Online Reporter
Lovemore Kadzura
Post Reporter
MANICALAND Province has the highest number of unregistered primary schools in Zimbabwe, sparking serious concerns over regulatory compliance and the quality of education provided to young learners.
According to statistics recently released by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, the province accounts for more than 25 percent of the country’s unregistered primary schools.
These figures come as the Government intensifies efforts to regularise institutions operating outside the law and ensure all schools meet the required registration standards.
The surge in unregistered schools has been driven by an influx of new institutions — many housed in converted residential properties, churches, and commercial or industrial buildings — as investors rush to capitalise on shortages of formal schools and rising parental demand for private education.
“Unregistered primary schools were most prevalent in Manicaland Province (349), Mashonaland Central (226), Mashonaland West (160) and Midlands (155). Unregistered secondary schools were comparatively few across all provinces, highlighting improved regulatory oversight at this level. Mashonaland Central (39) and Mashonaland East (42) recorded the highest numbers of unregistered secondary schools, followed by Mashonaland West (37), Manicaland (33) and Bulawayo (31).
“In terms of registered primary schools, concentrations were highest in Manicaland (14,34 percent), Masvingo (13,80 percent) and Midlands (12,80 percent), reflecting the dominance of these provinces in the provision of formal primary education. Unregistered primary schools were most prevalent in Manicaland Province (25,49 percent), indicating that over a quarter of all unregistered primary schools nationally were in this province,” noted the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
Zimbabwe Rural Teachers union president, Mr Martin Chaburumunda, said registration is crucial to ensure that schools comply with national education policies, maintain acceptable infrastructure, employ qualified teachers and provide a safe learning environment.
“Once a school operates unregistered, it is a recipe for disaster. There is a high likelihood that an unregistered school will never be supervised by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. Once this happens, it exposes young learners to poor conditions in terms of infrastructure, untrained teachers with no checked backgrounds and other unpleasant situations. The situation cuts across urban, rural and resettlement areas where people are taking advantage of shortages of formal schools.
“Parents should carry out due diligence before enrolling in some of these private schools.
‘‘There are cases of unscrupulous private colleges who engage untrained teachers, then falsify internal exam marks to please parents, but when it comes to national examinations, the learners perform dismally. Provision of education should not be free for all, but must be guided by strict and firm rules which protect the interest of both the parents and learners,” said Mr Chaburumunda.
Chipinge Town Council chairman, Councillor Kingstone Dhlumo, said there is a shortage of six primary schools in the town, and a persuasive approach has been adopted to encourage unregistered schools to formalise.
“Currently we have five public primary schools and seven registered private primary schools. The total demand for primary schools is 18. We require six new primary schools to serve the community. We have six unregistered schools. Chipinge town has six secondary schools and they are adequate for our current population. However, these secondary schools are concentrated in one area, leaving children from some sections travelling long distances to access them. We have four unregistered secondary schools.
‘‘We have written to the unregistered schools advising them to formalise their operations with the council and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. We have also reserved stands for those who want to invest in the education sector,” said Councillor Dhlumo.
Rusape Town Council on Wednesday launched a blitz targeting unregistered private and independent colleges that have mushroomed in the town, ordering them to formalise or cease operations.
“Rusape Town Council would like to notify all independent colleges, private schools and ECD centres that they are being advised to register with Rusape Town Council. After this exercise, no such institutions will be allowed to operate without proper licencing and registration as promulgated in the Education Act. Joint monitoring visits within Rusape Town Council area of jurisdiction will commence from July 1, 2026,” read a notice issued by the council.
RTC public relations officer, Mr Lloyd Makumana said a deficit of 13 primary and eight secondary schools is causing overcrowding and a surge in unregistered schools.
“For the population of Rusape, there is need for 24 primary schools, and currently there are 11, and we require 12 secondary schools against the current establishment of just four. In terms of minimum service delivery standards, for every 500 properties there should be one primary school and for every 1 000 properties one secondary school.
‘‘We are currently enforcing the law in conjunction with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Ministry of Health and Child Care, Environmental Management Agency, Department of Public Works, the District Development Coordinator’s Office and residents associations,” he said.
