Crackdown on unregistered schools

The Government has launched a crackdown on unregistered private schools and colleges operating in Manicaland, citing a need to restore educational standards after the province recorded a disappointing performance in the 2025 Grade Seven examinations.

Manicaland Provincial Education Director, Richard Gabaza, announced that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has ordered all illegal schools to regularise their operations by December 31, 2025, or face closure. He said many learning centres were operating without authority, making supervision, quality control and curriculum compliance almost impossible.

Although Mr Gabaza has not issued a formal statement on the provincial pass-rate, insiders report that results fell short of expectations this year, with fewer learners managing to attain six units. Mutare Junior Primary School recorded the highest number of top-performing candidates with 73 learners achieving six units, while Baring Primary School had only nine. Fern Valley managed ten, 3 Brigade Primary School recorded sixteen, and Chancellor Junior School produced nineteen top results. Statistics also indicate that girls performed better than boys across multiple schools, with Mutare Junior recording 39 girls against 34 boys among top achievers, 3 Brigade registering 13 girls out of 16, and Fern Valley recording nine girls out of ten.

Mr Gabaza said the move to shut down illegal schools was designed to safeguard learners and strengthen confidence in the education system. He urged school owners to legalise their operations within the given window.

"We have seen illegal schools mushrooming, especially in urban areas, and as a ministry we have made a decision that these illegal schools should not continue. They will be discontinued with assistance from the police and the minister. Our children are vulnerable under these circumstances," he said. "If you have a friend who has a school that has not been registered, encourage them to ensure it is registered by December 31, 2025."

He added that the responsibility of educating children lies primarily with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development. He emphasized that although private players are permitted to establish schools under Section 75 of the Constitution, they must meet registration requirements and policy standards.

Gabaza stressed the need for collaboration between government departments, civic organisations and private stakeholders to improve learning infrastructure, resource availability and teaching conditions. He said school administrators must uphold accountability, adhere to reporting procedures and ensure efficient management of resources. He also urged schools to protect instructional time, equip classrooms with adequate materials, and guarantee that learners attend lessons consistently.

The decline in Manicaland's performance reflects the national picture. ZIMSEC board chairperson Professor Paul Mapfumo confirmed that the national 2025 Grade Seven pass-rate stood at 48,49 percent, down from 49,1 percent recorded in 2024. Female candidates dominated nationally, registering a pass-rate of 53,64 percent compared to 43,06 percent for male learners.

Zimbabwe Rural Teachers Union president Martin Chaburumunda said rural schools continue to lag behind urban institutions due to limited funding, delayed BEAM allocations, lack of textbooks, inadequate classroom materials and poor access to digital learning resources. He said many rural learners walk long distances to school, arrive exhausted and have limited study time after class. He called for improved infrastructure, modern libraries, science laboratories and accelerated rollout of the national school internet programme to narrow the performance gap.

As Manicaland moves to align all institutions with education standards, the coming months will determine which schools survive the compliance deadline. Government hopes the clean-up will correct weaknesses exposed by the 2025 examination results and strengthen Zimbabwe's education system going forward.