Avondale Infant School, Zimbabwe. Credit: GPE/Carine Durand

Partner since:

Total grant support: US$120,008,855

Grant eligibility:

  • Multiplier
  • Girls' Education Accelerator
  • System capacity
  • System transformation

Partnership Compact

Priority: Improving gender equality, equitable access to education, and ensure quality teaching and learning.

Other key documents

Coordinating agency: FCDO, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

GPE Team lead: Lucinda Ramos

Transforming education in Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe, about two-thirds of school age children go to school. Access to, as well as the quality of, their education is often related to where they live. Children in rural and remote areas struggle to access education, as do children with disabilities and children from families who cannot afford school fees.

Other challenges include under-resourced schools, lack of infrastructure and the effects of disasters on infrastructure. Poor learning outcomes also influence a family's decision on whether to send their child to school.

GPE is supporting the government and partners to achieve transformational change through Zimbabwe’s priority reform area: equitable access to relevant quality education for all children.

Increasing the number of schools with safe and appropriate infrastructure, establishing a system to identify children at risk of dropping out, improving foundational literacy and numeracy for learners, and enhancing teachers’ capacity to deliver quality education will help get more children into school, prevent dropout and improve learning outcomes.

Key to achieving change at scale is Zimbabwe's equitable financing commitment, targeting funding to the poorest and most marginalized schools.

Result story

Zimbabwe: A teacher’s inspiring dedication to early childhood education

  • Ellen Gava is an early childhood development teacher at Seke 7 Primary School in Chitungwiza—a high-density suburb and one of the largest urban settlements in Zimbabwe.
  • Ellen and her school strive to ensure that children have equitable access to quality early learning and develop the foundational skills critical for all other learning.
  • GPE supports early learning in Zimbabwe through teacher training, production of learning materials and community engagement activities.

Key data

26%

out-of-school rate for children of lower-secondary school age

57%

of children start learning one year before entering primary school

98%

of primary teachers have the minimum required qualifications

20%

of government expenditure on education

Grants

(data as of November 09, 2024)

 
  • Type: Multiplier

    Years: 2024 - 2026

    Allocation: US$8,660,000

    Utilization: 0

    Grant agent: UNICEF

  • Type: System transformation and Girls' Education Accelerator

    Years: 2023 - 2026

    Allocation: US$32,279,000

    Utilization: US$11,077,114

    Grant agent: CAMFED, UNICEF

  • Type: System capacity

    Years: 2023 - 2026

    Allocation: US$2,955,955

    Utilization: US$159,430

    Grant agent: UNICEF

  • Type: System capacity

    Years: 2021 - 2025

    Allocation: US$344,005

    Utilization: US$159,984

    Grant agent: UNICEF

Civil society engagement

As part of its investment in civil society advocacy and social accountability efforts, GPE’s Education Out Loud fund is supporting:

  • The Education Coalition of Zimbabwe (ECOZI) for the 2024-2026 period. This builds on previous support from the Civil Society Education Fund (CSEF).
  • The Transnational Networks Advocacy Capacity strengthened for improved ECDE legislation, policies and measures in Southern Africa (TRANAC) led by Zimbabwe Network of Early Childhood Development (ZINECDA) for the 2023-2026 period.
  • Teach for Zimbabwe and Stimulus Africa, Zimbabwe 2024-2026 period.
  • Girls Education Advocacy in the Region (GEAR) led by Students And Youth Working on reproductive Health Action Team (SAYWHAT) for the 2024-2026 period.

Learn more

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