Rising Education Costs in Zimbabwe Threaten Access to Learning
Sending children to school in Zimbabwe is becoming increasingly unsustainable for many households. Rising fees, transport costs, uniforms, and extra lessons are stretching family incomes, even in public schools. Families are forced to make difficult trade-offs between education, food, rent, and healthcare.
At Mutasa Primary School in Highfield, parents pay US$40 per term in tuition, US$20 per month for extra lessons, and about US$1 per day for transport. For one child, this adds up to over US$100 per term, excluding uniforms and stationery. Guardian Patience Sekai Makiwa said transport and extra lesson costs often exceed tuition, sometimes causing children to miss school days, particularly at month-end, disrupting attendance and learning continuity.
Similar challenges affect Glen View 2 High School, where parent Kumbirai Desmond Muzondiwa noted that uniforms, stationery, examination fees, and transport have turned public education into a financial strain. He said delays in fee payments often result in learners being sent home, affecting attendance and academic progress. Some families resort to borrowing money or postponing rent payments to keep children in school.
Costs escalate sharply at private and mission schools. Elite private institutions such as Dominican Convent and Watershed College charge between US$3 000 and US$6 200 per term. Mission schools including Gokomere, Sandringham, and Howard High charge between US$500 and US$700 per term. A January 2026 fee schedule shows Anderson School charging US$3 000 for new learners, Cornerstone Marondera and Chitungwiza US$2 500, Kutama between US$1 500 and US$2 500, Sandringham US$611–US$700, and Goldridge College and Rydings School above US$3 000 per term.
Uniform costs have also surged. Parents report paying US$60 for shoes, US$150 for blazers, US$80 for skirts and blouses, and up to US$500 for complete school sets, compared to about US$250 previously. A basic Grade One uniform now costs around US$135, excluding bags and sportswear. Parent Branco Shumba said the financial burden affects all income groups. “School fees, uniforms, transport, and textbooks put serious pressure on family budgets. We cut back on leisure, delay household repairs, and sometimes borrow money just to prioritise education,” he said.
Schools are also under strain. Mrs Kabanda, a senior official at Budiriro 3 High School, explained that parents are expected to cover tuition, registration, and development levies, which fund teachers’ salaries, utilities, and learning materials. While many schools allow installment payments, operational costs remain high. Private schools operate without government funding and rely entirely on fees to sustain qualified teachers, facilities, and resources.
Teachers warn that rising costs are affecting enrolment and retention. Evans Marara at Roosevelt Girls High said enrolments are high in Form One but drop significantly by Form Four as families fail to sustain costs. Students often miss school due to transport money, attend lessons without proper meals, or drop out completely. Poverty has also contributed to early marriages and risky behaviours, ending learners’ education prematurely.
Marara warned that schools struggling to collect fees cannot motivate teachers, maintain laboratories, or afford textbooks, undermining learning outcomes. He said inflation and rising operational costs make levies unavoidable. “If this continues, Zimbabwe risks losing a whole generation of learners because education is becoming unaffordable for most families,” he said.
Rising education costs in Zimbabwe are creating a critical barrier to learning, highlighting the urgent need for solutions that balance family affordability with the sustainability of schools.
