'Vacant rural teaching posts to blame for poor pass rates'

MPs have implored government to fill vacant teaching posts in rural and marginalised areas to improve pass rates.

Rushinga MP Tendai Nyabani (Zanu-PF) while raising a motion on deployment of teachers, said the Labour and Social Welfare and Primary and Secondary ministries should work together to fill vacant positions in rural areas.

The motion came after most schools in the rural areas recorded poor pass rates which were as low as 3%.

Nyabani said there was need for strategic intervention in the deployment of teachers in rural areas where the staff turnover was high.

He said the staffing of teachers has a direct bearing on the performance of learners and also the access to education.

"Urgently consider benefits such as waiver of tuition fees for teachers with children in government schools and decentralise recruitment of teachers to the provinces and districts in line with the devolution policy so that locals benefit," Nyabani said.

He said the way children in rural areas and those in urban areas are taught should be the same.

"In the rural areas, the working conditions are deplorable and when that person is in the rural area, he thinks of transferring to the urban area. It has been noted that schools in the rural areas have no teachers anymore. That is why I am raising this motion," Nyabani said.

"My point of view is that, in such areas like Rushinga, we should have the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and Primary and Secondary Education ministries based there so that they analyse how best they can give the right to education to those children."

Nyabani added: "It pains me that when we come here, someone will say people in Rushinga are not learned, so they do not deserve to be given positions."

"Government should recruit more teachers so that we will not have poor pass rates again in the rural areas. We do not want to see that continuing next year. I urge the government to recruit teachers. Let teachers be recruited at the district office.

"I implore this House to make sure that the ministry recruits teachers in rural areas. There is no nation that will progress without education," he added.