Teachers frustrated over new Maths, English syllabus

Teachers in Matabeleland South have expressed frustration over the introduction of new English and Mathematics syllabus at primary school when they opened schools for the second term amid revelations they are now being forced to plan afresh  for the subjects they had through out the holiday been planning for.

Some teachers who spoke to this journalist in Gwanda said last week the Primary and secondary education officials from Gwanda provincial offices pounced in at schools in Gwanda north assessing teachers and checking their scheme books to see if they were following the newly introduced English and Maths syllabus only to find most of them still using the old method because they were not advised on closing date that during holidays they would be required to scheme using the new syllabuses.

"What the Education ministry is doing to us is a total frustration we no longer know if they want to suck us of not because when we opened this term officials from the ministry came to our school to assess us and they disqualified all our schemes for the English and Maths subjects saying we should be using the new syllabus," said one teacher. "Imagine we schemed for these subjects during the whole holiday period and someone comes when we are ready to deliver the lessons and say all what we did is wrong we have to start afresh. This is really unfair and disorganized. We really do not understand the policies being put in place by the current minister Lazarus Dokora. He will destroy the education because this is discouraging us.."

Another teachers said the systems imposed by Dokora in the education system will definitely discourage him to continue with the profession because at the same time they are made to work extra miles they are not adequately paid and such policies are recipe for disaster.

"I do not see my self continuing teaching if teaching is made to be so controversial and difficult as this minister is putting to us," said another teacher. "We are being poorly paid and someone is busy frustrating more with introduction of useless policies which do not even benefit the children. I will soon leave this job its becoming unpleasant."

The teachers said Dokora has also introduced a system where each class or teacher will teach the same class in various level when among the pupils the ministry say in grade six there are students whose level is for grades twos, three, four and five and the teachers have to attend them according to their level which they said its more demanding and unattainable.

The teachers challenged the minister to stop frustrating them if he wants to be an achieving minister during his portfolio period saying otherwise due to his policies morel is so low among the educators.