Chronicle
Midlands Correspondent
16 June 2011
The Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart yesterday said there is a consensus across the political divide that civil servants’ salaries should be increased immediately.
Addressing parents, teachers and provincial education heads soon after touring some rural and urban schools in Midlands Province yesterday, Minister Coltart said the issue of civil servants’ salaries has become a burning one in Cabinet and parties have agreed to review the salaries.
“The issue of civil servants’ salaries has been topical in every Cabinet meeting of late and there is a general consensus among the three political parties in the inclusive Government that the salaries should be improved. Everyone has agreed that the civil servants’ salaries are pathetic and that they need to be reviewed as a matter of urgency,†he said.
His comments come in the wake of reports of that on Thursday last week, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told the private media that the Government has no money to support and salary increase.
Sen Coltart, who declined to give a time frame on when the Government was going to review the civil servants’ salaries, said teachers should be patient and continue working while the issue was being addressed.
“I don’t want to raise the expectation of the civil servants’ and later have them dashed but the position is that civil servants’ salaries will be reviewed. I urge parents and teachers to remain for the good of our children,†he said.
The Government has proposed two minimum salaries for civil servants’ which are US$257 and US$397 and the final figure will be determined by the availability of funds.
Public Service Deputy Minister Andrew Langa said last week that his ministry and that of Finance met and agreed on the figures.
Civil servants’ take home between US$150 and US$200 per month, way below the poverty datum line estimated to be at US$504.
Minister Coltart, who applauded President Mugabe and Zanu-PF for creating what he said was the “best education system†in Africa, said there was a lot of disharmony and controversy brought about by the introduction of teachers’ incentives to supplement their salaries. “Let me acknowledge the greatest achievement that President Mugabe and Zanu-PF have done in the post-independence era is to bring about the best education system in Africa. This vibrant and education system was, however, facing collapse if it were not for the teachers’ incentives. These incentives have, however, brought about some disharmony in our schools,†he said.
Minister Coltart said he was facing a dilemma with some calling for the abolishing of teachers’ incentives, which he said he could not immediately scrap. He said the only way to end the controversy and disharmony brought about by the introduction of teachers’ incentives was to improve the civil servants’ salaries and their working conditions.
“Our education system is hanging in the balance and the only is to go is to improve the civil servants’ salaries,†he said.
Minister Coltart said his ministry was against the idea of teachers’ incentives but was not in a position to scrap them before civil servants’ salaries were reviewed.
“As a ministry we are very much aware of the burden placed on the parents as they struggle to raise school fees, levies as well as these incentives but I cannot immediately scrap the teachers’ incentives before their salaries have been reviewed,†he said.
Minister Coltart said the incentives have kept the education system ticking but the only way to reduce the burden was to improve the teachers’ salaries.
“We have even tried to engage international donors to help us pay teachers’ salaries without success. They have just agreed to assist on other issues to do with textbooks,†he said.