By Tendai Makaripe
HARARE — Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) delays have left Jairos Jiri School for the Blind under severe financial pressure after the Kadoma institution last received funding in 2022, Parliament heard Tuesday.
Dexter Malinganiso, chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, reported the funding gap while presenting findings from a joint inquiry into disability rights and living conditions in Zimbabwe.
“This situation is unsustainable,” lawmaker Donald Mavhudzi told the National Assembly.
“Education should never be a privilege simply because a learner has a disability,” he added.
The Joint Portfolio Committee on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and the Thematic Committee on Human Rights produced the report after holding public hearings, consulting disability organisations and visiting institutions across Zimbabwe.
BEAM delays burden schools
Jairos Jiri officials told lawmakers that BEAM delays had persisted across several academic cycles.
“This financing model makes planning impossible,” the committees said in their report.
The funding delays have hampered the school’s ability to meet operational costs while providing boarding, learning materials and other essential services to learners with specialised needs.
The report also cited financial pressure at King George VI Centre in Bulawayo and Hugo School for the Blind in Masvingo.
Most learners at Hugo School depend on BEAM.
However, payment delays have disrupted institutional planning and education delivery, according to the findings.
Public submissions also showed that some schools continue demanding fees from learners with disabilities because government assistance remains unpredictable.
This shifts education costs back to families that the program should support.
The government told the committees that BEAM covers tuition for children with disabilities from early childhood development through A Level.
However, lawmakers said persistent payment delays had weakened the program and placed children’s right to education at risk.
Parliament also heard that enrollment at Jairos Jiri had exceeded the school’s capacity, resulting in congested boarding and sanitation facilities.
Parliament seeks protected funding
The committees recommended that the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion ring-fence BEAM funding for learners with disabilities by December 2026.
They also urged the government to operationalise the Disability Levy to establish a sustainable funding stream for disability programs.
Lawmakers further recommended enforcing minimum standards at institutions serving people with disabilities and establishing a national system for procuring and distributing assistive devices.
The National Assembly adjourned debate on the report until Wednesday.
Tuesday’s proceedings included no immediate response from the ministries responsible for finance, primary and secondary education or social welfare.
