The System Is Failing: Teachers Blame Govt Underfunding for Poor Grade Seven Results

Zimbabwe’s declining Grade Seven results have reignited criticism of the government’s chronic underfunding of public schools, with educators saying the system is collapsing due to years of neglect and poor financial management.

Zimbabwe Rural Teachers Union president Martin Chaburumunda last week said the latest figures — a 48.49% national pass rate in 2025, down from 49.01% in 2024 — reflect a worsening crisis caused by the state’s failure to adequately support the education sector. He said rural schools, which operate with the least resources, continue to suffer the most.

“There is still a wide gap between rural schools and urban ones… The most pressing issue is funding,” he said, highlighting how low fees and poor government support leave rural schools without basic materials. “Most rural schools lack essential learning materials… There is no adequate stationery such as textbooks, exercise books, charts.”

Chaburumunda condemned the government’s repeated delays in releasing BEAM funds, saying the late disbursements cripple schools that rely on them to support vulnerable learners. “BEAM funds are released very late, leaving schools exposed to serious funding gaps,” he noted.

Government officials have already admitted to mismanaging these funds. In February 2025, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Torerayi Moyo revealed that BEAM money meant for disadvantaged children was diverted to cover costs for the SADC Summit, causing school dropouts and absenteeism.

The situation has worsened, with Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube disclosing that schools are now owed US$98 million in unpaid BEAM allocations — a figure critics say exposes the government’s lack of priority for education.

Chaburumunda urged authorities to urgently increase support for rural schools, modernise libraries, introduce science laboratories, improve infrastructure, and speed up the rollout of the school internet programme. He warned that rural learners walk an average of 5km daily to school, leaving them exhausted and with less time for homework.

He said the crisis is compounded by poor accommodation for teachers, lack of electricity, inadequate classrooms, and the absence of extra lessons in rural areas.

“Grade Seven results are very important because they build learners’ confidence,” Chaburumunda said. But without immediate intervention, he warned, confidence — and the future of Zimbabwe’s children — will continue to erode under what teachers describe as a failing education system.