Teachers Propose Abolition Of BEAM In Favour Of Student Grants
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has urged the government to abolish the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) scheme and replace it with student grants.
On Tuesday, October 8, ARTUZ presented its education wish list ahead of Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s announcement of the 2025 National Budget next month, saying there was a need for increased funding to benefit both learners and educators.
Zimbabwe has struggled to meet the Dakar Declaration’s mandate that 20% of the national budget be allocated to education.
According to ARTUZ, Treasury allocations have been alarmingly low: 0.8% in 2020, 2.3% in 2021, 2.4% in 2022, 2.9% in 2023, and 2.8% for this year.
This decline in funding has contributed to a decrease in the quality of education, particularly in rural areas. The union said:
A budget that meets these minimum standards is necessary to improve infrastructure, provide teaching and learning materials, and ensure fair compensation for educators.
In the context of rising prices and climate change, we recommend the scrapping of the now-defunct and inconsistent BEAM and be replaced with equity grants allocated to each learner to at least US$10 per school term (US$30 per year) per learner.
This funding will be essential in addressing the growing number of learners affected by declining family incomes and increasing poverty and climate-related disasters.
Launched in 2001, BEAM was designed to ensure that vulnerable children have access to education. Its primary objective was to reduce school dropout rates and provide support for children who had never attended school due to economic hardships.
In May this year, Ncube revealed that the government owed schools US$57 million in BEAM arrears by the end of the 2023 financial year.
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