Zimbabwean schoolteachers said on Friday that the nation's education system was collapsing because of the deadlock in forging a unity government.

"Education service delivery has been seriously compromised and is on the brink of collapse," the Zimbabwe Teachers' Association (Zimta) said in a statement.

"This is a crisis that our once-vibrant education system is experiencing," it said.

"Zimta urges the nation, the political leaders of all political formations that are engaged in the negotiations ... expedite the formation of an all-inclusive government so as to speedily salvage the education system," it added.

The statement came ahead of a summit of the regional Southern African Development Community (Sadc) on Sunday seeking to goad veteran ruler Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai into a deal on forming a cabinet.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai signed an agreement in Harare on 15 September that was supposed to pave way for a unity government.

But bickering over which party takes key ministries has delayed the formation of a government and deepened Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis.

Schoolchildren have missed their lessons for the better part of the year as teachers went on strike over low pay and poor work conditions.

The few teachers going to work often spent most of their time selling sweets and stationery while others resort to so-called "remote control" teaching — leaving a pupil to take charge of the class while they attend to personal business.

AFP