Education provision in the midst of a crisis: the Zimbabwean experience after 1999

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article discusses the provision of education in Zimbabwe between 2000 and 2008 which occurred in the midst of a crisis. It is based on the case study of Harare and data collected from primary and secondary sources. It argues that the government’s capacity to ensure the provision of education was crippled by the economic meltdown generated by the economic structural adjustment programme and political violence among other challenges that emerged since the late 1990s. Further, the fact that apart from being severely affected by the conflict, education in Zimbabwe was part of the crisis has essentially been ignored. This had severe consequences for the country’s peace, socio-economic and political development. The article affirms that education is a dependable vehicle for the promotion of peace and development provided that its curriculum reacts satisfactorily to the country’s technical needs and is accessible to all in a milieu that generates employment opportunities. It asserts that given the significance and influence of education, it should be at the core of Zimbabwe’s post-conflict reconstruction, peacebuilding and development efforts.