Zimbabwe Has A deficit Of Over 25 000 Teachers
Zimbabwe still has a long way to go to clear a deficit of over 25 000 teachers as only 3 904 teachers have been recruited so far this year.
The deficit may balloon as teachers are quitting the profession citing poor remuneration.
In a Ministerial Statement presented to legislators in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Evelyn Ndlovu said:
The Public Service Commission authorised 10 000 posts initially and reduced that number to 5 000 posts for the year 2022 with Treasury concurrence.
Of the 5 000 posts, 3 904 have been filled and the balance of 1 096 will be filled in September 2022. In addition to this, another 1 454 attrition posts have since been filled.
At present, there are 10 100 schools in the country with an enrolment of more than 4.6 million pupils and an establishment of 136 000 teachers.
The teacher-pupil ratio for ECD is 1: 25 pupils, junior school, 1:40, lower to secondary 1:33, O level 1:30, and A’ level, 1:20.
However, an acute shortage of classrooms and teachers has meant that the recommended teacher-pupil remains a mirage.
The Government had announced that it would recruit 10 000 teachers in 2022 only to later revise the figure to 5 000.
