PTUZ Concerned By Reports Saying That Teachers Will Be Forced To Invigilate ZIMSEC Exams For Free

The Progressive Teachers of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has written to the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) over the possibility that the union’s members will be forced to invigilate ZIMSEC examinations for free, against their will. Pindula News presents PTUZ’s letter.

RE: INVIGILATION CONTRACTS

The above matter refers.

We write on behalf of our membership which is in a potential conundrum of being forced to invigilate examinations run by your organization for free, against their will. As an organization, we do look out for the interests of our members, therefore, we are exhorting you to activate the agreement we had in 2019 for the payment of teachers for invigilation of public examinations.

It is very unfortunate that the whole system, including yourselves and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MOPSE) continue to prepare for examination under the impression that the forthcoming examination session will be business as usual, and that teachers will, as usual, donate their services and invigilate examinations without contracts.

It is also unfortunate and provocative that the Public Service Commission and the Ministry of Finance have also ignored the agreement that was reached between teacher unions (TUZ, ZRTU, ZDTU, PTUZ, ZIMTA and PEUZ ) and MOPSE over the issue of invigilation. The said meeting was also attended by Dr V Hungwe (PSC Chairperson), yourself, Prof P Mavima ( then Minister of Primary and Secondary Education), Madam T Thabela (MOPSE Permanent Secretary) and Madam Chinabe (PSC Legal Advisor). For the record, our members are not workers of ZIMSEC, therefore, both ZIMSEC and MOPSE have no right to press-gang them into working for a parastatal, without valid written contracts enforceable at law.

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By copy of this letter we, therefore, do hereby inform you that if there are no such contracts between ZIMSEC and teachers by the times the examinations start, our members will not be able to take part in invigilation processes. We do make this declaration knowing that the law is on our side, and that the only reason teachers previously invigilated your examinations was it erroneously appeared as part of their job description when in actual fact it was not hence our rightful and legitimate demand to be paid for the services rendered.

Given that you have increased their workload through CALAs, and that everyone else involved in national examinations such as item writers, markers and School Heads who manage the examinations are rightfully paid for that duty, it is imperative and trite at law that you undertake in writing to pay teachers should they offer invigilation services to your organization.

We trust you will find our request for contracts in order.

Yours faithfully

R Majongwe

PTUZ Secretary-General CC: Minister, Primary and Secondary Education Chairperson, Public Service Commission Minister, Finance and Economic Development.

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