Teachers Planning To Boycott Invigilating ZIMSEC June Exams Over Poor Working Conditions - Report

Teachers are reportedly planning to boycott invigilating next week’s ZIMSEC exams because of poor working conditions, New Zimbabwe reports.

While addressing the issue of invigilating exams, PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou said:

The issue of invigilating June exams is before the courts where both ZimSec and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education had promised to put testing kits, thermometers, sanitisers, PPEs in schools by the 26th of June.

They also promised that they would have cleaned and disinfected schools currently used as quarantine centres by then. Surprisingly, the ministry and Zimsec have been belting and bellowing instructions to school heads to scavenge for Covid-19 abatement requirements at a zero budget, an impossible feat indeed.

Zhou also urged teachers to wait for official communication from them as the matter is still before the court and not listen to schools heads of education officers:

To all teachers in Zimbabwe, be advised that the issue of invigilation is before the courts, all communiques made so far have no locus standi and must be disregarded forthwith. Our health, safety and welfare should come first. Anything else must be resisted by all means possible.

We can’t fast track our demise by dining with death and being reckless with our health, safety and welfare. All teachers in Zimbabwe must forthwith disregard unlawful instructions from some school heads threatening teachers with unspecified action should they not report for invigilation.

Teachers are duly advised to resist all unlawful instructions from school heads, DSIs, PEDs and head office. We have nothing to fear.

Ordinary and Advanced level examinations are poised to start next week despite leaners having last been in school on 24 March 2020.

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