via We want money, not training: Teachers – NewsDay Zimbabwe October 14, 2013
THE Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has condemned as ill-advised government plans to re-train teachers and vowed to resist the move.
Education minister Lazarus Dokora last week revealed that government had secured $23,6 million from the Global Partnership for Education for the re-training of teachers to improve their efficiency.
However, PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou indicated on Friday that these plans were unfortunate and ill-conceived, saying teacher efficiency can only be improved through the payment of good salaries.
“We again re-iterate our long held view that the problem in schools in Zimbabwe is not so much of teacher inefficiency as of security and pathetic salaries.
“Any impositions would be resisted and ultimately futile,” Zhou said in a statement.
Teachers are demanding a basic salary of $800, but an organ representing all civil servants submitted proposals of $540 for the lowest paid government employee.
Zhou said government should rather channel the $23,6 million funds to teacher training colleges and universities to help improve the curriculum if it was concerned about teaching standards in the country.
“PTUZ strongly recommends that if the ministry has seen a deficiency in teacher training, then it needs to improve training in teacher training colleges and universities with teachers in service getting in-service training rather than retraining.”
He said it was worrisome that the government never consulted teachers on the need to re-train them.
“PTUZ would want to advice the new Minister of Education that teachers, as important stakeholders, we would want to be involved in policy formulation rather than be abused to implement unpopular measures.
“Surely, teachers need in-service training and not necessarily retraining. What is worrisome is that there has not been a baseline survey to determine what form of in-service training the teachers may want yet the ministry is already at an advanced stage in its so-called programme of re-training of teachers,” Zhou said.
COMMENTS
Aaah aaa !the fact behind poor performance of teachers is the poor salaries .give them enough money and u wl c wonders . How can one perform his best on an empty tummy ,with a lot of financial problems ? They need incentives plus some workshops not retraining . Put the right
ministers for these ministries .somebody knowledgeable.
What does this minister know about reasons why there is poor performance in schools? Why cant he learn from the repentant jonathan moyo who has taken it upon himself to establish first the problems faced by the media industry before coming up with policies. As far as dokora is concerned teachers are wel paid and low salaries is not an issue. This man has started off badly
I think this MDC Minister is right. They need more training (literacy). He know that over 80 000 teacher claimed illiteracy on July 31, 2013. Only Headmasters can write, hence the hadd to approach their head-teachers for assistance. If they can’t ready names like “Zanu PF, MDC, MDC-T…….” Which was written in block letters I don’t expect them to read fine print. The need training, eye testing, visual aid etc. Zhou appears literate, he deserve $10 000 per month so as to keep quiet (varamuromo) or make him a deputy minister (like Jonathan Moyo)
For your information mr dokora, many teachers, both primary and secondary, are holders of first and masters degrees. Mr dokora just check enrolment with all our universities especially in the so-called block release programs. Most of the student there are teachers. For your information mr dokora, teachers are not performing to expectation because they are not motivated. On fridays they board buses to tanzania zambia south afr mozambique to buy and sell. That is the only way of getting money to buy food send children to sch buy a car buy a house buy clothes etc. A teacher who doesnt do that wil forever lead a miserable. Mr dokora thinks that retraining teachers is going to improve results. Its so clear that the minister is misinformed about the reality on the ground. The teaching profession has become a national laughing stock. Teachers have been stripped of all dignity and respect. We look back at the colonial period with nostalgia because then the teacher was respected despite the discrimination and bottlenecks in education perpetrated by the white racists. Someone needs to sit down with mr dokora and educate him on the plight of the teacher and the reason why our results in schools are poor.
Aaaaaaa!!!!!! Yesterday you were bragging saying Zimbabweans are well educated thats why our teachers are poached by SADC countries.Today you want to train the same educated teachers.Baba musavhumuka,chingotaurai kuti you have no clue as to what you must do to improve the teaching fraternity.In Zimbabwe,a grde seven can add 1/2 + 1/2 , work mathematics correct to 3 decimal places without a calculator.Thats fantastic.In SA , SOME DEGREED TEACHERS CAN NOT CALCULATE THE SQUARE ROOT OF 25 , BUT THEY EARN US 3000.Be real baba vemusha
These ministers are the ones who are in dire need for re-training since a country needs different policies at different times. Mr Dokora, please if you are trying to please the minority/ otherwise you have forgoten, don’t force teachers to strike. Thanks
Use the money for training to pay teachers and buy them acommodation.
Zimbabwe is the third most CORRUPT country in Africa after Egypt and Nigeria. However, Zimbabweans are the most timid people in the world when it comes to defending their rights. Mugabe will toss them till he dies. Pay them $300,00 a month and that is enough, the rest they will get through corruption!!
haa wo bvisa bonus wobvisa incentive ah huya utiche na amai vako dokora
Great but where are the jobs? We were promised 2.2 several years ago. None has materialised yet. There is a problem.