Enhancing Teachers’ Livelihood and Economic Empowerment for Quality Education: Insights from Zimbabwe

A wide body of research evidence shows that teachers in many developing countries continue to be subjected to an array of poor working conditions that negatively affect teaching effectiveness and student academic achievement and, overall, hamper efforts to achieve quality education as envisaged by Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4). Drawing from the findings of a larger study aimed at exploring the livelihood challenges and survival strategies of teachers in Zimbabwe during the country’s hyperinflation period between 2008 and 2015, this chapter highlights some of the poor working conditions that teachers have to work under in resource-constrained contexts. Using Chambers’ analogy of hedgehogs and foxes, the overall point in the chapter is that instead of being hedgehogs that rely on one type of resource (a single job and salary) and focus on their teaching, teachers in resource-constrained contexts tend to become “foxes” that engage in a portfolio of activities to survive. The effect of this on teachers’ personal livelihood circumstances and well-being as well as on educational outcomes is illuminated. The chapter concludes by presenting strategic policy and practice recommendations that can be implemented to enhance teachers’ livelihoods and to ensure that they are economically empowered, motivated, and focused on their careers, all for the greater goal of achieving quality education in line with some of the targets of SDG 4.