other family resources.  They experience a “master and slave or servant” family relationship, which is degrading and unacceptable.

 

 

 

4.2              The Zimbabwe National Gender Policy (2004) states, “It should be noted that the 1998 Human Development report on Zimbabwe describes the country as a “highly unequal society” in terms of access, control and ownership of resources.”  Indeed, the situation of women as child bears, baby minders, home keepers, commonest field workers for long hours in the African blazing heat, and perpetual cooks who are termed “unemployed”, just because they perform all these various chores/tasks/duties for no prescribed remuneration, is generally pathetic and unacceptable.  Women have the longest endurance at work.  They are exceptionally tolerant, long-suffering, and loving in dealing with their own children; hence, they are usually the best teachers at lower levels of primary education in schools.  They supervise their children’s home work, in most cases, because they are generally more at home than their male spouses.

 

4.3              While several women enjoy good life or company from their loving husbands and /or their considerate children, some women endure very difficult lives.  In justifying the rationale for establishing the gender policy in Zimbabwe, Government acknowledged,

The 1995 Poverty Assessment Survey report indicates that 61 per cent of

Zimbabwean households are poor and 31 per cent of the households headed

by female have a greater incidence of poverty than those headed by males.---

This is a reflection of the general low status of women with respect to

access, control and ownership of economic resources and positions in

decision-making processes.

In the same revealing report, there is also a submission that women bear the worst brand of HIV and AIDS.

 

4.4              Most women are exposed to HIV and AIDS infection if their spouses are promiscuous because women are expected to consent to their husbands’ demands for sexual intercourse, even without necessary protection.  They are also expected to nurse the sick at home, attend funerals where they do all house chores and scrounge around for firewood, water, mealie-meal, relish and other ingredients.

 

4.5       A few men suffer the same fate, if they have domineering spouses.  Some oppressed spouses endure ill treatment in silence.  However, the emancipated spouses speak out, seek redress, and flee from tyranny if the ill treatment continues.  They may seek the intervention of relatives or human rights organizations.

 

4.6       In Zimbabwe, available statistical data reflect that women are in the majority of the suffering or disadvantaged spouses or partners.  The creation of a full-fledged Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development by the Government is testimony of the importance attached to national gender issues.  The Zimbabwe National Gender Policy buttresses the Zimbabwe Constitution which gives equality to all Zimbabwean citizens, regardless of their colour, race, origin or gender in terms of majority status, equal pay for similar work, same pension rights, promotion prospects, land ownership, business rights, education, health and civic rights.

 

4.7       It is apparent that Zimbabwean legislation is intended to be in tandem with the international Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Beijing Platform Declaration 1990, and several other Conventions and Treaties.  Most women have realized and repeatedly clamoured that Zimbabwe has some of the most accommodating and protective legislation on gender issues, but implementation is extremely weak.  Some commentators allege that there is much duplication and contradiction in the legislation itself, or within the statutory instruments supposed to operationalise the various laws. 

4.8       The bad situation in which most women find themselves cannot be left like that.  More corrective measures have to be put in place to level the playing field.

 

5.0            Prospects, Recommendations and Conclusion:

 

5.1       Existing legislation guarantees access to primary and secondary education, for all learners, including girls.  The Government attempted to enforce universal education at independence, but they lacked the financial and logistical resources to make sure that every parent sent their children to school.  They have no capacity to ensure total compliance.

 

5.2       There are several organizations that support the girl children’s education programmes, pay their fees and buy them uniforms.  The Government also encourages the quota system on entry to colleges and universities, and in some employment aspects.  Positive discrimination, in favour of women, has enabled several women to be enrolled at institutions of higher learning, to be employed in some strategic jobs, and to be promoted to posts of special responsibility.  The Public Service Commission embarked on such positive discrimination in schools, and had several women promoted to be School Heads, Education Officers, and Principals of Colleges.

 

5.3              The promoted cases served as role models.  They gained confidence in leadership positions and motivated other women colleagues to emulate them.  ZIMTA supported the advancement of women teachers by mounting leadership workshops for them.  ZIMTA actively participated in the Southern Africa Teachers’ Organisation (SATO) / Norsk Laeralag (NL) / EI Workshop on “Gender Awareness and Women Participation in Teacher Organisations, Education and Society,” in 2000, at Randburg Hotel in Johannesburg.

 

5.4              The workshop recommendations have formed a firm base for women emancipation in SATO.  ZIMTA has also contributed to the Zimbabwe National Gender Policy to provide guidelines and a framework to mainstream gender in all sectoral policies, programmes and projects at all levels of development, including endeavouring to incorporate its implementation strategy in the ZIMTA Strategic Plan.

 

5.5              We hope to share our views and experiences with you and, in turn, learn from our sister organizations and our mother body, EI. ZIMTA is committed to the establishment and effective operation of the envisaged “Southern Africa Women in Education Network.”

 

5.6              Thank you for this opportunity that ZIMTA has to shape the future of women colleagues, together with EI and all female Union Leaders at this unique workshop.

 

 

 

 

THE STATUS OF EDUCATION IN ZIMBABWE:

BRIEFING TO SADTU NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL : 04 JUNE 2008:

By Peter Mabande: ZIMTA Chief Executive Officer:

 

 

1.0              Introduction:

1.1       Mr President, the SADTU leadership, and all colleagues:

We bring you fraternal greetings from the ZIMTA National Executive, led by Mrs Tendai Chikowore, who was here just last week for the Women Leaders’ Gender Workshop.  The ZIMTA leadership at all levels, the Association Membership, and the National Secretariat also send you and all SADTU cadres, warm regards.

1.2              On behalf of ZIMTA, we sincerely thank SADTU for inviting us to share with you information on “The Status of Education in Zimbabwe.”  Thank you for creating space in your very tight programme for exchanging notes with ZIMTA on how educators are faring under very trying times in our country.  Thank you for caring, and for wanting to interact with us at this critical stage of Zimbabwe’s development.

1.3              Mr General Secretary, your invitation letter dated 28 May 2008 was well received.  The ZIMTA leadership wish us an informative interaction, and hope that SADTU will continue to nurture the appreciated solidarity with ZIMTA and give advice wherever necessary.  ZIMTA considers SADTU one of its strongest allies and closest sister organization in SATO, in EIRAF and in the Education International fraternity, even through our esteemed EI World President, Brother Thulas Nxesi, our General Secretary of SADTU.  It is no wonder that SADTU is keen to know more about the status, the condition and the standing  of Education in Zimbabwe, where ZIMTA members are the key players, the main facilitators of learning and the central custodians of improving and maintaining the quality of education.

 

2.0              Context of Education Provision in Zimbabwe

2.1          Zimbabwe has a population of close to 13,5 million, 75% of whom reside in the rural and farming communities.  In 2005, the United Nations Development Programme estimated that Zimbabwe had one of the highest literacy rates in Southern Africa at 85%.  The same report also estimated that Sub-Sahara African countries had an average of 60% literacy rate.  How did Zimbabwe achieve that relatively higher rate of literacy?  Does the comparatively high literacy rate necessarily reflect the quality of education in the troubled Zimbabwe?

2.2              Is the country sustaining the once envied system of education?  If not, what are the possible causes of the decline?  If yes, how is Zimbabwe managing to do so with all the much publicized economic problems, the huge brain drain, and fast dwindling numbers of workers in regular, gainful formal employment?  In the process of discussing these questions, we might get some clear indicators on the status of education in Zimbabwe.  We have to be careful that we do not continue to bask in our past glories at the expense of the actual reality on the ground now.

2.3              In the context of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has a right to education.  Accordingly, in Zimbabwe, formal education is regarded as a birth right for every child.  Most Zimbabweans believe that good education is the gateway to success and the cornerstone of social emancipation, economic advancement, and national development.  Education is highly esteemed, and is expected to alleviate poverty, disease and reduce ignorance.

2.4              It is the responsibility of the state (Zimbabwe) to educate its citizens through the provision of adequate schools/colleges/universities, competent teachers, suitable and adequate learning / teaching materials and equipment, supportive and enabling laws and regulations, and a conducive learning / teaching environment.  In keeping with the Zimbabwean Education Act 1986 and national policy on providing mass education for all who need it, since 1980 at independence, public education is the biggest public service undertaking in Zimbabwe, involving over 120 000 educators, who constitute two-thirds of the total Government workforce.  Even when the nation engaged in down-sizing the public service, education and health were spared the direct reduction of personnel because the two services were regarded as “essential services”.  The two main ministries responsible for public education: Education, Sport and Culture, and Higher and Tertiary Education, also receive the highest ratio of the national budget.  However, when we consider the number of learners, professional educators and support staff in the education sector, we note that the allocation of resources by Government is relatively less for the education sector.

2.5              It is not surprising, therefore, to note that, inevitably, teachers are underpaid, schools/ colleges / universities are under-resourced, learners have to share key textbooks at one book to four students, and the libraries are poorly stocked.  Several schools do not have adequate classrooms, and learners have to share the few available facilities through double-sessioning or hot-seating in most urban centres, particularly in the high density suburbs.  The situation is no better in rural areas where some learners conduct lessons in dilapidated buildings with inadequate furniture.  Learners in most newly resettled areas may not have fully-developed schools.  Some of them use disused tobacco-curing drying halls, and farm houses.  In some desperate cases, children conduct lessons under trees or in the open air, exposing them to the vagaries of weather conditions which may frequently disrupt proper learning / teaching.  Consider the impact of the tropical incessant rains, the spring/summer blazing sun, and the cold, windy and dusty winter season on the exposed learners’ concentration at their work.

2.6              The quality of learning / teaching under these harsh conditions may naturally be compromised, thereby, resulting in inferior education quality.  How do stakeholders intervene and keep the education system more viable than the dismal state it could easily slump or deteriorate into?  Yes, the state put in place the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) as one of the safety nets for the needy learners.  The Fund pays school fees and levies, and is used to buy basic uniforms for the identified needy pupils; but it is severely inadequate to meet the actual costs, and may be too delayed to benefit the targeted learners and the concerned institutions.  Some well-wishers do give bursaries to capable needy learners, most of whom proceed to higher levels of education.

2.7            Parents and guardians significantly contribute to the financing and resourcing of education.  They operate under clear guidelines and regulations.  They form School Development Committees (SDCs) which determine levels of levies to be paid for procuring learning/teaching materials, constructing buildings or procuring equipment and vehicles.  They also source donations. 

2.7.1        However, it is paradoxical that the Government, on one hand, encourages parents to form effective SDCs, and yet on the other hand, the Government literaterally interferes with some SDCs democratic decisions on raising levels of levies to be paid by the same parents/guardians, or decision-makers, on the premises that SDCs were charging high levies to make their schools exclusive.

2.7.2        That could have been true of some private and trust schools.  Indeed, several progressive Government schools felt undermined by the Ministries of Education for other reasons, at the expense of learners and their teachers.

3.0              Access and Quality Issues: 

3.1       The first 15 years of Zimbabwe’s political independence witnessed an unprecedented expansion of the education system.  The seven-year primary school education cycle had more than 100% Gross Enrolment because of over-age learners who had missed going to school because of war disturbances. 

The six-year cycle secondary school sector experienced the widest expansion as bottle-necks were removed and all primary school Grade 7 leavers were eligible to register in Form One classes.  There was a near 90% transition from Grade 7 to Form One.  There is automatic progression from Grade One up to Form Four, which constitutes a total of eleven (11) years basic education.

3.2              The massive expansion at secondary school level resulted in marked shortages of qualified teachers and learning space.  Primary-trained experienced teachers were engaged to teach lower secondary school classes.  Foreign teachers were recruited to augment in the teaching of key subjects such as Mathematics, Science, Technical subjects and practical subjects.  Central primary schools, or their sections were converted to be Upper-tops for use by secondary school learners.  This displacement of primary school learners generated some mixed feelings and, at times, open resentment by the displaced pupils, while it provided welcome relief to Upper-top students who did not have to walk long distances to the next secondary school.

3.3              More candidates were, therefore, recruited to be trained as primary and secondary school teachers, to fill up gaps left by primary school teachers transferred to the secondary sector, and to also fill up new extra posts created in the secondary school sector.  The Zimbabwe Integrated Teacher Education Course (ZINTEC), a four-year teacher-training programme focused on practical exposure of teacher training, with less theoretical content.  The nation almost reached a 100% trained – teacher requirement level in the late 1990s at all learning institutions.

3.4              Meanwhile, tertiary education expanded phenomenally, as over 16 teacher-training colleges were operated, and 12 universities churned out more teachers, technicians and social scientists.  However, while the intakes were initially very high, with much selection at the colleges, very limited numbers now aspire to join teaching because of poor working conditions, inadequate remuneration, a deteriorating working environment and the recent spate of violence against teachers, mainly in the rural areas.  The noble profession has been reduced to a beggarly simple job, where parents and learners sometimes have to collect funds to assist teachers report for duty or buy groceries.

3.5              Politically motivated violence has recently forced several teachers to flee their schools, leaving many learners unattended, or causing some schools to be closed.  Most absent teachers were threatened, haunted, harassed or beaten up by elements claiming to be political activists who accuse the targeted teachers of influencing the recent 29 March 2008 national political elections.  Political leaders, Government officials and civic leaders have condemned violence by whosoever and for whatever purpose, but distablisation continues.  ZIMTA has officially met the Public Service Commission (PSC), senior officers of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture (MOESC), and representatives of the security sectors of Government to find ways of ending violence against teachers and other citizens.  The Association condemns all forms of violence, and has issued press statements to condemn the recent wave of violence against teachers, which is seriously disrupting teaching and learning, and directly threatening the attainment of quality Education For All by 1215.

3.6              The recent xenophobic attacks on foreigners in South Africa compounded some refugees’ problems.  ZIMTA is perturbed.  It is possible that some Zimbabwean teachers who were looking for employment in South Africa, or who were already engaged in the education service by Government or by private college operators, might have fallen victim to the xenophobic violence.  ZIMTA hopes to hear more information from the sister organization, SADTU, and other local sources, in terms of the causes, impact, effects of xenophobic attacks and possible ways forward.  ZIMTA is worried about the fate of the displaced victims’ children.  Where are they learning?  Have some formal classes been created in the temporary settlements?

 

 

 

 

 

4.0              Erosion of Notable Successes in Education:

4.1       Since the Economic Structural Adjustment era, starting 1992, resulting in the economic decline, exacerbated by the disputed personal restrictions on some politicians, dubbed economic sanctions, the shortage of foreign currency, the shrinking of industrial production, reduced commercial viability, and the inevitable resultant loss of jobs, more learners have found it difficult to afford escalating school fees.  Formal regular employment is estimated to be below 20%.  Where do the unemployed parents get funds to pay the skyrocketing fees?  Some parents keep their children at home, although Government has a national policy stipulating that school-going learners may not be excluded from school for failure to pay fees or levies, or for not having school uniform.

4.2              Lack of opportunities for formal employment has also impacted negatively on the attitude of learners and some parents.  With less prospects for viable formal employment, some pupils deliberately drop out of school to fend for their poor families, to join the informal market, or to sell goods and foreign currency, and “get rich quickly”.  In some cases, formal employment pays much less than informal trading.

4.3              That development has created a big threat to education and formal employment.  The formally employed persons actually have to subsidize their meagre earnings through moonlighting.  Some end up abandoning their formal employment in order to survive on incomes from odd jobs, including cross-border trading.

4.4              Lack of employment opportunities in the formal sector has reduced or devalued the importance of having professional skills, technical capacities, and related acquired technocracies.  This trend now threatens the viability and future of knowledge and educational institutions.  Meanwhile, teachers and other skilled persons are leaving their jobs in large numbers to seek greener pastures.  They may become economic refugees in foreign lands.  In the specific case of Zimbabwe, this has resulted in the massive brain drain and its attendant problems.  The nation may continue to down-play the magnitude of this social and economic problem at its own peril.  ZIMTA is sincerely grateful to SADTU and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) for partnering us in financing our trips for addressing this vexing problem.

4.5              The brain drain has robbed the education service of its best teachers, particularly in Mathematics, Science, and Technical Subjects.    The United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Namibia and of late, Mozambique, are some of the biggest beneficiaries of trained manpower from little Zimbabwe, particularly teachers.  In that process, ZIMTA has lost many members, and some of its leaders.  They may undermine the local equilibrium in terms of preferred job placements, and their response in the event of there being a collective job action.  Therefore, in addition to draining and weakening ZIMTA, numerically, the un-unionized migrant teachers from Zimbabwe could directly or indirectly distablise or undermine SADTU’s strategic planning and operations.  Unionize them.

4.5.1        What is the magnitude and impact of the brain drain of teachers leaving the country, and among teachers in Zimbabwe?  Unfortunately, it is currently difficult for ZIMTA to know precisely how many teachers leave Zimbabwe, officially or secretly.  In addition to the challenge that some teachers abscond or sneak out for security reasons, even the number of those who formally terminate employment is not released to us.  The Ministry seems unprepared to jointly tackle the brain drain problem with ZIMTA.  Even the Central Statistical Office (CSO) seems barred from releasing vital statistics on economic developments, including data on inflation, quoted at

165 000% in February 2008, and rumoured to be at 355 000% now.

4.5.2        The extent of data secrecy naturally affects our planning for collective bargaining, distorts achievements of collective bargaining agreements, and mystifies remuneration adequacy.

4.5.3        Despite our seemingly huge increases in the Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) in January, March, May and June 2008, all above 100%, on average, the pay recipients are progressively actually becoming economically poorer because of rampant inflation.  Comparatively low and inadequate remuneration is, indeed, a major push factor in Zimbabwe’s worsening brain drain.

 

 

4.5.4        The Southern Africa Teachers’ Organisation (SATO) used to conduct sub-regional researches and surveys on teachers’ conditions of service and related effects on the provision of quality education in the SADC.  That vital role is now conspicuously missing in SATO, which is also seemingly dormant.  Could SADTU spearhead the resuscitation and revitalization of SATO, for the benefit of all SADC states and Education International (EI) trade union and professional goals.  SADTU could establish a SATO Coordination Office at SADTU Head Office, and help SATO leaders and strategic member organization representatives to meet and chart the way forward.  ZIMTA is incapacitated to co-ordinate such a process because of logistical, security and economic challenges.  However, ZIMTA has the experience and expertise  on SATO, to share, even on documentation to be used for reporting and accounting to SATO co operating partners in order to re-negotiate possible support. 

4.6              The worsening impact of HIV and AIDS and effects of related chronic illnesses, ailments or diseases have also negatively affected the provision of education in Zimbabwe.  Much teaching / learning time is lost when teachers or learners fail to attend lessons regularly because of personal illness, for attending funerals, or when they have to nurse sick spouses, or relatives.  While the prevalence of HIV and AIDS is reported to have declined to almost 15%, the negative impacts of the scourge still haunt us.   Resources diverted to HIV and AIDS could well better be used for improving educational facilities.

4.7              At the peak of educational expansion in Zimbabwe, gender disparity had almost been removed from the system.  Females constitute 52% of Zimbabwe’s population.  The numerical superiority of female learners also manifests itself at primary school level where girls also constitute 50,2% of the 2 195 616 pupils in the formal education system, where there was a 97% Net Enrolment Ratio in 2006; almost achieving the universal primary education, as advocated by the Education For All, Millennium Development Goals, and the World Fit For Children declarations.  As girls grow older, they tend to be overburdened by house chores, such as cooking, washing dishes, collecting firewood and carrying water.

4.8              At secondary school level, more girls tend to drop out of school, for various reasons.  Positive discrimination is officially practiced in favour of girls.  Bursaries and scholarships are offered to more girls than boys, to help girls remain in school.  Selection criteria into colleges and universities are at times relaxed in favour of female candidates in order to achieve parity or equity in enrolment at tertiary education level.  The positive discrimination in favour of female students almost enabled the teaching sector to achieve equity.  Of the 102 395 teachers at primary and secondary schools, 51.16% (52387) are male, while the remaining 48.84% (50008) are female educators.  There are fewer female lecturers at tertiary education level.

4.9              There are also fewer women School Heads and Education Officers than male ones.  There is a policy on positive discrimination in favour of promoting more female applicants.  However, it seems to be taking longer than initially expected to achieve parity or equity in the Zimbabwe patriarchal society.

4.10          Zimbabwe has a Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development which promotes the National Gender Policy.  The Education Sector policies and practices need to support the Zimbabwe National Gender Policy (2004) which states, “It should be noted that the 1998 Human Development report on Zimbabwe describes the country as a highly unequal society” in terms of access, control and ownership of resources.”  Capacitation of all available human resources, including women, will accelerate national development, empowerment, equity, tolerance, social justice, peace and social emancipation.  Education has a central role to play in that process.

 

 

 

 

5.0              Conclusion:

5.1       It could be concluded that Zimbabwe had made remarkable progress in quantitative expansion of education, resulting in the achievement of a high level of literacy rate, and production of a huge reserve of relatively well-trained personnel.

5.2              However, the deteriorating economic, social and political environment is seriously retarding or disrupting the efficient provision of quality public education.  Even enrolments could be declining, while several teachers are leaving the country.  There is need for creating a more conducive working environment to attract and retain more competent teachers and support personnel.

5.3              The status of education has comparatively declined in keeping with negative developments and situations impinging on this social service.  More effort has to be made to restore the once illustrious education system.

5.4              In the interest of reviving and further promoting solidarity in SATO, we hope that SADTU will rise to the occasion and assist the member organizations reactivate and capacitate SATO.

5.5              In the same context, we appeal to SADTU to partner ZIMTA in following up and making our Governments account formally for the movement of teachers and their engagement in South Africa.

 

 

SOLIDARITY FOREVER!               UNITY FOR INCREASED EMPOWERMENT!