By A Correspondent

In a troubling development, the ruling Zanu PF party has been accused of hijacking the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) in Masvingo Province, with government insiders revealing that well-connected individuals are now benefiting from the programme intended to assist vulnerable students.

The BEAM programme, which was created to help financially disadvantaged students access education, has long been a lifeline for many families in Zimbabwe.

However, sources within the Ministry of Education have disclosed that influential figures are now using their power to redirect the benefits of the programme to their own advantage.

“The BEAM programme has become chaotic. Government is struggling to fund and above all, those associated with Zanu PF are seizing the BEAM Programme. The whole thing is disastrous,” said a school head, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Education in Zimbabwe is among the most expensive in Africa, and as a result, over 500,000 primary and secondary school learners have dropped out due to financial constraints. BEAM was originally intended to alleviate this burden by offering financial assistance to students from poor families.

Unfortunately, the programme has struggled with inadequate funding, and now, with political figures allegedly exploiting it for personal gain, many vulnerable students are being left without the help they desperately need.

Despite promises from the government to improve education access, the constitutional guarantee of free primary education and affordable secondary education remains largely unfulfilled. As the government’s ability to fund BEAM continues to wane, the situation grows increasingly dire for families already facing financial hardship.

The situation in Masvingo Province is just one example of how the political elite’s involvement is threatening the future of education for Zimbabwe’s underprivileged students. The misappropriation of resources from programmes meant to help the poor only deepens the divide between the wealthy and those in need, undermining the goal of providing equal access to education for all.

As the crisis deepens, questions remain about how the government will address this growing scandal and whether real change will ever come for the students who depend on BEAM to stay in school.