Online School & Homeschool in Harare

Online school and Cambridge curriculum in Harare

For Harare families — the Cambridge education this city has always valued, taught live, at fees built for the present.

Live online Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge A-Level, Pearson Edexcel International, IB Diploma Programme, and American Curriculum with Advanced Placement (AP) for Harare families. Few cities in Africa have a longer or deeper relationship with Cambridge examinations than Harare — generations of students have taken O- and A-Levels here, the trust and private schools built their reputations on them, and the qualification carries weight with Zimbabwean families, universities, and employers in a way it does in very few other markets. What has changed is what access costs. Smartious teaches that same pathway live in groups of four to six from USD 5,076 a year, in English, one hour from our Nairobi teaching base — as the full programme, or as one or two subjects alongside a school a family already values.

Challenges Harare families face

School fees at the strongest Cambridge and trust schools have moved beyond many professional households.
Specialist A-Level subjects — Further Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics — are often unavailable for small cohorts.
Families with relatives in South Africa, the UK, or Australia are frequently planning across two systems at once.
Students who leave a school mid-phase can lose continuity in a curriculum that assumes a two-year run.
Time zone: Zimbabwe runs CAT (UTC+2) with no daylight saving — one hour behind Nairobi EAT, so live classes land inside the Harare school day.

Why Harare families choose Smartious

The qualification Harare already trusts: Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level, taught live in small groups — not a new pathway to be persuaded of, but the established one made reachable.
Subjects, not a second language: Teaching here is in English, so adding Cambridge means adding subjects rather than carrying a parallel curriculum in another language.
One hour from our teaching base: Zimbabwe is one hour behind Nairobi EAT with no daylight saving either side — classes land in the Harare afternoon all year.
The specialist subjects small cohorts lose: Further Mathematics, Computer Science, and specialist A-Levels taught properly in a group of five rather than dropped from a timetable.
Fees in USD, which most families already use: School fees in Zimbabwe are commonly settled in USD, so our invoicing removes a step rather than adding one.

Education in Zimbabwe is governed by the Education Act [Chapter 25:04], substantially amended by the Education Amendment Act, 2019, in force from 6 March 2020 — an Act that declares fundamental rights to education and provides for government schools, for the registration and control of non-government schools, and, notably, for the registration and control of correspondence colleges and independent colleges. That last provision is worth noting because it shows Zimbabwean law has long treated education delivered at a distance as a recognised, registrable category rather than an anomaly; we state it as context and make no claim about any particular provider's status under it, ours included. On parental home education, our research of the Act did not surface an explicit statutory route, so we say what we can support: we are not aware of an established route, and a family considering one should confirm the current position with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. What is unrestricted, and what we build, is structured education alongside a school enrolment — the school carrying the routine and whatever obligation applies, with live Cambridge subjects running alongside.

Premium tier includes optional in-person home tuition supplementation for Harare families during examination preparation periods, subject to associate teacher availability.

Live online via Smartious LMS. Classes land inside the Harare school day given the one-hour offset, with every session recorded for unlimited rewatch.

Harare holds Zimbabwe's corporate and professional centre and one of the deepest Cambridge school traditions in Africa — with the strongest schools' fees now beyond many of the households that built that tradition. Zimbabwe runs CAT (UTC+2), one hour behind Nairobi EAT.

Family situations we work with

Professional and corporate families weighing Cambridge school fees against household budgets.
Families needing a specialist A-Level subject their school cannot staff.
Diaspora-connected families planning for South African, UK, or Australian universities.
Diplomatic, development, and NGO families on regional postings.
Students returning from abroad mid-curriculum and needing continuity.
Families in outlying suburbs for whom the daily school run is the binding constraint.

Harare communities and nearby areas

Borrowdale · Mount Pleasant · Avondale · Highlands · Chisipite · Ruwa · Chitungwiza

Common questions from Harare families

Is homeschooling legal in Zimbabwe?

Education is governed by the Education Act [Chapter 25:04] as amended in 2019. Our research of that Act did not surface an explicit statutory parental home-education route, so we are not aware of an established one and would tell any family considering it to confirm with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. Structured study alongside a school enrolment is unrestricted, and that is how we work here.

Does Zimbabwean law recognise distance education?

The Education Act provides for the registration and control of correspondence colleges and independent colleges, with an advisory council for them — so distance provision is a recognised, regulated category in Zimbabwean law. We state that as context rather than as a claim about our own status, which families should verify with the Ministry.

Can we take one or two subjects alongside our current school?

Yes, and in Harare it is one of the most common arrangements — typically Further Mathematics, Computer Science, or a science the school cannot staff for a small cohort.

Where do Harare students sit Cambridge examinations?

At authorised centres confirmed per family per session. Zimbabwe's Cambridge examination provision is long established, which makes this considerably simpler than in most countries we serve.

Guides for families in Zimbabwe

What parents say

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“I have peace of mind as a Smartious Homeschool parent. No more traffic and early morning rush to school. Smartious are the most organized homeschool providers.” — Google reviewer, Google review