Zimbabwe's educational miracle and the problems it has created

When ZANU (PF) came to power in 1980, it had promised to establish free and compulsory primary and secondary education for all children in Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Education has achieved remarkable increases in school enrolments, particularly at secondary level. It has also undertaken to allow all pupils to sit the 'O' Level examinations after four years of secondary schooling. But by so doing it has encouraged a belief in the importance of academic qualifications and a crisis of expectation among pupils. There are insufficient places for those who wish to continue to Sixth Form (higher secondary) studies, a lack of alternative vocational training, and an inadequate rate of creation of new jobs for school leavers. There seem but three ways out: to cut defence spending in favour of education, to send students abroad for higher training, or to develop new employment and training schemes, perhaps after an imported model.