Thousands Of Qualified Teachers Still Waiting For Jobs As Recruitment Queue Stretches Back To 2019
Thousands of qualified teachers who completed their training years ago are still waiting to be employed, with the Government saying recruitment is being carried out in the order graduates completed their studies.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Torerai Moyo said teachers who graduated as far back as 2019 are yet to be deployed to schools, while newly qualified teachers in critical science subjects are being fast-tracked.
Teacher Recruitment Backlog Leaves 2019 Graduates Waiting
Responding to lawmakers over concerns about an alleged shortage of teachers, Moyo said Zimbabwe has enough qualified teachers but faces a backlog in employing them.
The Minister said:
“We do not have a shortage of teachers in Zimbabwe. We have other teachers who graduated from 2019 to 2022 who are not yet employed.”
He explained that Government follows a recruitment system based on the year teachers graduated.
“We are only saying they cannot be employed; it is only those who graduated this year and last year who cannot be recruited yet. We have those people who graduated in 2020; that is the rule that we have to employ those people who graduated earlier. If we take those people who graduated in 2025, it will be corruption, so it will not come out well for those who graduated earlier.”
Zimbabwe’s Teacher-Pupil Ratio Improves Despite Employment Delays
Moyo also rejected claims that Zimbabwe is experiencing a nationwide teacher shortage, saying recent recruitment has improved staffing levels in many schools.
He told Parliament:
“As I am speaking, the teacher-pupil ratio of late was very high, but we thank His Excellency the President for allowing us to recruit a lot of teachers.”
The Minister added that Zimbabwe’s teacher-pupil ratio now averages between 1:35 and 1:40. He contrasted this with a recent visit to Malawi, where he said he saw one teacher responsible for 200 pupils.
STEM Teachers Continue To Receive Priority Employment
Addressing concerns over shortages of Mathematics and Science teachers, Moyo said graduates in STEM subjects are recruited immediately because of demand.
He said:
“The Government policy is that where there are shortages, for example, in science subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Biology, when teachers graduate, even in February this year, we hire such teachers for STEM subjects.”
“For Physics, Chemistry and other science teachers, they are employed as soon as they graduate.”
His remarks indicate that while many qualified teachers remain in the recruitment queue, graduates in specialised science subjects continue to receive priority placement.
The issue of graduate teacher employment remains a key concern as qualified educators continue to wait for opportunities despite completing their studies several years ago.
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