Zimbabwe: A Dubious Report Card for Grade Zero

Hats a size too large for most of the small heads, formal school uniforms equally incongruous, they march on regardless - the vanguard in an effort to bring pre-schoolers into Zimbabwe's education system. Beginning this year, primary schools in this Southern African country are required to have at least one class that caters for four- and five-year-olds, to help these children prepare for first grade. This pre-school class, also known as ”grade zero”, is part of government's Early Childhood Education and Care Programme (ECEC).