Zimbabwean teachers have announced that they will not be able to report for duty next week when schools officially open for the third term.
Schools are scheduled to reopen on Tuesday for this year’s final term, during which Grade 7, Form 4, and Form 6 students will sit for public examinations.
In an interview with NewsDay, Tapedza Zhou, secretary-general of the Educators Union of Zimbabwe (EUZ), said that the ongoing economic challenges are adversely impacting the quality of education in public schools. Said Zhou:
As EUZ, we know that teachers cannot report for duty as they are incapacitated and this is a sad reality. We call upon the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to resolve salary issues with teachers because their impoverishment is taking a huge toll on the quality of education for all of our children.
A recent survey conducted by the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) revealed that parents, guardians, learners, and teachers are unprepared for the reopening of schools.
The ARTUZ study found that approximately 70% of the teachers interviewed reported being severely incapacitated due to inadequate pay.
Munyaradzi Majoni, secretary-general of the Zimbabwe National Union of School Heads, acknowledged the government’s commendable initiative to introduce a pupil feeding programme in some schools but said teachers’ remuneration must not be overlooked. Said Majoni:
The employer is loudly quiet about our remunerations. While giving grain is commendable, the government cannot ignore the human resource aspect.
We may not be held unreasonable if we declare incapacitation. Sadly, from past experience, our employer waits for us to first declare incapacitation so that they act.
In March, the government raised teachers’ salaries from US$300 to US$320 (gross), an increment that many have deemed insufficient due to the substantial deductions that reduce the actual take-home pay.
Teachers’ unions are now calling for a more substantial increase, demanding a minimum salary of US$840 for the lowest-paid educators.
More: Pindula News