Teachers recalled to allow head count

THE government has temporarily stopped hiring temporary teachers to pave the way for an audit to establish if there are any vacancies that need to be filled in schools.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) cancelled teachers' vacation last month and ordered all teachers on leave to report to their work stations.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Tapiwa Matangaidze yesterday said the government recalled teachers "to check on the gaps" in primary and secondary schools.

He said the government will have a firm position on temporary teachers after the exercise.

"We recalled teachers on leave last month to check on the gaps that need to be filled. This is a follow up of a staff audit that the CSC conducted last year.

"It'll give us indications on how many qualified teachers we've and how many temporary teachers we've in our schools," Matangaidze told The Chronicle.

"Once the exercise is complete we'll have a firm position on temporary teachers. It'll also help us know how best we can fill the gaps."

He said the exercise will also pave way for the government to engage qualified teachers who are yet to be employed.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister, Prisca Mupfumira, recently said teachers will only be able to go on vacation leave when the government is in a position to pay relief teachers who replace them when they are away.

Teachers have since gone to court challenging the cancellation of their vacation leave, but the government is not obliged to consult anyone when taking measures on civil servants' conditions of service and has discretion to withdraw vacation leave and reset it for another day.

Last year, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora said the government was finalising the documentation for standards, which recommends exclusion of unqualified personnel from schools.

Dokora said no one should be accommodated in the education sector with no qualifications.