Teachers’ groups said they accepted the government was struggling for funds and needed time to raise revenue.
Teachers have been paid $100 a month in foreign currency since February, but trade unions wanted much more.
The new term begins on Tuesday, and Mr Coltart has been in protracted
talks with unions and foreign aid donors to make sure the schools
reopened on time.
He said although the schools would be open, the education system was a "shadow" of what it had been.
"The doors may open, there may be children in the classrooms and
teachers teaching, but there are very few textbooks in the rural areas
and many schools do not have roofs or doors or windows," he told the
BBC.
‘Responsible’
Mr Coltart, a former opposition activist, said the state of the service
was down to two decades of neglect by President Robert Mugabe’s
government.
Raymond Majongwe, head of the Progressive Teachers Union, said going back to work was the "responsible" thing to do.
"We are appealing to our members to go to classes tomorrow [Tuesday]
while we allow the government to raise funds so that we can get
reasonable salaries," he said.
Zimbabwe’s economic collapse left the country’s currency virtually
worthless – and many civil servants unable to afford the bus fare to
work.
The new power-sharing government managed to persuade many government
employees to return to work in February by paying them in foreign
currency and agreeing to wages reviews.
BBC NEWS
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