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Education in Zimbabwe

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Country profile

Zimbabwe is a land-locked country in Southern Africa with an area of 390,757 square kilometres. Zimbabwe has three official languages: English, Ndebele, and Shona. Ndebele and Shona are the official languages of instruction, in those areas where they are predominant, during the first three years (Grades l-3) of primary education, after which English becomes the official medium of instruction. English is also the language of commerce and business and the main language of communication in government.

Zimbabwe acquired its independence in 1980. Independence was followed by an unprecedented expansion of the education system at all levels. The first task of the new Government of Zimbabwe in the 1980s was to dismantle the inequities which had characterized the colonial education system. To accomplish this task, and to keep faith with its electorate, the government declared education to be a basic human right and, with the help of local communities, set out to expand access to primary and secondary education within the framework of a unified and non-racial system of education.

Demographics*:

*latest data as of March 2009 from UNESCO Institute for Statistics.

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Education Fact Sheet

Minister of Education, Sport, & Culture: Hon. David COLTART

Primary education        
The legal age of entry into primary school in Zimbabwe is six years. In the 1990s under-age enrolments have become common in the urban areas whilst over-age (delayed) enrolments have tended to increase in the rural areas. Primary education consists of a seven-year cycle corresponding largely to the 6 to 12-year-old age group.

Secondary education   
Secondary education is sub-divided into three sequential and hierarchical levels as follows:

(i) the Zimbabwe Junior Certificate for 13-14-year-old pupils,
(ii) the General Certificate of Education for students in the 15-l 6 year range, during which students sit for the Cambridge terminal ‘0’ level examinations, and
(iii) the Higher School Certificate (GCE ‘A’ level) which prepares students to enter universities in Zimbabwe and elsewhere or the polytechnics.

All secondary schools offering ‘A’ level studies are ‘national schools’ and selection into them is closely monitored by the Ministry to ensure that their enrolments reflect the national character and that admissions are based on proven high achievement in the ‘0’ level examinations. The only exception concerns gender considerations which permit girls to be admitted with slightly lower examination results than boys; this is part of the government’s strategy to encourage more women to enter the field of higher education.

See the SACMEQ report for more information.

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