Source: Unions mock govt over 4k new teachers – NewsDay Zimbabwe
BY TAFADZWA KACHIKO
Labour unions representing teachers say the announcement by government that it had recruited an estimated 4 000 teachers was a joke, saying the country has over about 50 000 vacant posts.Primary and Secondary Education minister Evelyn Ndlovu told Parliament on Wednesday that the ministry had recruited 3 900 teachers to address a critical shortage of teaching staff in government schools.
Early this year, the ministry said it was targeting to recruit at least 10 000 teachers in 2022.
However, unions said the country suffered a serious shortage of teachers as educators were quitting their jobs en masse to protest poor salaries.
“The number is a drop in the sand because we have a serious shortage in the education sector. Teachers are resigning daily out of frustrations emanating from poor remunerations,” Educators Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Tapedza Zhou told NewsDay Weekender.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Takavafira Zhou said a survey by the union revealed that the deficit of teachers in the education sector was nearly 50 000.
“This recruitment is insignificant and we urge government to speedily address the deficit in schools so that we address the high teacher: pupil ratio,” he said.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure said: “While they are recruiting, teachers are leaving the profession en masse,” he said.
“The underpayment of teachers has reduced them to paupers and made the profession unattractive. Some of the recruited teachers are refusing to go to work having realised that they signed up for poverty.”
Zimbabwe Union of School Heads secretary-general Munyaradzi Majoni urged authorities to recruit more teachers to address the challenges of staff shortages.
“In addition, deliberate efforts must be made to address welfare challenges, especially finding a permanent solution to salary disputes between teachers and their employer so that high staff turnover is curbed,” Majoni said.
According to Primary and Secondary Education spokesperson Taungana Ndoro, Zimbabwe currently has an estimated 145 000 teachers against 4,6 million learners.
Ndoro denied that the country had a shortfall of an estimated 50 000 teachers despite noting the existing staffing challenges
“The 3 906 teachers were recruited to add on to the close to 1 500 recruited in March as the Ministry moves towards the 10 000 which it aims to employ before the end of the year,” he said.
Teachers and government have been at loggerheads over poor salaries and working conditions, with educators demanding pre-2018 salaries of US$540 or the equivalent in local currency at the interbank rate.
Early this year, government suspended a number of educators for going on strike demanding better salaries and working conditions.
Government also docked part of their salaries.
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COMMENTS
ZANU despots do want quality education – as most of the democratic world recognizes and aspires to – available to our young people! Properly and expansively educated young people will soon begin to question closely, the morality and justifications of Zimbabwe’s “liberating” leadership, then they will challenge!!
Look for Ed and his “yes men” to install ZANU youth as advanced education specialists in our schools. Already largely uneducated, ignorant and emotionally distorted by “liberation heroes” philosophies and beliefs, these drones are ideally suited to ensure the values and beliefs of Ed and his buddies become even more ingrained in Zimbabwe national psyche!
Education, like just about every other social mechanism needed to serve and maintain quality lifestyle and hope for the future of inhabitants in any country, has eroded and disintegrated since the white oppressors left.
Why could we not maintain the educational standards – minimal though they were – that the Rhodesians established for black people. Compulsory and government funded up to standard six. Even private (white) schools were an option for those of us who could pay. After inheriting a prosperous and fully functioning country, why could our new leadership not simply follow the pattern established by the racists, and even expand “black education” into the many former white state schools with newly reduced pupil rolls? Oh, I forgot, our “liberating leaders” were clearly more concerned with accumulating every possible dollar for themselves and imposing indelible control and subjection on their newly liberated supporters.
Does this include the teachers coming to ZW from Cuba comrades ?
They will teach us about poverty as they are one of the few countries on the planet poorer than ZW.