Teachers Cash In On Incentives & Data Fees
Some schools in the Matabeleland region are reportedly demanding between US$1 to US$10 from learners per week as incentives for teachers to attend class, despite learners having paid fees in full, Sunday News reports.
This comes after teachers unions notified education authorities that their members are incapacitated and will only be able to report for duty twice a week.
The government has however responded by implementing a no work no pay policy for absconding teachers.
Reports indicate that teachers at some schools have been demanding incentives from parents of about US$10 for them to teach every day.
Not only are some teachers at some schools demanding incentives, but they are also demanding money for data for them to be able to conduct online lessons.
This means that in a class of 35 learners, the teacher will be getting US$35 per week for data and a total of US$140 a month.
Some private schools are also reportedly demanding US$10 per pupil per month while some have pegged their school fees using forex and are not accepting the local currency.
Director of Advocacy and Communication in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Ministry Taungana Ndoro said it was against Government policy to demand incentives for teachers.
