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This comes amid widespread concerns that satellite schools across the country do not have adequate infrastructure.
The development has been blamed for the poor pass rates.
Speaking during a question and answer session during the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) 31st conference in Bulawayo on Friday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Dr Stephen Mahere said his ministry was aware of the challenges facing satellite schools and would soon roll out a programme to give a facelift to these schools.
He, however, could not specify when exactly the programme would start.
“We ought to be aware that the satellite schools we have at the moment are not permanent. They are only there for the urpose of ensuring that pupils in resettlement area have access to education.
The Government is still assessing resettlement patterns in these areas, the distances and enrolment patterns before building proper schools,” said Dr Mahere.
He said plans were in place to build proper schools. “At the moment our focus is on rehabilitating all the run down schools in the country. We need to provide adequate water and sanitation to our schools and proposals are awaiting Cabinet approval,” he said.
Dr Mahere was responding to concerns raised by school heads and teachers who said Government should come up with a deliberate programme for improving satellite schools.
A majority of pupils attending satellite schools learn under squalid conditions. The schools operate from buildings left behind by former white commercial farmers that are smaller in size and do not have enough furniture, among other facilities required for a proper learning environment.
In some of the schools pupils have to lie down on their tummies when writing because of furniture shortages.
The development has seen the schools failing to attract qualified teachers.
The teachers also implored the Government to improve their salaries and scrap incentives, which they said do not provide a favourable pension when they retire.
The teachers also expressed concern over delays in the recruitment of teachers that left the profession during the height of economic hardships.
They also urged the Government to review some of the education sector legislation in order to make it relevant to the modern trends.
This concern was made in reference to disparities in the allowances of advanced level teachers and their primary level counterparts.
The teachers also said the Government should allow them to use computers for scheming.
In his response Dr Mahere said the Government supported the use of advanced technology in schools but urged teachers to be thorough in their work.
On incentives he said the Government was concerned about the welfare of teachers adding that incentives would be scrapped at an appropriate time in order to avoid disrupting the education sector.
Dr Mahere said returning teachers were allowed to rejoin the sector through the formal channels.
He, however, said those aged 50 and above would not be recruited on permanent basis as they are nearing retirement.