Government targets construction of 150 schools

Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
THE Government has set an ambitious target to construct over 150 schools following an allocation of more than ZWG40 billion from the National Budget.
With a current deficit of 2 800 schools as identified by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, the ministry successfully completed the construction of 105 schools in 2024.

In an interview last week, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Torerai Moyo stated that the Government aims to maintain this momentum with plans to build an additional 150 schools this year.
“We are targeting the construction of no less than 150 schools,” Minister Moyo said.

“We are pleased that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education received the largest allocation in Parliament, amounting to ZWG49 billion from the national budget. Additionally, we will receive financial support from the Opec Fund for International Development, which will help us achieve this target.”

Last year, the Government constructed 105 new schools as part of a broader initiative to enhance educational infrastructure and improve access to quality education.

“We acknowledge the significant deficit in school construction, currently estimated at 2 800 new schools. While we have successfully built 105 schools funded directly through Government disbursements, we are also collaborating with public-private partnerships to facilitate the development of additional institutions,” Minister Moyo added.

These proactive measures aim to reduce the travel distance for students to their nearest schools, aligning with international standards that recommend a maximum distance of five kilometres.

The Government’s commitment to improving educational infrastructure reflects its alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Apart from budgetary allocations the Government is actively engaging with funding partners to address the school shortage with discussions ongoing with mining companies to incorporate school construction into their corporate social responsibility programmes.