A controversial proposal by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to penalise teachers in Bulilima district, Matabeleland South, for recording a zero pass rate over the past five years has triggered outrage among lawmakers, teacher unions, and education activists. Critics accuse the government of scapegoating teachers instead of addressing deep-rooted structural failures that continue to cripple Zimbabwe’s rural education system.
The plan, which was floated during a recent parliamentary session, suggested disciplinary measures for educators in schools that consistently post poor examination results. Yet instead of sparking solutions, the idea has been met with fierce resistance, with many describing it as an unjust attack on already overburdened teachers.
Gwanda North legislator Desire Nkala led the backlash, calling the proposal both “hypocritical and cruel.” He argued that the ministry was shifting blame from its own policy failures onto frontline educators who often work in dire conditions.
“How can we punish teachers when students sit on floors, science is taught without laboratories, and some schools don’t even have roofs?” Nkala asked. He accused the government of perpetuating what he termed “educational apartheid,” where urban schools are resourced while rural institutions remain neglected.
Nkala stressed that it was “painful” to see teachers blamed for systemic collapse. “The government has created segregation within the education sector. Urban schools enjoy the bulk of resources, while rural schools lack even basic furniture. Before pointing fingers, authorities must address these root problems,” he added.
Nkayi South MP Jabulani Hadebe echoed the sentiment, painting a vivid picture of the hardships endured by teachers in remote areas. “Educators walk kilometres for water, handle classes of 140 students, and sleep in huts — yet the ministry calls them failures? The real failure is a system that abandons its children,” Hadebe said.
He further criticised the collapse of the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), which was designed to cushion disadvantaged pupils. “Schools are left without chalk, without desks, without textbooks. Poor remuneration and living conditions have driven thousands of qualified educators away, leaving untrained staff to handle crucial science and mathematics subjects,” Hadebe lamented.
Unions representing educators have been equally scathing, dismissing the ministry’s plan as unjust and detached from reality.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) leader Obert Masaraure said the government’s stance was “a cruel joke” given the impossible teaching environment in rural districts.
Fury as Government Threatens to Penalise Matabeleland Teachers over Poor Exam Results
“Honestly, rural teachers cannot be accused of poor pass rates when they are teaching classes of up to 140 learners, with some pupils learning under trees,” Masaraure argued. “You cannot blame a doctor for deaths when you have starved the hospital of medicine. The same logic applies here.”
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary-general Raymond Majongwe also criticised the move, questioning the government’s priorities. “Why punish struggling schools instead of rewarding those that succeed? If the ministry cannot fix roofs, pay teachers, or provide textbooks, then it has no moral right to point fingers,” Majongwe said.
He added that the punitive approach risked further demoralising already strained educators, many of whom have endured years of stagnant wages and worsening living conditions.
The uproar has reignited debate about the state of Zimbabwe’s education sector, particularly in rural areas. Once celebrated as one of Africa’s finest, the system has in recent years deteriorated sharply under economic decline, underfunding, and poor policy implementation.
In Matabeleland South, many schools operate with dilapidated infrastructure, a severe shortage of qualified staff, and no access to modern learning tools. Basic facilities such as toilets, laboratories, and libraries are either non-existent or in disrepair. Teachers often live in substandard accommodation and, in some cases, work without essential teaching materials such as chalk or textbooks.
The shortage of qualified science and mathematics teachers is particularly acute. Many rural schools rely on untrained or underqualified staff to teach core subjects, leading to poor student outcomes. Unions argue that this shortfall is the direct result of government neglect and the exodus of professionals seeking better pay and conditions abroad.
Education analysts warn that punishing teachers for poor pass rates could deepen inequalities in Zimbabwe’s education system. Rather than motivating improvement, sanctions may discourage teachers from working in rural districts, worsening the staffing crisis.
“The government risks sending the wrong message,” one Harare-based analyst noted. “If penalties become the norm, no teacher will want to be deployed to rural Matabeleland or other disadvantaged regions. The result will be an even sharper divide between urban and rural schools.”
Critics insist that instead of punitive measures, the ministry should invest in infrastructure, teacher training, and welfare to create an environment where students can thrive. They also call for a review of the curriculum to ensure it aligns with the realities of under-resourced schools.
The uproar over Bulilima’s poor pass rates has underscored the widening cracks in Zimbabwe’s education system. While government officials may hope to drive accountability through penalties, lawmakers and unions argue that the approach only masks a deeper crisis — chronic neglect of rural schools.
Until those systemic challenges are addressed — from lack of resources and poor teacher conditions to the collapse of support programmes — teachers in Matabeleland and other marginalised areas say they will remain unfairly targeted for failures that are not of their making.
Source- NewsDay
