ZIMBABWE’S education sector risks widening the gap between urban and rural learners unless urgent investment is made in teacher digital skills, artificial intelligence (AI) training and rural technology infrastructure, the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) has warned.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Fourth Edition of the National Education Summit Zimbabwe (NESZ) 2026 in Bulawayo, Zimta chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu said the country’s drive towards digital education would fail if teachers remained technologically unprepared.
He said government and education stakeholders must shift focus from merely distributing gadgets to schools and prioritise teacher capacitation.
“In terms of continuous professional development for teachers, we are not simply talking about equipping them with gadgets, but equipping them with the knowledge and competencies to use those gadgets effectively,” said Ndlovu.
“The issues we are facing today are about teachers having the knowledge to access computers and use them effectively. This is exactly what we mean by knowledge proliferation around gadgets and understanding how to use them to help learners.”
Ndlovu said many teachers, particularly in rural schools, remained locked out of the digital revolution because of limited access to computers, electricity and internet connectivity.
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“What we currently have is a group of teachers who have not had access to computers because they are not even available in schools, and teachers cannot afford to buy computers using their personal resources,” he said.
“Now we are saying to schools: can you buy them? And when they do, we are saying to the Ministry of Education: can you capacitate teachers in terms of knowledge? This is the retooling we are talking about.”
He warned that Zimbabwe could not afford to have learners exposed to modern digital tools while teachers lacked the skills to engage with emerging technologies such as AI.
“Why are we not helping teachers in terms of artificial intelligence? This is a critical area because it is the ‘in thing’ now and we cannot continue to have students who can interact with data while teachers cannot,” said Ndlovu.
“They cannot go into chat platforms and conduct research. The only thing we have been talking about is Google, which is now an outdated approach.
“Even programmes under Microsoft require enhancement and understanding.”
Ndlovu said digital literacy should also strengthen interaction among parents, learners and teachers through integrated online learning systems.
“What we are talking about here is a complete learning management system where parents, teachers and students can interact within a computerised or digitalised environment,” he said.
“To bridge the digital divide affecting rural schools, Ndlovu proposed the establishment of government-supported technology hubs servicing clusters of schools.
He said while fovernment efforts to distribute tablets to rural schools were commendable, many institutions still lacked electricity and connectivity, rendering some of the gadgets ineffective.
“We have seen a lot of distribution of tablets to schools in rural areas, but those schools are lacking energy,” he said.
“So why don’t we create, for example, a technology hub serving about five schools, where children can walk in and access computers fully supported through reliable energy and internet connectivity?”
Ndlovu said school development committees often lacked the financial capacity to independently establish and maintain such facilities.
“Why not have a goernment-centred hub developed as a starting point to help learners within an accessible vicinity? That is a recommendation we are making to the government,” he said.
“Yes, we have seen efforts towards connectivity in schools and where there is no connectivity, steps are being taken to address that. But we must move faster in connecting computers and helping teachers and learners access these digital spaces.”
National Education Summit Zimbabwe chief executive officer Violet Nkathazo said digital transformation remained central to discussions at the summit.
She said the gathering sought to strengthen partnerships between government, the private sector and development partners to improve digital learning capacity in schools.
“Part of the objective of the summit is to see how best we can work together as the private sector with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to enhance digital skills and build capacity not just for teachers, but also for schools,” said Nkathazo.
“We want teachers to be able to effectively instruct learners while ensuring schools have the necessary digital infrastructure to prepare students to compete in the global economy.”
She said collaboration among stakeholders would be critical in improving education outcomes.
“We are bringing together different stakeholders — government, civil society and the corporate sector — to create public-private partnerships that help ensure our schools are capacitated, our teachers are capacitated and our schools can offer learners the best possible outcomes,” she said.
Held under the theme, “From Policy to Practice: Driving Innovation and Investment in Zimbabwe’s Education System,” the summit has brought together policymakers, educators, financiers, development partners and private sector players to discuss solutions for strengthening Zimbabwe’s education sector.
The summit is convened by Action for Empowerment Zimbabwe in partnership with Business Diary and in collaboration with the Primary and Secondary Education ministry.