The 2018 Primary and Secondary Education Statistics Report presents the performance of the education sector from 2014 to 2018 by gender, region, location and to some extent by districts using data from the Education Management System (EMIS) collected by authorised schools in June 2018. The report covers 11 chapters which include the following areas: Demand for education (population and schools); Enrolments: Access to Education ( new entrants into Grade 1 and Form 1 and Access Rates); Participation in the Education system; OVC, including the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) and Impairments ; Internal efficiency; Teaching establishment; Facilities; Non -Formal Education and Learning Outcomes (Pass Rates). Generally, rural areas are worse off than urban areas, with regards to education delivery.
According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) population projections based on the 2012 Population Census, there are 5 601 398 (girls - 2 804 775: boys - 2 796 623) school aged people (3-18 years) in 2018, of whom 50.07 percent are girls. The number of schools have increased tremendously since independence due to the expansionary education policy and increased further after the land reform in 2000 resulting in the setting up of satellite schools. Since 2014 the number of schools has been increasing marginally. In 2018, there are 6 242 schools with Education and Childhood Development (ECD), 6 288 primary schools and 2 871 secondary schools. There are 628 826 learners (females -312 616: males -316 210) enrolled for ECD A and ECD B in Zimbabwe of whom 49.71 percent are females. Progress has been registered in ECD enrolment as reflected in continuous positive annual percentage changes from 2014 to 2018. However, the increase in 2018 was lowest at 0.78 percent. In 2018, 81.12 percent of the ECD learners are enrolled in rural schools, and the remainder in urban ones.
