Daily News
| By Maxwell Sibanda
11 October 2010 HARARE – Zimbabwean teachers last Friday celebrated The World Teachers’ Day amid disgruntlement over poor salaries and working conditions. “Teachers continue to fight for their rights, albeit these laid down recommendations agreed upon by world countries forty-four years ago.†He said the teaching profession in Zimbabwe was no longer attractive. “We have engaged government and all the stakeholders as we tried to negotiate for an increase in our salaries, but we have yielded nothing.” Ndlovu said government should view financing of the education sector as an investment. He said: “Money put towards education is money well spent. Today Zimbabwean teachers are poorly remunerated and there is lack of in-house training.†“We are saying that any form of recovery starts with the education sector. Teachers are the engine and are Raymond Majongwe , leader of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, (PTUZ) and former school headmaster Bob Nyabinde played music for the teachers. “PTUZ is disgruntled and disappointed, a dark cloud is in fact hovering above our heads. We can’t celebrate when our little allowances were unilaterally frozen. We can’t celebrate misery, impoverishment and destitution,†read part of a statemetn issued by the PTUZ. “Teachers are not morons; teachers are not political nonentities. We demand better salaries, dignity and a quick restoration of our social status. We demand the future of our children, our pensions and traditional respect.†PTUZ said the introduction of incentives at schools was meant to divide them. Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Senator David Coltart told the House of Assembly last week that government intends to abolish the payment of incentives to teachers as some schools were flouting regulations governing such payments. Coltart agreed with PTUZ that the incentives had divided the teachers as those in urban schools now earned more than those in rural areas. He added: “It iscriminates between teachers teaching in poor areas and teachers in wealthy areas. We will abolish the incentives after consultation with teacher trade unions.†Coltart said his ministry was always meeting with teachers’ unions, most of them are now incorporated in advisory boards. He said “Their inclusion in these boards creates greater levels of fairness. And it is through deliberations and consultations with various trade unions that my ministry managed to draft the 2010 – 2011 strategic plan for the education sector.†Coltart queried Zimbabwe’s proclaimed status of having the highest literacy rate in Africa. He said: “I have challenged that and it is time that we confronted the truth. The local education sector has been under funded for the past two decades and we are producing a small proportion of graduates.†Coltart said government had failed to deliver on those great promises. “There are children still walking to school 5 to 10 kilometres and this compromises their learning as they arrive at school already tired, and most probably hungry as well.†|