GOKWE SOUTH — Teachers across the Midlands Province have raised serious concern over the devastating impact of illegal economic sanctions on Zimbabwe’s education system, describing them as a silent war against the nation’s teachers, learners, and future.
The educators say the sanctions—imposed by some Western nations over two decades ago—have crippled the economy, weakened the local currency, and made it nearly impossible for schools to maintain quality education standards.
Cde Sithole Adam, the Midlands Province Teachers4ED Association Coordinator, said sanctions have not only worsened economic hardships but also systematically undermined the education sector’s ability to function.
“Sanctions have suffocated the lifeblood of our education system,” said Cde Adam. “They have disrupted access to funding, crippled development programmes, and left teachers fighting a daily battle for survival.”
He said teachers are among the hardest hit as the effects of inflation and currency volatility erode salaries faster than they can be adjusted.
“A teacher’s salary that could once sustain a family now barely covers transport costs,” he said. “Our professionals are demoralised, not because they lack passion, but because the environment has made survival a full-time struggle.”
Cde Adam noted that the isolation from international financial systems and development support has prevented schools from accessing modern learning tools.
“Textbooks are outdated, laboratory equipment is obsolete, and digital learning remains a dream for many of our learners,” he said. “These sanctions have created a two-tier education system — one where Zimbabwean children are unfairly disadvantaged compared to their regional peers.”
The crisis is even more pronounced in rural areas. Mr. Marshall Masango, Headmaster of Magede Primary School in Gokwe-Kana and Teachers4ED Gokwe South Transport and Logistics Coordinator, said sanctions have pushed parents and schools to the brink.
“Learners come to school hungry and can’t concentrate,” said Mr. Masango. “Parents are struggling to pay fees, dropout rates are increasing, and schools can’t afford basic resources like sports kits or transport.”
He added that under the Heritage-Based Curriculum, learners are supposed to visit sites such as Great Zimbabwe and Matopo Hills, but most rural pupils miss out due to financial constraints worsened by sanctions.
Cde Adam said the situation represents more than an economic crisis—it is a social and moral one.
“Sanctions are not targeted; they are toxic,” he declared. “They are a collective punishment that robs our nation’s children of their future. When a teacher cannot teach effectively, a whole generation suffers.”
He further appealed to the international community to consider the human cost of maintaining the sanctions regime.
“This is no longer about politics,” said Cde Adam. “It’s about the right of every Zimbabwean child to education, and the right of every teacher to live with dignity. The lifting of sanctions is not charity—it’s justice.”
He concluded by reaffirming teachers’ support for President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s vision for national recovery and development.
“As educators, we stand firmly behind the President’s call that Zimbabwe is best built by its own people — and by its own teachers,” he said. “We will continue to teach, to nurture, and to build, but we also demand a fair environment free from the chokehold of sanctions.”
