The Zimbabwean
By Edgar Gweshe
8 May 2013
Government inaction over untrained teachers in private colleges has riled teachers’ unions and compromised learning standards countrywide.
The Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, Raymond Majongwe, said politicians were behind the privatisation of education in Zimbabwe. “The government is trying to privatise education. The people starting these private colleges are politically connected. The truth of the matter is that if this issue of privatisation of education is not handled properly, it will send the education sector into turmoil.
“If you look at these private colleges, even the infrastructure is not up to scratch. Also, the people creating these colleges do not have the administrative skills to run them. Issues like drug abuse and teenage pregnancies are rampant at these institutions,†said Majongwe.
He blamed the government for turning a blind eye. He said efforts to engage the government over the issue had failed. “The registration of these private colleges is quite dubious and our investigations have shown that some people are pocketing the registration money,†added Majongwe.
Teachers Union of Zimbabwe Secretary General, Ottoman Magaya, said: “While we want to promote the growth of the education sector, we must not be seen to be compromising standards. The Ministry of Education must make sure that students are going to get knowledge from qualified and competent personnel. They must visit these schools and make sure they adhere to the regulations.â€
When contacted for comment, Education, Sport, Art and Culture Minister, David Coltart said: “Part of the problem is that some of these colleges are set up without the necessary approval and it is difficult to track them down. We have under qualified teachers in government schools as well as in private colleges because we do not have a sufficient number of qualified teachers in the country.â€