Teacher -student ratio in Mat- North baffles legislator

The teacher- student ratio in Matabeleland North Province where the pass rate has been low and a cause ofr concern has baffled the legislator in the province Joel Gabbuza who expressed his displeasure over it in Parliament during debate.

Gabbuza said President Robert Mugabe recently spoke about the issue of education, which everyone is aware he is very passionate about.

"Beginning of this year we were given figures of pass rates in the country.  The President raised issues to do with education but when we look at the pass rates that were released from ZIMSEC "O" levels, in particular, Matabeleland North was the worst with the lowest pass rate.  You then ask yourself if Matabeleland North had the lowest pass rate this year and also had the lowest pass rate last year, what are the issues there?" he said.

"Upon analysis, the issue is about the level of teacher/student ratios that we have in many of our schools.  Most of the teachers in most Matabeleland North schools are temporary teachers.  Now, Government has put a freeze on the recruitment of qualified and non qualified teachers to the extent that as we speak, we get a school which is running with two teachers from Form One to Form Four.  This is not characteristic of many other places or other provinces because they already had qualified teachers.  However, in our situation where we had temporary teachers, Government has put a freeze on recruitment of temporary teachers. It has also put a freeze on the recruitment of qualified teachers so we get about twelve schools that have form one up to four but only one or two teachers doing all the work."
He said one of these is also the headmaster, when he goes to a meeting, one teacher remains teaching form one up to form four.

"I do not know what is there for us in Matabeleland North.  I think this is something that needs urgent attention and we still appeal to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education or those Ministers who are here present to raise this issue in Cabinet because it is causing very high teacher-student ratios.  One teacher teaches about 80-90 students.  For those with an education background, there is no way you can teach 90 students in a class and expect them to pass but this is what is happening in many schools in Matabeleland North," he said.

"At primary school it is even worse.  I went to a school last week where there are three teachers who teach grade 1 to 7.  We are moving towards second term and there is no hope that Government will ever put more teachers in those schools because they are not talking of any lifting or special waiver for these particular schools.  If it remains like that, some of us are very greatly concerned that the President is worried about education.  Unfortunately, this scenario will not put the country on the map or at least to be at equitable levels in terms of education."

He said they will get to a situation where some provinces are lagging behind.

"They are already lagging behind but if they are going to go without teachers for all these long periods of time, it will be even worse.  There is an issue of high teacher-student ratios but there is also the problem of those few teachers that are there, they are overburdened and they are stressed.  They cannot work effectively because if they have to teach all those subjects and being two only in the whole school- I think it is demoralizing," he said.

"More-so, I think for the students in most schools, we were beginning to witness a lot of drop outs because they get to school and there are no teachers or there is only one teacher.  I am of the idea that if Government cannot employ, why can it not move some excess labour in some departments in the Civil Service.  I have in mind the Ministry of Youth.  We have several young men and women who are equally qualified to teach at schools.  They have obtained five O' levels and they can work as temporary teachers.  At the moment, they spend most of their time doing almost nothing and just wait for their salaries, come month-end.  Why can we not move those youth officers at the moment when Government has no money because that will not cause an extra cost to Government?  That is what I think can be a mitigatory measure in the short term."

Gabbuza said those are the two concerns that he is really worried about and he will lobby with the other fellow Government workers and others to see if that can possibly be initiated because the situation - particularly in Matabeleland North, is very critical and the Minister may not be aware because it is not common in all other places.