Zimbabwe Education

I remember being in college and being so excited to live on campus in one of the dorms.  My parents came with me and helped decorate my dorm room and meet my new roomate.  I had received a partial scholarship and my parents picked up the remaining difference.  It was great, I had wonderful experience in college and only had to worry about my classes and grades.

I then begin to think about the college students in Zimbabwe.  The few who get the opportunity to attend a university in Zimbabwe, let alone in Africa, number very few.  In the past, Zimbabwe was a good place to go get ones education, but now, with the land re-distribution, AIDS killing off it’s teachers, and food shortages, even less are able to attend school.  In addition to all these problems, Zimbabwe is in a state of hyper-inflation so tuition costs rise drastically each semester.  Students are barely able to afford textbooks and many have had to stop attending classes all together.

There are political adversities the professors are constantly struggling with as well.  It has been reported that many teachers have fled Zimbabwe due to physical violence inflicted upon them by Zanu-PF – the current political party in power.  The teachers (as most of the population of Zimbabwe) showed favoritism for the opposition party – the Movement for Democratic Change.  That was their crime.  Reportedly, the teachers were violently beaten in front of their students.

 

~ by liberateafrica on June 18, 2007.