GOVERNMENT is under fire for refusing to engage teachers, despite mounting calls for dialogue to resolve the on-going impasse over salaries and deteriorating working conditions as schools open for a new term today.
Teachers’ unions claim that throughout last year, they have been clamouring for a meeting with government officials to find common ground and address the crippling challenges facing the education sector.
However, government has been evasive, turning a blind eye to the educators’ pleas thus shutting the door to meaningful dialogue.
Teachers’ representatives have resolved to meet and devise a strategy on how to respond to government’s snub.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) made the call for the teachers’ representatives to meet and discuss the issue, saying teachers are “ill-prepared” for reopening of schools today.
PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou said government had ignored calls for dialogue to amicably resolve the impasse.
“As PTUZ, we are still in the process of engaging our members and other unions over the course of action to take as a collective,” Zhou said.
“We are, however, perturbed by government’s arrogance at a critical time of our education system. Many teachers have, as of now indicated that they are ill-prepared for opening schools and have no money to pay fees for their own children, let alone travel to their respective schools.
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“All the same, we must learn from history that isolated attempts to address the genuine concerns of teachers will not lead us anywhere and we call for serious discussions among teachers over a clear-cut way forward, the unity of all teachers across the union divide and greater collaboration in our actions that can yield more traction.”
Zimbabwe Teachers Association secretary-general Goodwill Taderera also said teachers ought to unite for collective bargaining.
“We work together as a confederation,” Taderera said.
“We need a collaborative approach and we continue consulting each other on the best way forward.
“Tomorrow we are opening schools and our members will report for duty despite various other issues of concern. So we just go. We will see from there what we can do to have our issues addressed.”
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) has called for a week-long protest over poor working conditions.
The Artuz protest starts today up to January 21, 2025, according to a letter dated January 13, 2025, written to the Public Service Commission secretary.
In the letter copied to the Primary and Secondary Education minister and the Public Service minister, Artuz secretary-general Robson Chere said the protest was aimed at compelling government to respond to their concerns.
“Teachers have perennially failed to make it back to the classroom on opening day,” Chere said.
“This is because of poor salaries which are completely wiped out by the pressing needs of the day. At some point in 2022 the then permanent secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Ms Tabela, urged teachers to borrow so that they can make it back to work.
“Unfortunately teachers now carry an unbearable debt burden. They can’t borrow anymore. It is against this background that the union is demanding US$200 hardship allowance to be paid during the opening month of every term. This will go a long way to cure the perennial incapacitation crisis,” part of the letter read.
Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro scoffed at the teachers’ threats.
“Yes, schools will open as usual and smoothly so. We are all raring to go and it’s all hands on deck,” Ndoro said.
