Chronicling the Causes of School Decline: The Case of Two Zimbabwean Schools

Abstract This article reports on the findings of a qualitative study on the causes of school decline at two schools located in Chipinge Education District, Zimbabwe. Specifically, the study focussed on schools that were previously known for excellent academic learner performance but had since declined. The data was generated through semi-structured interviews and observations with school heads, the school management team members and parents at each school. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. The results suggested that school decline was triggered by several intricate factors which included the: socio-economic and political conditions in Zimbabwe; ineffective instructional leadership; scarcity of funding and resources towards education; lack of incentives for teachers; departure of qualified and experienced teachers to neighbouring countries; low teacher morale; and the poor attitude of students to learning and misconceptions of children’s rights. While these factors contributed to school decline, the article posits that effective and visionary school leadership should be able to mitigate against some of these factors to mitigate the severe impact of external factors on school decline.