Mick Hartley

The Times, from Jan Raath in Harare:

The class of 2008 will not receive an education. Since the school year began in January, Zimbabwe's 4.5 million pupils have had a total of 23 days uninterrupted in the classroom, teaching unions say – a sorry state for a country that once had the highest standard of education in Africa.

President Mugabe became an African hero of rare distinction when he carried out a big expansion of the education system in the early years of his rule. As with most of the country's infrastructure, that system is now in the process of total collapse.

In the mid-1990s there was a national O-level pass rate of 72 per cent. Last year it crashed to 11 per cent. Many schools recorded zero passes.

To avoid the humiliation of total failure in 2008 the Government has cancelled the academic year….

Six teachers were murdered and thousands assaulted by Zanu (PF) militia in the violence that marred the second-round presidential election on June 27.

Schools were looted and turned into torture centres. Teachers disappeared. Many are still unable to return for fear of being disciplined.

Now the coup de grace to the education system is being delivered by hyperinflation. Teachers had their salaries doubled last week to the equivalent of £5.70 a month — barely enough for bus fares and bread for four days.

The handful of private and state schools where parents can pay large supplements to teachers' salaries are the only ones operating. In most schools where teachers do turn up pupil attendance is dwindling.