Zimbabwe Boosts Textbooks, Education

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has arranged for a $70 million grant from a number of international donors to expand access to elementary education in Zimbabwe. The money comes from a partnership among UNICEF, the Educational Transition Fund and the Basic Education Assistance Module, according to an article by Millicent Njeri in Corporate Responsibility Africa Limited.

“BEAM will ensure that over 700 000 of Zimbabwe’s vulnerable children are in school, creating a huge demand for education,” said UNICEF representative in Zimbabwe, Dr. Peter Salama. “On the other hand the ETF will boost the supply side, ensuring that every child has a text book in all of the country’s 5,300 primary schools, within 12 months.”

Njeri writes that a study of Zimbabwe schools showed there were 10 students per every textbook available. Another assessment, Njeri says, showed that 20 percent of the country's primary schools had no textbooks at all for English, mathematics or African languages, adding that nearly half of Zimbabwe’s children who completed primary school did not attend secondary school.

The money donated will pay school fees paid for a large number of the country’s orphaned and vulnerable children, according to UNICEF.

Zimbabwe’s education sector, according to Njeri, was once a model in Africa, but is now facing serious problems, especially greatly reduced public financing for education.

Much of the grant money came from the governments of Australia, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and the European Commission.

Photo courtesy of UNICEF