Harare – Teachers in Zimbabwe are struggling with rising debt, poor healthcare, high transport costs and worsening living conditions, according to a new survey released by the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe.
The union said many educators are now relying on loans and side jobs to survive as salaries fail to keep up with the cost of living. The findings are contained in the Teachers’ Basket of Needs Survey Report launched by ARTUZ during a virtual meeting attended by teachers, union leaders, civil society groups and education stakeholders.
The report paints a bleak picture of life for teachers across the country. It says many teachers are spending between 10% and 30% of their salaries on energy costs alone. Some households have turned to firewood because electricity and cleaner energy alternatives are too expensive.
“The survey findings exposed the deepening socio-economic crisis confronting Zimbabwean educators,” the union said in the report.
ARTUZ said teachers were living under “unbearable conditions characterised by poverty wages, debt dependency, transport hardships, poor housing, unaffordable healthcare, energy insecurity, and unsustainable living conditions.”
Transport costs were also identified as a major burden. The report said many rural teachers walk long distances every day because of poor roads and lack of affordable transport.
“I walk more than 10 kilometres some days when transport is not available. After transport and food, there is almost nothing left. You just work to survive,” said a teacher who requested anonymity.
Teachers are also struggling to access healthcare. More than 70% of respondents described healthcare services as poor or very poor. Medical fees, consultation charges, and transport costs were making treatment difficult to access, the survey found.
“Teachers are forced to spend large portions of their already inadequate salaries on medical expenses while receiving poor services in return,” ARTUZ said.
The survey also highlighted growing debt among educators. Nearly 80% of teachers surveyed said they were trapped in debt through bank loans, salary-based loans, microfinance institutions, and informal lenders.
The union blamed low salaries for the crisis. The report said many teachers were now balancing classroom work with other income-generating activities to survive. These included farming, poultry projects, informal trading, artisanal mining, and private tutoring. ARTUZ described the situation as a “triple burden”.
“The findings demonstrate that low salaries remain the primary driver of indebtedness among teachers. Teachers should not be reduced to perpetual survival struggles while carrying the responsibility of educating the nation,” the union said.
Following the launch of the report, ARTUZ announced the start of a campaign called Operation Dignity. The campaign is aimed at pushing for better wages and improved conditions for civil servants. The union said the campaign emerged directly from the realities exposed by the survey.
As part of the campaign, ARTUZ said it would continue implementing what it called “collective survival mechanisms”.
These include the controversial two-day working week introduced by the union in previous labour actions. ARTUZ also criticised what it called “expensive colonial-era dress codes” for teachers. The union argued that educators could no longer afford the financial burden associated with formal professional attire.
“The Union maintains that teachers cannot continue subsidising the failures of the state through unpaid labour and personal sacrifice,” the statement said.
ARTUZ repeated its long-standing demand for salaries linked to the Total Consumption Poverty Line. The union also called for government-funded healthcare for teachers, improved housing infrastructure and affordable transport systems. It further demanded solar energy grants, rural electrification support and more transparent welfare and loan schemes.
The report is expected to form part of future salary negotiations and labour engagements.
“The Teachers’ Basket of Needs Survey Report shall serve as a foundational tool for future negotiations, advocacy, mobilisation, and collective bargaining processes,” ARTUZ said.
Zimbabwe’s teachers have for years complained about low salaries and deteriorating working conditions. Unions say many educators are earning wages that are no longer enough to cover basic needs.
The latest survey comes as Zimbabwe continues to face economic challenges marked by rising prices, and pressure on public services.
Teachers’ unions have repeatedly called on the government to improve salaries and conditions in the education sector, warning that worsening living standards are affecting morale and service delivery in schools.
