Education offices closing countrywide

District and provincial education offices under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education are reportedly struggling to operate due to severe funding shortages, with some offices lacking basic necessities such as stationery, fuel and even toilet paper.

Sources within the ministry say the situation has severely disrupted the country's education supervisory system, leaving inspectors unable to carry out their duties.

A senior officer in the ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said operations at many district and provincial education offices had effectively ground to a halt.

"There is not a cent to run district and provincial education offices. There is no stationery, no toners, no fuel, no water, no electricity, not even toilet paper; school inspectors are just sitting in their offices, they cannot go into the field," the official said.

The crisis has reportedly been worsened by the suspension of accounts linked to the Better Schools Programme Zimbabwe (BSPZ). Dozens of workers under the programme have allegedly not been paid since October last year after the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion froze BSPZ bank accounts over allegations of widespread abuse of funds by some provincial and district education officers.

Although the Government is said to allocate about US$800 million annually to the education sector through initiatives such as the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) and per capita grants, sources claim that administrative offices have not received operational funding for several years.

As a result, many district and provincial education offices are reportedly relying on payments collected from parents through the BSPZ to sustain basic operations.

Officials also said some offices have had electricity and water supplies disconnected due to unpaid bills, resulting in staff failing to report for duty in some areas.

Even where officers are present, sources say little work is being done because official vehicles are grounded due to a lack of fuel. School inspectors, who typically number about 10 per district, have reportedly not been able to conduct field visits since last year.

In addition, travel and subsistence allowances for inspectors — in some cases dating back four years — are said to remain unpaid.

At the BSPZ offices in Mucheke, the situation recently deteriorated when the Masvingo City Council reportedly disconnected water supplies and ZESA Holdings switched off electricity due to outstanding bills.

District Schools Inspector Ishmael Chigaba confirmed the difficulties in an interview but declined to identify the entity that eventually settled the outstanding bills. He referred further questions to Provincial Education Director Shylatte Mhike.

However, sources said the situation at the Mucheke offices had become dire, with clogged toilets and frequent power outages disrupting operations.

"It is a big mess at Masvingo BSPZ offices in Mucheke. The toilets are clogged and there is no power most of the time. We were recently rescued by NAPH," said a source, referring to the National Association of Primary School Heads.

When contacted for comment, Taungana Ndoro, spokesperson for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, maintained that government funds were being distributed to district and provincial education offices through Treasury.

However, officials at several education offices contacted by reporters dismissed the claim, insisting that no operational funding had been received from Treasury for more than four years.