From The "You Don't Know How Good You Have It" Department

It's been said that if you wanted to see the ruins of Zimbabwe, you went to Rhodesia, and if you want to see the ruins of Rhodesia, you go to Zimbabwe. Mugabe has screwed everything up there, including education.

Zimbabwe's education system is beginning to battle back from years of neglect and an exodus of teachers...

Many parents today are too poor to send their children to school. Rural schools -- where pencils, desks and books are luxuries -- are hardest hit...

The families of some children are so poor they cannot afford the reduced fees of U.S. $2 a year -- only a quarter of the children have the funds.

Some parents have even resorted to paying fees in chickens and other life stock.

Ndlovu said: "When the parents bring a chicken to sell or to offer as school levy, teachers sometimes buy it, so if they agree on the price, the teacher would get the item, pay the fees, and then if there is any change, he would give the parent the change"...

Zimbabwe's unity government has managed to get some striking teachers back into classrooms by offering them an improved wage of $150 a month, but that is hardly a living wage.

It's hard to have a future, when that is your present.