News / Education
CCTVs at Girls High cause stir
07 Jun 2014 at 09:36hrs | Views
The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has criticised authorities at Girls High School in Harare for the recent installation of $68 000 CCTVs in classrooms, saying the exercise was meant to victimise teachers and impinge on their freedom.
Investigations by The Zimbabwe Mail revealed that recently, Girls High School authorities installed CCTVs at the institution's classrooms with all proceedings monitored from the head's office.
On its Facebook page PTUZ, wrote a complaint letter which was copied to the school head, the district Education director, provincial Education director, permanent secretary in the ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the responsible minister, Lazarus Dokora and Educational International, a global trade union organisation, querying the logic behind the move.
Part of the letter reads:
"As the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) we have noted with concern that you have installed CCTVs in your classrooms that you monitor from your office and we are kindly asking you to share with us if this was an instruction from anywhere or was it your own initiative and what value it adds to the teaching at your school both from the teachers and learners perspective."
PTUZ said the move would render authorities in responsible positions redundant and argued that the expensive move would not in any way improve the quality of education at the institution.
"As far as we are concerned, this move is very ill – informed and shows a serious barrenness of management skills and makes the head de facto head of departments in all subjects, prefect, class monitor and security guard of the school and is this how our schools should operate? (sic) We are told the project cost $68 000 and is this the best way to utilise the resources in the school and will this improve the results?" read the post.
PTUZ has since given authorities at the school 14 days to remove the CCTVs or face unspecified action.
When The Zimbabwe Mail went to the school Thursday to seek the authorities' side of the story, the school head, Beauty Mutsambiwa, was said to be in a meeting while efforts to obtain a comment from her later in the day proved fruitless.
Some teachers and students at the school said the installation of the CCTVs in classrooms was meant to victimise them and monitor their movements.
"This is unheard off…the move is very unfair and we call upon government to urgently look into this matter for the CCTVs infringe on our freedom as professionals," said a teacher at the school.
No comment could also be obtained from Dokora as his phone rang unanswered.
Investigations by The Zimbabwe Mail revealed that recently, Girls High School authorities installed CCTVs at the institution's classrooms with all proceedings monitored from the head's office.
On its Facebook page PTUZ, wrote a complaint letter which was copied to the school head, the district Education director, provincial Education director, permanent secretary in the ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the responsible minister, Lazarus Dokora and Educational International, a global trade union organisation, querying the logic behind the move.
Part of the letter reads:
"As the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) we have noted with concern that you have installed CCTVs in your classrooms that you monitor from your office and we are kindly asking you to share with us if this was an instruction from anywhere or was it your own initiative and what value it adds to the teaching at your school both from the teachers and learners perspective."
PTUZ said the move would render authorities in responsible positions redundant and argued that the expensive move would not in any way improve the quality of education at the institution.
"As far as we are concerned, this move is very ill – informed and shows a serious barrenness of management skills and makes the head de facto head of departments in all subjects, prefect, class monitor and security guard of the school and is this how our schools should operate? (sic) We are told the project cost $68 000 and is this the best way to utilise the resources in the school and will this improve the results?" read the post.
PTUZ has since given authorities at the school 14 days to remove the CCTVs or face unspecified action.
When The Zimbabwe Mail went to the school Thursday to seek the authorities' side of the story, the school head, Beauty Mutsambiwa, was said to be in a meeting while efforts to obtain a comment from her later in the day proved fruitless.
Some teachers and students at the school said the installation of the CCTVs in classrooms was meant to victimise them and monitor their movements.
"This is unheard off…the move is very unfair and we call upon government to urgently look into this matter for the CCTVs infringe on our freedom as professionals," said a teacher at the school.
No comment could also be obtained from Dokora as his phone rang unanswered.
Source - Zim Mail
