Survey reveals teachers turning to farming and mining

Teachers across Zimbabwe are increasingly resorting to risky and informal income-generating activities, including farming, poultry projects and artisanal mining, as salaries fail to keep pace with the rising cost of living, a new survey has revealed.

The findings were published in the Basket of Needs survey report released by the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), which highlights the deepening financial pressures faced by educators.

ARTUZ president Obert Masaraure said the majority of teachers remain dependent on government salaries, which he said are insufficient to sustain basic household needs.

According to the survey, 63% of teachers rely solely on their salaries, while others are forced to supplement their incomes through various survival strategies.

Masaraure said 17.95% of teachers engage in farming, not as a supplementary activity but as a means of survival, while 14.10% depend on extra lessons to make ends meet.

He added that 12.82% of teachers rely on poultry production, while 11.54% are involved in more hazardous informal activities, including artisanal gold mining.

"The state should be ashamed that an educator, a keeper of knowledge, must work in dangerous conditions on weekends just to afford basic necessities," Masaraure said.

The report highlights ongoing tensions between teachers' unions and the government over salaries, with educators arguing that their earnings have been significantly eroded by inflation and rising living costs.

ARTUZ says it plans to use the findings as part of its collective bargaining strategy to push for improved conditions of service and salary adjustments.

Masaraure said the data strengthens their negotiating position, describing it as evidence of what he termed a "triple burden" faced by teachers.

He added that the union would engage stakeholders and partners in efforts to pressure authorities to address the situation in upcoming negotiations.