Despite the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education receiving the largest vote allocation in the 2025 national budget, which is viewed as a commendable effort to finance education in Zimbabwe, a significant portion of this allocation is consumed by employment costs and recurrent expenditure, leaving a small portion for capital projects.
The Ministry of Education was allocated ZWG46.6 billion, equivalent to 14.5% of the total budget of ZWG322.6 billion, however, approximately ZWG43.43 billion of this allocation goes towards employment costs and administrative expenditure, indicating significant imbalances that could impact its operational efficiency and long-term goals.
“Employment costs and recurrent expenditure dominate the budget, consuming a substantial 93.2%, which underscores the high operational costs related to salaries, administrative expenses, and day-to-day running of the Ministry,” said the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education in its post-analysis of the 2025 budgetary allocation.
This “heavy skew towards recurrent expenditure, while essential for maintaining daily operations,” according to the portfolio committee, “leaves a mere 6.8% for capital expenditure.”
“This is grossly inadequate for the much-needed infrastructure development and modernisation projects,” said the committee, which highlighted limited capital investment would delay or halt essential projects such as the construction of new schools, rehabilitation of existing facilities and technological upgrades.
This could compromise both the quality and accessibility of education in Zimbabwe.
The ministry’s budget is further threatened by arrears amounting to an equivalent of US$63 million, which coupled with delayed and erratic disbursements by the Treasury, could undermine budget execution and the timely procurement of essential supplies.
A particular area of concern cited by the education portfolio committee concerns the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC), where its outdated examination printing machine poses a significant risk.
“The examination printing machine for ZIMSEC has become obsolete and unable to cope with the printing of examinations. Failure to have a backup machine, currently estimated at US$4 million, will most likely affect the running of examinations in 2025 and beyond,” said the committee.
The committee added the education ministry’s procurement cycle, coupled with inflation and suppliers demands or conditions, could also lead to delays and increased costs, which “could impact the timely delivery of educational materials and infrastructure.”
The committee also pointed to staff shortages, both teaching and non-teaching, exacerbated by the lack of incentives for specialists.
This situation is leading to “increased workloads and decreased morale among educators, which negatively impacts service delivery.”
Additionally, the budget for learner welfare is deemed insufficient, with the committee saying key programmes, such as school feeding initiatives, sanitary wear provision and support for learners with special needs, are underfunded.
The Infant Education Programme, crucial for early childhood development, may also suffer due to inadequate funding for infrastructure, teaching and learning materials, and teaching staff.
“With 95% of the budget consumed by staff compensation and only one percent dedicated to capital expenditure, efforts to strengthen foundational learning are severely limited,” said the committee.
The committee noted that due to insufficient funding for capital expenditure such as the construction, rehabilitation and completion of school projects that have been stalled, the goal of addressing the school’s deficit and improving educational infrastructure “may not be achievable in the near future.”
Legal disputes with contractors arising from delayed payments and further project delays could disrupt the Ministry’s overall performance.
“Underfunding in technology integration widens the digital divide, leaving many students without access to essential digital learning tools. This affects their ability to develop necessary skills for the modern workforce and undermines efforts to achieve SDG 4,” said the committee.
Delayed or non-payment of Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) funds could threaten the viability of schools, particularly in rural areas, affecting their ability to operate effectively, the committee added.
The committee was worried by “little attention” to disaster risk management citing a “critical lack of dedicated funds” specifically targeting the rehabilitation of school infrastructure damaged by climate change-related disasters such as cyclones and floods.
“This unavailability of funds severely hampers the Ministry’s ability to restore educational facilities promptly and ensure a safe learning environment for students,” said the committee.
Limited funding for teacher training impacts the quality of education, as educators may not receive the necessary professional development to stay updated with modern teaching methods and curriculum changes.
“Currently, local universities are owed about US$8 million by the ministry,” said the committee.
The lack of electricity infrastructure and internet facilities, particularly in rural areas, was cited as a significant challenge, whose inadequacy, according to the committee, hinders the “successful implementation of the heritage-based curriculum integral to Education 5.0 and affects the digitisation of the education system, particularly for ICT subjects.”
