Parliament Links Education Collapse to Health Crisis

..As Lawmakers Demand Immediate Action on BEAM, WASH and Mental Health

By Delicious Mathuthu

Harare – Zimbabwe’s lawmakers delivered a scathing indictment of the state’s failure to uphold universal access to education during a Parliamentary session on Thursday, July 24, expressing concern on collapsing infrastructure and underfunded schools which have allegedly led to a growing mental health crisis among the nation’s youth.

Debating a report on the state of primary and secondary education in the country, Honourable (Hon.) Pamella Chitimbe condemned the persistent dysfunction of the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), the programme intended to safeguard vulnerable children’s right to education.

“BEAM has contributed significantly to the collapse of many schools in Zimbabwe due to non-payment of school fees.

"At Chigwagwa Primary School, 200 of 245 pupils rely on BEAM, yet funds have not been disbursed since 2019.

"This is not just inefficiency, but it is a betrayal of our most vulnerable children,” she said.

Despite BEAM’s mission to protect orphans and the indigent, Zimbabwe’s schools are now burdened with unpaid subsidies stretching over four years, a gap that has forced many headmasters to turn away pupils over unpaid development levies, resulting in a quiet exodus of children from the education system.

Hon. Chitimbe also highlighted bad infrastructure in schools where learners use tobacco sheds and chicken coops as classrooms.

In Zvimba District, she said, learners at Hebert Chitepo Primary are forced to study in abandoned tobacco-grading sheds which are unsafe and wholly unsuitable for education.

Even more distressing, the youngest pupils at Tore Primary School in the Midlands are confined to a repurposed chicken coop, a hazardous and unhygienic space, she added.

The concerns echo findings by the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD), which has repeatedly called for the urgent reform of BEAM’s funding model and an end to bureaucratic delays that cripple school operations.

ZIMCODD has warned that continued neglect of basic education financing threatens to deepen poverty cycles and educational exclusion, particularly among rural and marginalized communities.

On July 9, 2025, Zimbabwe’s Senate also raised alarm over widening educational inequalities where rural learners face long distances, crumbling infrastructure, and lack of Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres.

The Senators called for urgent reforms, stressing that children are dropping out, falling into early pregnancies, or turning to drugs due to systemic neglect.

They urged the government to partner with communities to build ECD centres, improve resources, and ensure every child’s constitutional right to education is fulfilled.

Back to the National Assembly, Hon. Sethulo Ndebele painted an even grimmer picture of rural realities, where children face severe health risks due to crumbling water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities.

“Schools like Siganda have no water reticulation and rely on assistance from ORAP (Organisation of Rural Associations for Progress).

"For girl children, during menstruation, they need to bath at least twice a day but cannot because of water shortages," she said.

Ndebele added that Siganda Primary School, with its 93 students, only has a single teacher, a catastrophic shortage of human resources and infrastructure.

“I urge the Government to disburse School Improvement Grants promptly,” she pleaded.

ZIMCODD has similarly criticized the government’s failure to address the WASH crisis, arguing that basic service delivery is a constitutional right, not a privilege.

The coalition said poor sanitation, lack of safe water and insufficient hygiene facilities in schools are direct violations of children’s rights and are worsening gender disparities in education.

Zimbabwe’s WASH crisis is not new with UNICEF in 2024 saying over 60% of rural schools lack access to reliable water sources, with girls disproportionately affected through absenteeism linked to menstrual hygiene challenges.

Beyond water and fees, MPs spotlighted the digital divide threatening to relegate rural children to a permanent underclass.

Hon. Tendeukai Matara noted that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution has entirely bypassed rural districts.

“Our schools receive less funding compared to those in wealthier districts, resulting in inadequate resources and limited opportunities.

Our special needs education programmes are frequently underfunded, leaving learners with disabilities without the resources they need to thrive,” Hon. Matara said.

Statistically, over 52% of children with disabilities in Zimbabwe remain out of school, according to a 2023 report by Leonard Cheshire Disability Zimbabwe.

The exclusion allegedly fuels a cycle of marginalization and poverty, MPs noted.

It was the link between school exclusion and Zimbabwe’s growing mental health crisis, however, that became central.

Debating, Hon. Lucia Ncube said she is a survivor of family trauma caused by untreated mental illness, recounting her personal experience.

“These stories are real, they are painful and far too common. We, as the representatives of the people in this House, have a solemn duty to ensure that all mental health institutions are adequately funded and equipped,” Ncube said.

Zimbabwe has only six functional psychiatric institutions, she said, with Ingutsheni Hospital in Bulawayo and Ngomahuru in Masvingo collectively housing over 1,200 patients, far beyond their intended capacities.

Many of the admissions, Ncube argued, are the direct consequence of untreated depression and substance abuse, conditions exacerbated by school exclusion and chronic unemployment.

A 2023 UNICEF Zimbabwe report reveals that over two-thirds of Zimbabwean children experience violent discipline at home, while one in three girls suffers sexual violence before age 18.

The factors are allegedly major contributors to rising cases of youth anxiety, depression and in extreme cases, suicide.

Hon. Mutsa Murombedzi contextualised the daily struggles of rural girls.

“I rise today as a voice for the rural girl child who is walking 15 kilometres barefoot every morning, not to chase dreams but to escape the cruel statistics that poverty and pregnancy will cut her future short,” she said.

The lawmakers called for an overhaul of BEAM’s funding and administrative systems.

They demanded immediate disbursement of outstanding funds, a comprehensive rehabilitation of WASH facilities in schools, targeted ICT rollouts to bridge the digital divide, and a fully funded inclusive education policy framework to support children with disabilities.

ZIMCODD has reinforced these calls, stressing that education, WASH, and mental health services must be treated as interconnected pillars of socio-economic justice.

In its latest policy brief, the coalition urged the Ministry of Finance to align public expenditure with constitutional mandates, warning that underfunding these sectors exacerbates inequality and entrenches poverty.

The Parliament debate recommended scaling up Zimbabwe’s innovative Friendship Bench Programme, a mental health initiative that trains grandmothers to provide structured talk therapy in communities.

They say the programme has shown up to 86% reduction in depression symptoms in clinical trials, offering a scalable, low-cost solution to Zimbabwe’s mental health challenges.

Hon. Ellen Shiriyedenga, reminded the House of the urgency of action.

“We cannot just wind it up before anyone has debated. Every child excluded from school today becomes a mental health statistic tomorrow,” she said.

With Parliament now shifting its focus towards the upcoming 2026 budget deliberations, MPs are demanding that the Ministry of Finance prioritise education and mental health funding not as isolated sectors, but as intertwined pillars of national survival.