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    Zimbabwe: Improved Accommodation, Classrooms Motivate Teachers in Rural Zimbabwe

    OneAfricaYTBy No Comments6 Mins Read
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    MUTOKO, Zimbabwe – It’s a Friday, and classes end at midday. But unlike before, Miriam Kaseke, a teacher at Domborinenhiwi Primary School, is in no rush to find transport home. Instead, she looks forward to hosting family members for the weekend at the school, nestled deep in the rural eastern fringe of Mashonaland East province.

    “They are comfortable coming here these days. It feels like home,” she said, as she made her way to a new grey house on the school grounds, built with support from the Schools Improvement Grant (SIG), Complementary Funding for teacher accommodation.

    This warmth and comfort sharply contrast with Kaseke’s arrival at the school in 2019. Back then, the single, dilapidated four-roomed teacher’s house was already overcrowded, leaving her with no option but to occupy the pantry.

    “A space originally meant as an indoor toilet was already taken. That tiny pantry became my kitchen, my bedroom, and my living room all in one,” she recalled. “I couldn’t even turn around properly when sleeping. If I tried to roll over, my head would end up in a dish of water and my feet on the plates,” she added, painfully remembering how desperate she felt during her first days.


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    “There was no privacy, and inviting my spouse to visit was out of the question. I wondered to myself, ‘Of all my college classmates, am I the cursed one?”‘ she said.

    The house’s doors didn’t lock properly, and the windows barely stayed in their frames. Reptiles would freely slip through its leaky roof. She laughs nervously as she recalls one teacher fleeing his room in terror after a snake slithered under his blankets.

    “It was impossible to get a restful night’s sleep. I constantly struggled just to feel safe. I wanted to go home, but being on a year-long probation, I couldn’t transfer immediately,” she said.

    The poor conditions extended beyond the accommodation to the teaching environment itself.

    “It was a disaster, from the teacher’s lodging to the classrooms. I felt drained every morning walking into school, knowing I would return that evening to a place I was forced to call home,” Kaseke said.

    One classroom block was a mud structure, another had lost its roof to the wind, offering little protection for teachers and pupils alike. Without windows or doors, livestock roamed freely inside, destroying books and learning materials. Teachers had to deal with composite classes, turning both learning and teaching into a nightmare.

    Teachers would frequently be absent or rarely stay long, forcing the school to rely on untrained community volunteers, mostly recent school leavers, said Melody Mupfudze, the acting school head.

    This challenge reflects a wider regional problem. According to a 2020 UNICEF study titled “Time to Teach: Teacher Attendance and Time on Task in Eastern and Southern Africa,” teacher absenteeism–ranging from 15 to 45 per cent in the region–is a major contributor to a learning crisis. In low- and middle-income rural schools, over half of the children finish primary school unable to read or understand simple texts. The report highlights that poor working conditions often drive teacher absence, while stronger parental and community engagement improves attendance and classroom presence.

    At Domborinenhiwi Primary School, the SIG intervention is beginning to address this issue.

    “We are working to grow our teaching staff. In 2019, we had seven teachers; now only four remain, although we are getting another one this coming term. We will still need four more. But I am confident the current teachers will stay because the situation on classrooms and teachers accommodation has significantly improved in recent years,” said Mupfudze, who recalled marking books while sitting on a water bucket when she first arrived in 2012.

    She praised the SIG Complementary Funding for transforming the school’s fortunes. The school has roofed and floored its run-down classroom block, purchased desks, and, with continuing support, constructed a brand-new block specifically for infant pupils.

    “That new block is the most beautiful of all. We did everything from foundation to roofing with SIG funds; we had enough resources,” said Mupfudze, pointing proudly to a bright yellow classroom building.

    Inspired by the ongoing changes, Kaseke opted to stay and become a key part of the school’s development effort.

    “I thought to myself, ‘I can be part of this big picture. I need to get involved.’ Since then, I have been part of the team working to make this a school other communities will look to for inspiration,” she said.

    The experience has also enriched Kaseke with practical knowledge about school building and management. A newcomer in 2019, she quickly became deeply involved in the school’s transformation under the SIG intervention, becoming familiar with the “whole school” approach promoted by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and UNICEF.

    This approach centres on making communities active partners in school development to foster learning environments that are child-friendly, widely supported, and sustainable.

    “The SIG funds gave us a huge boost, but we couldn’t have succeeded without community help. We engaged parents, political leaders, and traditional authorities; everyone became part of the team,” Kaseke reflected.

    The “whole school” approach emphasises that successful school transformation requires a participatory, shared ownership model. It involves parents, caregivers, traditional and political leaders, religious influencers, and even the children themselves as key stakeholders in development.