The ‘Born Free’ facing challenges because of the bedridden economy they were born into

‘Born Free’ is a tag associated with people born in 1980 and soon afterwards following the protracted liberation struggle of the 1970s. But the irony is that while the tag is associated with a good life, of people who did endure suffering to enjoy the new Zimbabwe, the majority of the so-called born-frees are struggling, 34 years after independence. Most of them have never been employed and are living a life of want and disappointment. Most of them armed with degrees and post graduate diplomas think they have conquered the world, but they have not seen anything. They are failing to fly high as expected, thanks to a crumbling economy, blamed on the Zanu PF government. While appreciative of the selfless efforts of the fallen and living war veterans who fought for the country’s political independence, some say that the peers, who got assistance from the government which paid for their university education, are suffering. Some say they have not been able to secure their dream jobs or even ordinary lowly paying ones to survive as companies continue to close. Most of the youths are drowning their sorrows in beer or end up joining political parties.

For the past 33 years, they have not known any other leader except President Robert Mugabe. The cash-strapped government is no longer able to support students in colleges and universities. Generally, education is now out of the reach of ordinary people who now have to rely on their own pockets to give their children higher education.  According to government, in the first decade of Zimbabwe's independence, enrolment of students from primary to tertiary level increased from one million to three million, a direct result of the new black government’s prioritisation of education. The construction of state universities, polytechnic and vocational colleges, coupled with government's direct support of students, saw Zimbabwe attaining one of the highest literacy levels in sub-Saharan Africa. But as the economy experienced a downturn from the mid-nineties, reaching rock-bottom in 2007, the gains of the early years of independence were reversed, with thousands of graduates failing to find employment and many of them deciding to seek better opportunities outside the country.

Zimbabwe is failing to pay tuition fees for students at colleges and universities due to serious financial challenges. Instead of continuing to build more universities that churn out graduates year-in year-out, the government should seriously consider revising the country's education curriculum in order to impart knowledge and skills that enable graduates to create rather than look for employment individually and collectively. A nation's youth often plays an important role in changing its fortunes for the better, but it remains to be seen what role the born-frees can play in bettering their own lives and that of the nation at large. As the situation remains largely the same to this day, some observers have said the pre-independence period offered better opportunities to youths than the present day. Norbert Nhutsve is a historian who works with a state-run organisation, speaking in his individual capacity, Nhutsve tells Studio 7 that although they may have been more and varied, the opportunities offered by the minority white government were limited to a few blacks.

 The youths say they have nothing to celebrate as they face a bleak future because of unemployment and poverty; problems which they believe have left them at the mercy of politicians.