ZIMBABWE 2016 PRIMARY & SECONDARY … 2016 PRIMARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION ... Secondary and non-formal education. ... Zimbabwe 2016 Primary&Secondary Education Budget Brief.qxp_Layout

ZIMBABWE

2016 PRIMARY & SECONDARY EDUCATIONBUDGET BRIEF

Key Messagesl Primary and Secondary Education was allocated US$810.43

million about 20.3% of total budget, but 9.5% lower than2015 allocation;

l The 2016 allocation is higher than the Sub-Saharan Africa(SSA) average of 16.5% of state budget;

l Employment costs represent a staggering 98.4% of the 2016budget allocation;

l Continued reliance on off-budget non-wage educationsupport by donors – estimated at approximately US$60million in 2016;

l This donor support, albeit much needed at this current time,is not only declining, but is also unsustainable in themedium-to-long term and carries the risk of undermininggovernment systems and capacities;

l Further reliance on parents and families who bear anincreasing burden of financing the education sector throughpayment of school fees;

l Proposed wage bill reforms are predominantly targeted atreducing the education sector wage bill by reducing thenumber of teachers on the government payroll;

l Critical that the savings made from wage bill reform –estimated at US$170 million – benefits children;

l Public spending data should be disaggregated to districtlevels to enable analysis and development of innovativesolutions to existing challenges within the sector.

Zimbabwe 2016 Primary&Secondary Education Budget Brief.qxp_Layout 1 30/5/2016 09:47 Page 1

Zimbabwe 2016 Primary & Secondary Education Budget Brief2

INTRODUCTION

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Figure 1: Selected Education Indicators (2006-2014)

Source: zdhs 2006/2011, MIMS 2009 and MICS 2014

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Figure 2: Gender Disaggregation Education Indicators 2014

Source: MICS 2014

Zimbabwe’s education sector falls under two Ministries, i.e. the Ministry ofPrimary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) and the Ministry of Higher andTertiary Education, Science and Technology Development. This brief focuseson the provision of basic education, which falls under the MoPSE. The Ministry’soverall mandate is to provide quality, inclusive, relevant and competent drivenInfant, Junior, Secondary and non-formal education. It is also oversees the nationalexamination system, managed by the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council.

Having developed a new education curriculum and syllabi in 2015, the Ministryseeks to implement the new curriculum and finalize the ICT policy in education.Other priority arears in 2016 include, among others: construction of new schoolsthrough joint venture partnerships; strengthening the Teacher CapacityDevelopment Programme; and realignment of the Education Act to the NewConstitution.

Education Indicators

The has been some improvement in some of the selected indicators in educationover time but significant challenges remain in early childhood development (ECD)and secondary net attendance.



2016 Budget Allocation

To implement the above priorities, and other projects, the Ministry wasallocated US$810.43 million, which is about 20.3%1 of the US$4 billion totalbudget and 5.7% of GDP.Other Ministries such as Home Affairs (9.9%), Defence(8.9%), Health and child Care (8.3%) and Higher and Tertiary Education, Scienceand Technology Development (7.6%), complete the top 5 allocations.

The 2016 allocation is 9.5% lower than theUS$890.14 million allocated to the sector in 2015,mainly on account of expected weak revenue outturn(Figure 3). Operating on a cash budgeting basis, andgiven the economic challenges, revenue collections areexpected to decline impacting on the actual non-wagedisbursement rates in the education sector.

Despite the drop in education allocation, it remainshigher than the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) average.By end-2013, SSA countries were allocating an averageof 16.5% of their state budgets and 4.2% of their GDPto education, compared to the 20.3% of total budget and5.7% of GDP in 2016 for Zimbabwe.

This notwithstanding, the high allocations to education may not be a true reflectionof the Government’s financialcommitment to improving education. TheMinistry of Primary and SecondaryEducation (MoPSE) was allocated thehighest budget, (Figure 4). However, astaggering 98.4% of the education budgetgoes to employment costs, thus theallocation largely reflects the number ofemployees in the ministry. Total employees(teachers and administrative staff) in theMinistry, account for two thirds of the totalnumber of civil servants in Zimbabwe. Non-wage education allocation amounts toUS$13 million. With an estimated total of8000 schools, excluding ECD, this wouldtranslate to less than US$1,640 per schoolper year. This translates to less than US$3.34per year per child.

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Figure 3: Trends in Education Budget Allocations (2010-15)

Source: Zimbabwe National Budget Documents, 2010-2015

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Figure 4: Top 20 Allocations to Ministries

Source: 2016 National Budget Statement

1 The share for the Education Sector has been calculatedby using the value of the total State Budget less debt-service payments as a denominator. It includes Statutory& Constitution and Vote Appropriations.



Projected Sources of Education Resources

In addition to direct budget allocations, the education sector is expected toreceive additional funding from development partners and statutory funds.Total resources are projected at US$844.51 million, with government revenuesaccounting for 96% (Figure 5). Statutory funds, which includes fees and leviescollected and retained by state owned enterprises in education and institutions, is expected to account for 3.3% (US$27.7 million) of the total resources. Other on-budget resources, mainly from development partners are expected to accountfor 0.7% of the total resources (US$6.3 million).

Importantly, the 0.7% only reflects donor contributionsthrough the government systems. It is worth noting thatdevelopment partners have been playing a key role insupporting the education sector and other social sectors,particularly with regards to non-wage spending.

Development partners have been channeling theirsupport through pooled funding mechanisms such asthe Education Transition Fund, and its successor, theEducation Development Fund (EDF). For example, in2015 estimates show that government spending in teachingand learning material amounted to US$16.9 millioncompared to the US$32.7 million from the EDF, (Table 1).In 2016, the EDF support to education is projected at

US$21 million, about 1.6 times the government budget support of US$13.1 million.

Composition of the Education Budget Allocation

As already alluded to, allocativeefficiency in Zimbabwe’s publicexpenditure system is low, particularlythe education sector. Allocativeefficiency is a measure of assessingwhether the distribution of resources isoptimal across different expenditurecategories to achieve the desiredobjectives. It helps answer the questionof whether resources are being allocatedtowards the right activities to ensure theprovision of quality education or can areallocation of resources make the sectormore efficient?

Government Revenues96.0%

Statutory Funds3.3%

Other Resources0.7%

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Figure 5: Sources of Education Resources in 2016

Source: 2016 National Budget Statement

Source: UNICEF

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Figure 6: Trends in the Composition of Education Allocations

Source: Various Budget Statement

2014 2015 2016 Proj

EDF 35,239,558 32,703,345 21,000,000

Table 1: Actual EDF Expenditure in US$ (2014-2016)



Hence, with less than 2% of the budget being spent on non-wage investments(Figure 6), the risks to the sector remain high, characterized by dilapidated andinadequate school infrastructure, teaching and learning environments andacute shortage of teaching-learning materials. Persistent under-funding of thecapital budget has resulted in a deficit of 33,600 classrooms nationwide, severelyimpacting on children’s wellbeing, particularly in the rural and resettlement areas.This is further fueling the deprivations and inequities that Zimbabwean children face.

Therefore, to rectify the situation, as fiscal space grows, the size and quality ofgovernment investment in non-wage education infrastructure would need to beincreased, prioritizing the more deprived provinces and districts, to ensure equitableeducation outcomes of all the children.

2016 Budget Allocations by Programme Area

Junior education (covering grades 1-7), receivedthe largest share of the Sector budget, accountingfor 46.1%. Thirty four percent of the educationbudget was allocated towards Secondary Education,17.8% was allocated towards Infant Education,whilst Education Coordination & Development andAdministration & General got a combined 2.1%,(Figure 7). With employment costs accounting for98.4% of the total education allocation, thesenumbers are a reflection of the number of employeesin each of the two sub-categories. Hence, the 46.1%allocated towards Junior Education reflects that thesub-category employs a higher number of staffcompared to secondary education.

There was a significant increase in the amount of resources allocated to InfantEducation (Early Childhood Development (ECD)) from US$2 million in 2015to US$144 million in the 2016 Budget. The increase in the ECD allocation largelyreflects the re-direction of a significant amount of teaching staff to ECD. Thiswould need to be matched with increased investment in ECD infrastructure. Thisis particularly important given that 46.1% of the class room deficit nation-wide isattributed to ECD.

Such mutually reinforcing investments would help ensure that children areschool-ready by the time they enroll for primary education.MICs 2014 resultsshowed that only 21.6% of children aged 3-5 years were attending organized ECD,of which 26.2% were in urban areas compared to 20.1% in rural areas. This in turnaffects school readiness, which is estimated at 86.2% (MICS 2014). Schoolreadiness measures the percentage of children in first grade of primary school, whoattended pre-school during the previous school year. It is linked to learning, schoolcompletion, later skill development, and acquisition of academic competencies andnon-academic success. Children who enter school ‘ready to learn’ are more likelyto stay in school and succeed at school.

Junior Educa�on46.1%

Sec Educa�on33.9%

Infant Educa�on17.8%

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Figure 7: 2016 Allocation by Programme Area

Source: 2016 Budget Statement



Budget Execution

Actual spending in the education sector has been above the budget allocations,mainly reflecting expenditure on employment cost overruns. Given that theeducation budget is almost entirely consumed by employment cost, actual spendinghas been equal or higher than allocations, (Figures 8). Employment cost overrunsbetween 2010 and 2013, wherein spending on wages exceeded 100% (Figure 7)reflected wage increases in the general public service, leading to higher actualspending compared to allocations.

However, in 2014, government experienced cashflow constraints resulting in some of its wageobligations being carried over into 2015. Only94.1% of the wage obligations were paid in 2014,(Figure 9). As such, only 90.9% of the allocation wasutilized resulting in total actual expenditures beinglower than the sector’s budget allocation. By end-September 2015, 73.6% of the total allocation hadbeen spent, with an employment budget utilizationof 74.6% of what was budgeted, as the governmentincurred employment costs and pension arrears, onaccount of lower-than-expected monthly revenueoutturn.

Employment cost overruns, crowd out non-wagespending resulting in lower execution on the non-salary items. This trend has been witnessed since2010, (Figure 8). In 2013, for instance, the MOPSEreported a 100.3% execution rate of its overallbudget. Of which, wages were at 103.3%, whilstother recurrent and capital budget utilization were at54.8% and 39.4%, respectively. The same trendprevailed in 2014 through to 2015. By end-September 2015, budget execution for operatingcosts and invest in capital improvements was at22.4% (US$16.9 million). This translates to US97cents per child or US48 cents per child for each ofthe school terms, on operating costs and investmentsin learning infrastructures.

Equity in Resource Allocation

Achieving equality in education should be a key priority of any government.Resource allocation should directed to those provinces and districts with thegreatest need (i.e. worst social indicators). However, Zimbabwe follows acentralized budgeting system, making it difficult to view the budget of theEducation sector by province or individual districts. It would thus be important forthe MoPSE to have its budget allocations disaggregated at district level. This would

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Figure 9: Actual Spending in Education (2010-15)

Source: Various Budget Statements



help facilitate equity analysis at district level against other education indicatorssuch as out-of-school, completion rates, school readiness, pass rates, which aredisaggregated at district level.

Zimbabwe is a country that has achieved much for its children in education,however significant equity gaps still exist.Across all wealth/income groups, therehas been improvement in education access both at primary and secondary level,but huge disparities begin to emerge at high level and tertiary education level.

There was equity in primary education and significant inequity in secondaryeducation as expressed by the steeper lines in secondary education. Thesecondary education dropouts were concentrated in the poorer wealth quintiles.The payment for secondary school was a game changer as children in the poorest

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Figure 11: Net Attendance Ratio - Secondary Education

Source: MIMS 2009, ZDHS 2001 and MICS 2014

Source: MIMS 2009, ZDHS 2001 and MICS 2014



wealth quintiles drop out, and diminishing equity. Another equity barrier is O-levelexaminations that prevent children with poor O-level results from continuing to A-level. The quality of education in schools attended by children in the poorest wealthquintile (WQ1) and parents’ limited ability to pay fees for their children might havecaused approximately one percent of children from WQ1 to proceed to A-level. Incomparison, 31% of children in the richest wealth quintile proceeded to A-level

Conclusion and Recommendations

l The MoPSE has been receiving the highest budget allocation over therecent past. However, this largely reflects the size its workforce, as non-wage spending has remained low and inadequate to make a real impact onimproving the education infrastructure, and thus affecting children’s learningexperience in terms of over-crowded classrooms and insufficientinfrastructure and equipment.

l Dependency on donor support for non-wage education expenditure willcontinue, with an estimated backlog of 2000 schools in Zimbabwe, andthis remains a huge bottleneck for equity and access to quality education.In addition, parents through various out-of-pocket payments to schools arecomplementing donor funding in keeping the education system alive in theabsence of adequate fiscal funding.

l In order to achieve the sector’s mandate and improve educationoutcomes, the Government must review the education wage bill, with aview to create fiscal space to increase the size, efficiency and equity ofinvestment to education infrastructure. This is important to safeguard gainsrecorded over the last 6 years, whilst at the same time gradually reducingdependence on development partners for non-wage spending.

l Improvements in fiscal space should be channeled towards those districtsand provinces with the greatest need to achieve equitable educationoutcomes. This could also include targeted interventions to ensure adequateECD coverage in marginalized and hard to reach areas.

l Significant bottom-up funding, as parents are shouldering the greaterburden of responsibility in financing the education system through schoolfees.

l Significant inequity gaps based predominantly on socio-economic status,exist within the education system, and this becomes more acute at higherlevels of education attainment. Poor income households are clearly notaccessing higher and tertiary education and this, left unchecked, has a longterm impact on adolescent development.

l Furthermore, quality data on public spending would need to bedisaggregated at district level to enable analysis and development ofinnovative solutions to existing challenges bedeviling the sector. Indeed,equity in the education sector is a critical factor affecting overall educationoutcomes.



ECD Early Childhood Development

EDF Education Development Fund

GDP Gross Domestic Product

MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey

MoPSE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education

OOS out-of-school

SCR Student Classroom Ratio

SSA Sub-Saharan Africa

LIST OF ACRONYMS

UNICEF, 2015UNICEF ZCO

6, Fairbridge Avenue, Belgravia, Hararehttp://www.unicef.org/Zimbabwe
