GOVERNMENT has turned to university graduates to teach mathematics, physics, biology and chemistry amid a serious shortage of teachers for the respective subjects.
NewsDay established that the Education ministry has since informed the Public Service Commission (PSC) about the shortage of teachers for science subjects.
In a letter gleaned by NewsDay, PSC secretary Rosemary Tsitsi Choruma-Dozwa said the commission had granted the Education ministry permission to employ university graduates without teaching experience to take up the jobs.
“It has been noted that the ministry is facing challenges in finding candidates to fill Advanced Level posts to teach mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology,” she said.
“Please be advised that the Public Service Commission hereby grants the ministry authority to deploy university graduates with degrees in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology without pedagogy as Advanced Level teachers.
“The provincial and district recruitment committees should select members without pedagogy from the Public Service Commission recruitment database to fill the Advanced Level posts giving first priority to candidates who registered earlier.”
Choruma urged the ministry to partner universities and colleges to enrol the newly-recruited teachers for mandatory post-graduate diplomas to enable them to acquire pedagogical skills during school holidays.
Zimbabwe has been experiencing serious brain drain as workers continue to leave the country owing to economic meltdown and poor salaries.
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The Zimbabwe Teachers Association estimates that 300 teachers are resigning each month.
Currently, the teachers are engaged in a wage dispute with the government, demanding at least US$540 for the least paid educator.
Other teacher unions are demanding as much as US$1 000.
The health sector has also been hard hit by a skills flight particularly nurses and doctors over poor salaries.
