There is a total collapse of all systems in Zimbabwe, but education does not seem to be a victim.

"No disruption to learning" touts a newspaper ad for a new private Zimbabwean school, one of many springing up in living rooms, backyards and plots across Harare.

It's a big selling point in a country where government schools lost an estimated 20,000 teachers in 2008, a year when students attended class only 50 days. Teachers launched a new strike on Friday, raising worries about the new school year that began just last month.

Zimbabwe's crisis in education eased last year with the creation of a unity government between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

That ended Zimbabwe's economic freefall and halted the political unrest that saw nationwide attacks mainly against the premier's supporters.

But government schools still struggle with up to 50 students in a class and 20 children sharing a book.

Cashing in on the situation, new private schools run by individuals, families and organisations are sprouting across the country, often inside homes, in yards and in plots designated by the municipalities, offering an alternative to parents.

On pamphlets and flyers, in newspapers and on radio and television, advertisements promising anything from one-on-one tuition, free textbooks and transport, to a Christian environment, have become a familiar feature.

Education Minister David Coltart said the government realises that it does not have the resources to provide the schooling that was once the envy of Africa and made Zimbabwe the most literate country on the continent.