Zimbabwe's Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Dr. Fredrick Shava, has announced that the country has opened negotiations with South Korea to have Zimbabwe classified as an English-speaking nation. This move is aimed at creating new job opportunities for Zimbabwean English teachers in the wealthy Asian country.
Dr. Shava made these remarks during the signing ceremony of an Air Services Agreement on Cooperation and Assistance with his South Korean counterpart, Mr. Cho Tae-Yul, on the sidelines of the South Korea-Africa Summit on Sunday. The Air Services Agreement is expected to play a crucial role in shaping international aviation policy and fostering cooperation between Zimbabwe and South Korea.
Highlighting Zimbabwe's educational landscape, Dr. Shava stated that "English is an official language in Zimbabwe and the sole medium of instruction at all levels of education." This emphasized the country's strong English-language capabilities, which could potentially be leveraged to benefit Zimbabwean professionals in South Korea.
Zimbabwe is renowned for training skilled professionals who are in high demand globally. Currently, many Zimbabwean health workers are finding employment in countries such as Britain, America, and Australia, often through private arrangements. However, this has made it challenging for Zimbabwe to fully capitalize on the export of its human resources.
If the proposed bilateral initiative with South Korea is successful, Zimbabwe could potentially benefit from the remittances sent by Zimbabweans formally employed in South Korea. This would represent a significant opportunity for the country, as evidenced by the 16% increase in diaspora remittances through official channels, which reached $1.873 billion last year, up from $1.617 billion in the same period in 2022, as reported by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Dr. John Mushayavanhu, in his inaugural Monetary Policy Statement in April.
