Sifiso Ndlovu, the CEO of the Zimbabwe Teachers' Association, says the main reason for the exodus is the poor pay teachers get compared to other countries in southern Africa.

He told BBC Newsday that a salary rise would be challenging in the current economic context, but Zimbabwe must do all it can to attract and retain talent:

Quote Message: The average teacher earns a maximum of $350 [£288] per month.

Quote Message: The learners in Zimbabwe are losing the qualified educators who must mentor these learners for the future.

Quote Message: You can't replace experience, you have to generate it.

Quote Message: The issue of our budget control does not allow us to employ exponentially the numbers of teachers we require for the learners in the country."