Source: BEAM arrears soar past US$292 million but government orders schools not to send learners home ⋆ Pindula News The government has acknowledged that arrears owed under the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) have risen to more than US$292 million. However, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has warned schools that learners must not […] The post BEAM arrears soar past US$292 million but government orders schools not to send learners home appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation
The government has acknowledged that arrears owed under the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) have risen to more than US$292 million.
However, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has warned schools that learners must not be sent home for failing to pay fees.
Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mercy Dinha told Parliament recently that BEAM arrears had accumulated since 2023 due to limited fiscal space.
In 2023, BEAM supported 1,856,996 beneficiaries, with US$62,583,089 remaining outstanding after fees were only partially paid.
In 2024, the programme assisted 1,261,140 beneficiaries, resulting in a further US$117,766,325.08 in arrears.
In 2025, 950,192 beneficiaries were supported, leaving US$112,142,942 outstanding in fees, levies and examination fees.
This brought the cumulative arrears to US$292,492,316.46.
Dinha said Treasury had released ZiG84,876,800 in 2026, which was used to partially clear arrears owed to some mainstream and special schools. A further ZiG10 million was allocated towards examination fee arrears with the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC).
She said Treasury had committed to releasing additional funds to clear the outstanding balance.
The issue came under further scrutiny after MPs raised concerns about the impact of unpaid BEAM funds on learners.
ZANU PF Chief Whip and Gutu South MP Pupurai Togarepi told Parliament that some schools in his constituency were sending home between 70 and 80 per cent of learners receiving BEAM support.
He questioned why learners should bear the consequences of the government’s failure to pay schools, particularly when the schools were government institutions.
The matter was referred to Primary and Secondary Education Minister Torerayi Moyo.
Moyo said government policy did not allow schools to exclude learners because of unpaid fees, adding that sending learners home violated their fundamental right to education.
He acknowledged that some schools had been turning learners away and said the government had taken action against those responsible.
Moyo said he intended to issue another statement before the start of the third term to reinforce the directive that learners must not be sent home over unpaid fees.
The parliamentary debate also highlighted a distinction between mainstream schools and special schools for learners with disabilities.
MP Angeline Gata told Parliament that special schools had been fully paid for 2023, 2024 and 2025, while arrears dating back to 2023 remained outstanding for mainstream schools.
She added that the number of learners benefiting from BEAM had grown to around five million, placing additional pressure on the programme.
The government says it expects Treasury funding to become available to clear the outstanding arrears before the end of the year.
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