Early Years of Post-independence Zimbabwe

The goal of this chapter is to look into early post-independent Zimbabwe. This marks an important period in that it ushered in the first economy. For instance, the main orientations of the post-colonial education reforms were guided by democratisation of access to education and localisation of curriculum and examinations. Key policy initiatives included the introduction of free and compulsory primary education, the removal of age restrictions to allow over-age children to enter school, the encouragement of community support for education and automatic schooling progression, for primary-grade school children entering secondary school. In the health sector, the majority of the black population gained access to basic care and government launched a range of cost-effective preventive health programmes. The land reform programme was targeted at the landless and war veterans. Land reform was in two phases, the Land Reform and Resettlement Programme I from 1980 to 1998 and the Fast Track Land Reform Program since 2000. Agricultural policy was directed to reducing inequality and to supporting smallholders. The major significant change in the agriculture sector was increased capital intensity of production. Small-scale black farmers with access to good land and productive resources responded remarkably to new production opportunities.