Grants in Zimbabwean Schools: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

The aim of the research was to interrogate the opportunities and challenges of the School Improvement Grants in schools in Zimbabwe. The School Improvement Grants were operationalized across the country as part of the Education Transition Funds programme of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education supported by UNICEF. The study was principally qualitative and made use of semi-structured interviews and mini-focus group discussions in one purposively sampled district. The study established that the grant had benefited schools throu gh school development planning empowerment; infrastructural development and WASH facilities improvement. While challenges such as misplaced priorities and rent-seeking and accountability issues were revealed by this study. This recommends that SIG be extended to secondary schools which are currently not covered and that the grant be administered through the SDC as guided by the Zimbabwe education legal framework. Lastly, due to the high costs of drilling boreholes among other WASH facilities this study recommends a separate grant specifically meant to address WASH.

Keywords: School Improvement Grant, school development planning, infrastrural development, Masvingo