Teachers say they do not eat threats
09 January 2022
Lindie Dube
Prosperity Sikhosana
The 2022 school calendar was set to commence on Monday 7 February as announced by the government but scholars faced blank black boards as the white chalk was missing.
Teachers were missing from classrooms.
School children had to return home earlier as in some schools there were only a few or no teachers at all.
The salary of a Zimbabwean teacher has shrunk in value to a point that it had been said that a maid in South Africa can pay a Civil Servant in Zimbabwe.
Responding to the absence of teachers from classrooms, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, MOPSE, issued a statement saying;
“It has come to the attention of the Permanent Secretary of Primary and Secondary Education that some officials did not report for duty when schools opened on 7 February 2022 as per 2022 calendar.
Accordingly Heads of Offices should take urgent disciplinary action against any of their members who obstructed the opening of schools and deprived learners of their constitutional rights, where necessary, Heads of Offices should charge and suspend such members at the school, district, provincial or national level and ensure that all due processes are followed as per Public Service Regulations 2000 amended.
Provincial Education Directors are hereby directed to provide a daily update on progress in handling the disciplinary cases in their respective provinces. Officials are reminded that the principle of “ no work, no pay” shall apply where members failed to render their services”.
To this effect, David Coltart, renowed lawyer and former Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, in the then government of National Unity, who is also a member of Chamisa’s recently launched Citizens Coalition for Change, David Coltart twitted is response,
“Whilst l have sympathy for the Permanent Secretary for Education Ms Thabela, who is a good person, this threat is the wrong approach to deal with the crisis in the education sector. The Crisis can only be resolved through genuine dialogue not empty threats”.
Teachers have refused to be treated as if they are of no account.
In response to the threats towards teachers, Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) hit back:
” To the gvt our message, as always, is a call for educational hygiene through restoration of our status, dignity and lustre so that we play a pivotal role for sustainable development of the nation. Any nation that does not respect its teachers is cursed. We are patriotic but you have overstretched us and we have reached our breaking point. We all the same hope you will listen to our professional advice, pay US$540 and bring harmony and productivity to schools. We are however budgeting for your resistance, but hope you will chose a win-win trajectory by restoring US$540 rather than a zero some strategy of educational vandalism and threats as we do not eat threats,” said Zhou.
With many schools announcing increased school fees structures at the beginning if the term, including government schools, one teacher who asked to remain anonymous complained:
“I failed to send my two daughters back to their boarding school which is charging over RTGS$80 000 per child. I got US$71 and RTGS20 000 which is not even half of the fees. Apa you expect me to go and teach, inzwaiwo tsitsi.”
Teachers’ action of boycotting their work is justified, noting how important is a teacher, the world would be in chaos without a teacher. Opinion has it that a teacher should be the highest paid civil servant.
A salary of ZWL $21 000 which is US$90 on the widely used parallel market is what the Zimbabwe teacher is being paid.
Nick Mangwana the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information said:
“Government is seized with the positive adjustments of conditions for its workers within the current budgetary framework. Those adjustments will be announced soon when specific details have been finalised by Treasury.”
In the meantime teachers are telling the employer that they are unable to meet their contractual obligations because they are incapacitated.
They simply cannot afford to reach their places of work, they do not have the money to do so.
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