Ndebeles need counselling on deployment of non-Ndebele speaking teachers

Matabeleland villagers need counselling on how government recruit and deploy civil servants, Primary and Secondary Education Permanent Secretary  Sylvia Utete-Masango has said.

She said deployment of non-Ndebele speaking teachers in the region was not an issue to worry about.

Utete-Masango said her ministry does not look at where the person is coming from, but they look at the competence of the individual.

"Villagers who chase away non local language speaking teachers in their region should be counselled on government's deployment criteria, which is mainly based on qualification,"   Utete-Masango is quoted saying.

"As the ministry we do not look at where the person is coming from, we look at the competence of the individual," said  Utete-Masago.

"We have a lot of teachers from this region who are in all corners of the country so just like uniformed forces you find them all over so that is how we also look at it in the education ministry," said  Utete-Masango.

There has been a long-standing wrangle between Lupane villagers and education ministry officials over the deployment of non-Ndebele speaking teachers in local schools.

On Monday four School Development Committee members were arrested for leading a protest for the removal of the headmistress they accuse of stifling the teaching of Ndebele at a local school.