6 000 teachers leave Zimbabwe’s classrooms every year, says report

ZIMBABWE’S education sector is struggling to retain teachers, with about 6 000 educators leaving the service annually while thousands of trained teachers remain unemployed, the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA) has said.

The association said 9 425 teaching posts were vacant in July 2025, warning that low recruitment, poor remuneration and deteriorating working conditions were worsening staffing shortages across the country’s schools.

In a statement marking World Teachers’ Day in Harare, ZIMTA said the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education had requested 8 000 additional teaching posts, but Treasury approved only 2 000 for 2026.

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