Learners
at
a
school
in
Hwange
district
sit
in
a
classroom
which
has
lost
much
of
its
flooring
HARARE
–
Schools
across
Zimbabwe
are
struggling
to
stay
afloat
as
the
government
continues
to
delay
disbursements
under
the
Basic
Education
Assistance
Module
(BEAM),
a
scheme
meant
to
cover
fees
for
vulnerable
learners.
Public
Service,
Labour
and
Social
Welfare
Minister
Edgar
Moyo
admitted
in
Parliament
on
Wednesday
that
Treasury
has
not
paid
BEAM
funds
since
the
beginning
of
2023,
leaving
schools
in
financial
distress.
“The
information
I
have
is
that
we
have
arrears
from
the
beginning
of
2023,”
Moyo
told
lawmakers
during
a
question-and-answer
session.
He
said
Treasury
had
only
released
ZiG40
million
this
year,
which
went
towards
clearing
arrears
for
the
first
and
second
terms
of
2024
—
but
only
for
special
schools
such
as
Jairos
Jiri,
St.
Giles,
Sibantubanye
and
M.
Hugo
School
for
the
Blind.
“Treasury
is
committed
to
releasing
more
funds
so
that
we
can
clear
arrears
for
the
main
schools,”
Moyo
said,
adding
that
his
ministry
is
engaging
finance
officials
“almost
weekly”
over
the
crisis.
Lawmakers
warned
that
the
non-payment
was
crippling
the
education
sector.
Mkoba
South
MP
Kuka
John,
who
raised
the
initial
question,
said
many
schools
were
now
on
the
brink
of
collapse.
“We
have
a
problem.
Most
schools
in
our
constituencies
are
deteriorating
while
we
wait
for
Treasury
disbursements.
The
only
option
left
is
for
schools
to
close,”
he
said.
Rushinga
legislator
Tendai
Nyabani
added
that
some
schools
had
as
many
as
100
percent
of
learners
enrolled
under
BEAM,
meaning
they
had
virtually
no
other
source
of
income.
The
BEAM
programme,
which
supports
at
least
1.5
million
learners
nationwide,
was
introduced
to
ensure
access
to
education
for
children
from
disadvantaged
backgrounds.
However,
with
funds
frozen
for
nearly
two
years,
schools
say
they
are
unable
to
buy
teaching
materials,
pay
support
staff
or
maintain
infrastructure.