Teachers divided over incentives

Chronicle
16 April 2010
By Brian Chitemba in Harare

THE Zimbabwe Teachers Association (Zimta) is deeply divided over the payment of incentives to teachers by parents with some advocating for the scrapping of the facility while others want the arrangement to stay.

The teachers, meeting at the Zimta 29th annual conference in Harare yesterday, failed to reach an agreement over the incentives, which the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart, said were approved by the Government.

However, the majority of teachers argued that the incentives should be banned because the Government was “relaxing” to pay competitive salaries.

A teacher at Vainona High School in Harare, who refused to be named, said incentives had divided teacher unions in confronting the Government over poor salaries.
He said the Government should pay teachers a living wage of US$502 per month instead of the US$156, which he described as an insult.

“We have had a case at our school where some teachers were receiving incentives against the will of other teachers who were on strike pressing the Government to pay better salaries. However, some of the parents said they wanted to pay the incentives for the benefit of their children’s education,” said the Vainona teacher.

Another teacher said the incentives had created different classes among teachers, with some getting “a lot of money” while others were being given mealie-meal and meat, especially in the rural areas.

He said incentives were causing confusion among teachers who are pushing the Government to review their salaries.

“The employer (Government) is taking advantage of incentives not to increase our salaries. Incentives are retrogressive and must go,” said the teacher.

Teachers from the rural areas strongly felt that incentives were disadvantaging them while enriching those in former Group A schools in urban centres.

They said the incentives should be stopped immediately to allow smooth negotiation of salaries between workers and the Government.

Another teacher said: “If we get incentives as teachers, then what happens to the rest of the civil servants? Can’t you see that we are disadvantaging other workers who are lobbying for a review of salaries?”

Other teachers said the Government had clearly stated that there were no funds to increase their salaries, hence the need to keep the incentives in place as a short-term solution.

“We all know that the Government is broke and if we reject the incentives, then that means we are going to starve with our families. For now, I think, let’s just turn a blind eye and take the incentives until such a time when the Government can increase our salaries from US$156 per month,” said the teacher.

Zimta chief executive officer Mr Sifiso Ndlovu urged the association members to carry out a research in schools before making a decision that may affect them.
He said a resolution would be announced after wide consultations on whether to ban the incentives paid by parents.

On other resolutions, Zimta said political parties should be engaged in seeking a review of conditions of service and remuneration.

Zimta, which has 97 percent coverage in schools, passed a resolution that the Government should pay competitive salaries as well as improve equipment and textbook availability in schools.

“Women should be represented in positions of power at Zimta. Salaries should be reviewed in line with the Poverty Datum Line. Headmasters of schools should not teach in school,” said the teachers.

The resolutions will be forwarded to the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.

The conference ended yesterday and was held under the theme: “Role of Educators’ Unions in Promoting Political Cohesion: A must for the Reconstruction of Quality Education in Crisis”.