Supervision is the process of working with teachers to improve their performance in their professional chores. This study sought to assess the effectiveness of supervision of teachers by heads of schools in Binga primary schools in Western Zimbabwe. The study was quantitative and utilised a descriptive survey design. The population comprised of all primary school heads and teachers in Binga District. The sample consisted of 200 teachers and 20 heads of schools. Of the sample respondents, 120 were male and 100 female. All the information was collected through a questionnaire which had both close-ended and open-ended questions. The study revealed that both teachers and heads concurred that supervision as it obtained in their schools needed more time and resources. It also revealed that heads were using models of supervision that did not promote teacher growth and motivation. The study recommends that heads of schools should not be allocated a class to teach if they are to effectively carry out their supervisory roles. The study also recommends that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should organise workshops and in-service training sessions to help heads acquire better skills for supervising teachers.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the challenges faced by rural primary school teachers in the teaching of English reading to infant classes in Jojo West Cluster schools in Nkayi district of Zimbabwe. The population comprised of all the teachers teaching infant classes in the cluster. The sample comprised of 20 respondents purposively selected. The study adopted the descriptive survey design and the questionnaire was used for collecting data. The main findings of the study revealed that the majority of infant teachers were not qualified to teach these classes. The study also revealed that teachers taught English using vernacular words and this confused the children. Children were also not provided with a variety of reading materials and the home background did not assist pupils acquire the language. The study recommends inter alia, that all teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe should introduce the Early Childhood development programme in order to multiply the production of infant teachers. The study also recommends that infants classes should be exposed to a lot of material in the English language to help them build their vocabulary.

Measurement and evaluation in education is very important on a wide spectrum across the board. They provide information needed in overall education planning. Decisions on instructional aims, units, grades or marks enable teachers and school administrators to determine the extent to which pupils are growing towards the desired goals. Through measurement and evaluation, a teacher can diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of pupils and takes a progress on remedial action. If effectively utilised, measurement and evaluation may lead to the improvement of both instruction and the learning situation. Without evaluation and measurement, it is impossible to know a student's needs and preferences. In the Zimbabwean primary school system, heads and teachers use measurement and evaluation to ascertain the abilities and levels of attainment by students in areas such as reading, writing, and in all subject areas. This research investigated the effectiveness of measurement and evaluation in Zimbabwean schools using the quantitative paradigm. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. The target population comprised all primary school teachers in Bulawayo's Mzilikazi district with a teacher establishment of 120 teachers. The sample consisted of 100 teachers and 10 heads of schools. Of the sample respondents, 85 were female and 25 were male. All the information was collected through a questionnaire which had both close-ended and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to interpret data. The study revealed that heads predominantly used summative evaluation and teachers preferred tests, class work and oral work. The study also revealed that lack of resources hampered efforts by both heads and teachers to conduct effective measurement and evaluation sessions. The study recommends that schools should mobilise more resources towards measurement and evaluation.

It is an indisputable fact that expert teachers are perhaps the most fundamental resource for improving student learning. Therefore, the need for the retention of qualified teachers particularly in specialist areas cannot be overemphasized. In many developing countries, Zimbabwe included, teacher turn-over has been a problem especially since the outbreak of HIV/AIDS where during the early 1990s, a large number of professionals, teachers included, succumbed to the epidemic in large numbers. Other factors like retirement and resignations have also played a role towards teacher turn-over. However, the most common form of teacher turn-over is whereby qualified teachers leave poor rural schools to better schools particularly in urban areas. Thus, most rural schools fail to attract qualified mathematics and science teachers and resort to using the unqualified and under qualified teachers thereby creating a dilemma, where the least prepared teachers teach the most educationally vulnerable children. As a result, the pass rate of pupils in rural secondary schools at public examinations, particularly in mathematics and science is consistently low. This study draws on a quantitative inquiry to investigate teachers' perceptions on the causes of high-turnover of mathematics and science teachers from rural secondary schools in Zimbabwean secondary schools. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. The target population comprised all secondary school teachers from Nkayi District in Matabeland North Province. The sample consisted of 120 teachers randomly sampled. All the information was collected through a questionnaire which largely had close-ended questions and two open-ended questions. The study revealed that the majority of teachers felt that poor conditions of service forced many mathematics and science teachers to leave rural secondary schools if not the teaching profession altogether. The high teacher turn over caused high failure rates in mathematics and science in the rural secondary schools. The study recommends that Government should allocate more resources to rural schools in order to improve the working conditions of teachers. The study also recommends that there should be a specific rural allowance for mathematics and science teachers to attract and retain more expert teachers in these subject areas.

Zimbabwe gained its independence in 1980, after almost 100 years of British colonial rule. The colonial era was built on white supremacy, racial segregation and oppression of the majority African population by the white minority. The first ten years of independence were committed to rectifying the social inequities brought by the former colonial regimes. The new government was committed to the creation of a socialist state, which was guided by the principles of social justice and equality. Education was declared a fundamental human right. It was regarded as a potent tool for social and economic transformation. As a result, the formal sector of the education system was expanded to unprecedented levels. Secondary schools increased from a paltry 197 in 1980 to 1502 by 1989, a sharp increase of 662%. Enrolments increased by over 200% across the whole system. The majority of the new secondary schools were built in the rural areas first as upper-tops, that is using nearby primary schools infrastructure to do their business and later constructed in independent sites. In spite of the noble idea of availing secondary school education to the majority of rural students who needed it, there is a widespread out cry across the country about the low performance of pupils from these schools at Ordinary Level Examinations. The majority of these schools produce 0% pass rates year-in year-out. In view of the above, this study set out to investigate the major causes of high failure rate in Nkayi Rural District Secondary Schools. The population constituted of the 650 secondary school teachers in the district. A total of 100 respondents selected using random sampling was used for the study. These were made up of 55 females and 45 male teachers. The research instrument used was the questionnaire which had both close-ended and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to interpret data. The study revealed that teachers attributed pupils' high failure rate to lack of materials and equipment for teaching, inadequate supervision, teacher incompetency among others. The study recommends that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should embark on a massive infrastructural development to provide adequate classrooms and specialist rooms for rural secondary schools. Teachers should be adequately motivated so as to boost their moral and parents should be encouraged to support the learning of their children.

Demand for education in most developing countries (Zimbabwe included) is very high whereas the corresponding supply is low. Since education is a public service it inevitably implies that governments should wholly provide this service to all citizens who require it. However, due to financial constraints, the governments are unable to meet the educational demands for their populations. This, therefore, gives private players the chance to augment the efforts of the governments. The study was carried out in Harare Province. The study draws on a quantitative inquiry on the role played by private players in the provision of secondary education in Zimbabwe. A total of 200 respondents were used of which 110 were female and 90 were male. These were students enrolled by the four colleges that were sampled for the study. The study revealed that the teacher-pupil ratio was higher than that stipulated by regulations, most students enrolled for less than five subjects, there was shortage of textbooks, there was little participation in sports, teachers were not competent in most subject areas and most pupils were dissatisfied with the education they were receiving from these colleges. The study recommends that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should closely monitor the operations of private colleges so as to ensure that they adhere to regulations regarding minimum standards on provision of secondary education. Teachers in private colleges should attend in-service courses to help them with their professional conduct.