News / National
Govt rubbishes suspension of teacher's salaries
22 May 2014 at 10:09hrs | Views
The minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Lazarus Dokora, has rubbished rumours that have gone viral on social platforms that the ministry is mooting a policy that will see teachers not getting paid during school holidays and also move sports days to Saturday.
On Wednesday most teachers, especially those aligned to the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), were receiving WhatsApp messages that the ministry would soon suspend teachers' salaries for April, August and December holidays.
There is a rumour that the Ministry of Education is mooting a position not to pay teachers salaries for April, August and December because they will be on holiday and not rendering any service to the government.
PUTZ statement indicated that the government is also mooting an idea to have all sporting activities in schools will only be done on Saturdays only because they are disturbing lessons during the week.
The curriculum will also to change within the next 4 months and ALL teachers who do not have Science, Maths and English at "O" Level irrespective of the subject they teach and any other higher qualification they hold must rewrite these subjects within a grace period of time failure to which the system will eject them.
However, Dokora said the government had no plans of lifting the said salaries.
"I have also heard the rumours but they are just what they are, rumours. Government has not sat down to make such a policy. It's all fabrication that we don't even know where it came from."
He also chastised teacher organisations for fanning misunderstanding between teachers and government.
"Some people have made government to appear like a monster that is there to fight with teachers by fanning misunderstanding between the teachers and their employee," he said, adding that "teachers' unions are not policy makers" and so should stop interfering on government policies.
In a press statement released yesterday, The Progressive Teachers Union said it is not happy about these rumours and is waiting for President Mugabe to come back home so that they write to him that they have lost faith and hope in Dokora.
The millitant union said if no action is taken, 'we will be left with no option but to hit the streets.'
On Wednesday most teachers, especially those aligned to the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), were receiving WhatsApp messages that the ministry would soon suspend teachers' salaries for April, August and December holidays.
There is a rumour that the Ministry of Education is mooting a position not to pay teachers salaries for April, August and December because they will be on holiday and not rendering any service to the government.
PUTZ statement indicated that the government is also mooting an idea to have all sporting activities in schools will only be done on Saturdays only because they are disturbing lessons during the week.
The curriculum will also to change within the next 4 months and ALL teachers who do not have Science, Maths and English at "O" Level irrespective of the subject they teach and any other higher qualification they hold must rewrite these subjects within a grace period of time failure to which the system will eject them.
However, Dokora said the government had no plans of lifting the said salaries.
"I have also heard the rumours but they are just what they are, rumours. Government has not sat down to make such a policy. It's all fabrication that we don't even know where it came from."
He also chastised teacher organisations for fanning misunderstanding between teachers and government.
"Some people have made government to appear like a monster that is there to fight with teachers by fanning misunderstanding between the teachers and their employee," he said, adding that "teachers' unions are not policy makers" and so should stop interfering on government policies.
In a press statement released yesterday, The Progressive Teachers Union said it is not happy about these rumours and is waiting for President Mugabe to come back home so that they write to him that they have lost faith and hope in Dokora.
The millitant union said if no action is taken, 'we will be left with no option but to hit the streets.'
Source - Byo24News
