The development
was announced yesterday by the Permanent Secretary for Higher and Tertiary
Education, Innovation, Science, and Technology Development, Professor Fanuel
Tagwira, during his oral submissions to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee
on Higher and Tertiary Education, as part of the 2026 National Budget
consultations at Parliament Building.
Professor
Tagwira confirmed that although the President has approved the new salary
structure, the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment
Promotion, Professor Mthuli Ncube, has yet to release the funds.
“What we have
done is factor in the salaries that His Excellency (President Mnangagwa)
approved in our proposed budget,” he stated.
The
announcement comes at a time when the ministry requires over ZiG46 billion to
fully fund its operations.
This funding
will not only cover the new salary structure but also support ongoing
construction projects under the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP). The
financial support is particularly crucial in light of the recent expansion of
tertiary institutions and the need to enhance their operational capacity.
“The approval
of salaries for university staff is a critical development. It aligns with our
commitment to improving the quality of education and supporting our educators,”
Professor Tagwira said.
The salary
adjustments are intended to address long-standing concerns regarding the
remuneration of lecturers, who have consistently advocated for improved pay.
In addition to
the salary approval, the Government plans to establish teacher training
colleges for secondary school educators across all provinces. Some existing
primary school teacher training institutions will be transformed to accommodate
this initiative, in line with a resolution from the 22nd Zanu-PF People’s
Conference.
“As part of
this initiative, we will be opening a new college in Mhangura and transforming
some colleges that currently train only primary school teachers to also train
secondary school teachers,” Professor Tagwira said.
This expansion
will necessitate an increase in the PSIP budget, further highlighting the need
for adequate funding. The Permanent Secretary also addressed historical
challenges faced by the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef), which had
previously struggled financially.
“In 2018,
Zimdef was almost non-operational and even borrowing for salaries. However, it
is now fully operational, and we are ensuring that its resources are
exclusively used for teaching and infrastructure development,” he noted. Herald
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