HEADLANDS – A recent incident at Sherenje Primary School in Manicaland’s Headlands area has once again pulled back the curtain on a festering crisis in Zimbabwe’s education sector: the failure of the government to consistently support underprivileged children under the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), and the complicity of school authorities in denying learners their constitutional right to education.
A 10-year-old Grade 4 student from a poor household was barred from attending classes over her alleged failure to pay a US$30 tuition fee despite being a registered beneficiary of BEAM, a government program specifically designed to cater for children from impoverished backgrounds.
According to reports, the young girl was sent away from school by Sherenje Primary authorities, despite the institution’s full knowledge of her socio-economic status and BEAM enrollment. Her guardian, unable to raise the required US$30, was forced to turn to human rights lawyers Tatenda Sigauke and Peggy Tavagadza of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) for urgent legal intervention.
The lawyers swiftly penned a letter of demand to the school head, condemning the unlawful expulsion and warning of legal action if the child was not readmitted within 24 hours. They cited the recently gazetted Education (General) Regulations of 2025, issued under Statutory Instrument 13 of 2025 by Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Hon. Torerai Moyo, which state:
“Every child of school-going age shall be afforded equal opportunity to access education. Basic education is compulsory and if the parents or guardians cannot afford fees at a government-run school, the State shall assist.”
Following this legal nudge, Sherenje Primary School authorities capitulated and allowed the student to resume her lessons. But for many others across the country, the gates of education remain firmly shut.
BEAM was introduced to cushion disadvantaged children from the costs of schooling, it was meant to ensure that no child is denied an education because of poverty. But over the years, it has been marred by underfunding, delays in disbursement, lack of transparency, and administrative bottlenecks.
Some schools have become skeptical of BEAM’s reliability, pushing the burden of delayed payments onto vulnerable parents and children. In some cases, school heads have even demanded upfront payments before admitting students, regardless of their BEAM status.
The 10-year-old’s ordeal in Headlands is not isolated, it mirrors a nationwide pattern where education rights are routinely violated under the pretext of financial shortfalls.
Zimbabwe’s deepening economic crisis has left many families struggling to meet even the most basic needs. Parents and guardians, especially in rural areas, face a brutal choice between putting food on the table and sending children to school.
“I want my grandchildren to learn,” said a grandmother from Mutoko, “but where will I get the money for paying school fees when I am struggling to put food on the table for them to eat?”
In this environment, schools should be sanctuaries for learning, not battlegrounds where impoverished children are humiliated, punished, or excluded due to circumstances beyond their control.
Schools, particularly government institutions, are legally and morally obligated to uphold every child’s right to education. Yet, many are failing in this duty.
While the conduct of the school was appalling, it reflects a deeper crisis. Schools are not entirely to blame, they are simply trying to stay afloat in an environment where government support is erratic and insufficient. Without timely disbursement of BEAM funds, school administrators are forced into ethically murky decisions: either turn away students who can’t pay, or shut their doors due to lack of operational funds.
Yet, the state’s failure to prioritise this crucial program raises serious questions. If education is truly a national priority, why does BEAM funding come as an afterthought?
What is particularly infuriating to many Zimbabweans is how the same government that delays or fails to fund BEAM is shockingly efficient when it comes to funneling millions into the pockets of political elites through dubious contracts and tenders.
Take for example the explosive revelations around businessman Wicknell Chivayo, who has been at the center of scandal after scandal involving multimillion-dollar government tenders. How does the government find millions to buy luxury cars for chiefs, while failing to find a mere US$30 to keep a child in school?
Section 75 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe is unequivocal: “Every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has a right to a basic State-funded education.” Any school or government body that undermines this right is in direct violation of the supreme law of the land.
The decision by Sherenje Primary to bar a BEAM-registered pupil is a clear breach of this provision and a reminder that unless accountability is enforced, these violations will continue unchecked.
The case of the 10-year-old in Headlands is both heartbreaking and hopeful. Heartbreaking because it shows how far we still have to go to ensure education for all; hopeful because it proves that legal action, public pressure, and community solidarity can make a difference.
But until systemic issues in BEAM are addressed, and until schools embrace, not reject the spirit of inclusive education, Zimbabwe’s dream of “education for all” will remain just that: a dream, because no child should be turned away from class for being poor.