Source: Govt to lift teacher recruitment freeze – DailyNews Live
Farayi Machamire 24 March 2017
HARARE – Govrnment’s teacher recruitment freeze could soon be lifted,
deputy Labour minister Tapiwa Matangaidze told the National Assembly on
this week.
He said the Civil Service Commission will move ahead with hirings
following an outcry that the teacher-student ratio has gone through the
roof.
In 2015, the then Public Service Commission announced that government had
with immediate effect frozen recruitment and promotions in the civil
service, as part of a staff rationalisation exercise in line with a Civil
Service Report recommendations.
“There is definitely a rethink on that issue but all we need to do right
now is to ascertain the vacancies which are there, approach Treasury to
seek funding and should the funding be in place, definitely we will see
movement in that regard and some recruitment coming through” Matangaidze
said.
“However, the challenge right now is to assess the vacancy levels and to
source the funding requirements,” he said.
MDC Binga South MP Joel Gabbuza had complained bitterly that at some
schools, one teacher was teaching 80 children.
Gabbuza asked Matangaidze to indicate how long the survey will take and if
it was not similar to that done by the Civil Service Commission.
“This particular exercise that I am referring to does not relate to the
public service audit that was done,” Matangaidze replied.
“This now depends on the three ministries, firstly, the ministry of
Primary and Secondary Education, the ministry of Public Service, Labour
and Social Services and the Finance and Economic Development. So it will
not relate to the Public Service audit like I said.”
He added: “What we need coming through from the ministry of Primary and
Secondary Education is to establish where the vacancies are.
“Once the relevant ministry has done that and we, through the Public
Service Commission, ascertain that indeed this is actually true, will then
approach Treasury for funding.
“So, you will appreciate that this is a significantly lower route to take
for a result to come through. The main challenge as it stands right now
will be in assessing the funding so that these will be funded posts.”
MDC Warren Park MP Elias Mudzuri said the current teacher-student ratio
was unconstitutional.
“It is not enough to tell this House that there is not enough funding for
teachers when you have a student-teacher ratio which is not acceptable,”
he complained.
“These children will not have a gap which they have to subsidise after
they have already lost the time. Can the ministry take it as a Social
Welfare ministry issue to ensure that is done yesterday?”
Matangaidze said: “I fully concur that this exercise that I am referring
to should be done as quickly as possible and we will definitely implore on
the ministries that we work with in this regard to make sure that all
resources necessary are channelled in that direction.”
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