Opinion / Columnist
Dialogue can end teachers, govt standoff
05 Mar 2022 at 08:20hrs | Views
SINCE schools opened on February 7, 2022, teacher unions in Zimbabwe have declared that their members are incapacitated to report for duty.
This is mainly due to the meagre salaries, which are way below the poverty datum line, which the teachers continue to receive.
Chaos continues to reign supreme at government schools around the country and students continue to be deprived of their right to education.
However, in the midst of this crisis, the government has been on an overdrive to paint a rosy picture of the country's education sector despite the fact that events on the ground prove
otherwise.
Speaking during a Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition event on the state of the country's education sector, the Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro claimed that all was well at schools across the country.
He, however, admitted that more could be done to improve the standards of education as well as teachers' welfare.
"I have been at several schools and what I observed was that we have a mixed bag ever since government intervened. Last week, we had a number of teachers not attending, but now the situation is changing. It is not all blink and blurry but the outlook is looking positive although there is probably more that could be
done.
"Let us allow government to take the strides that it has taken to make sure that the welfare of the teachers is taken care of," Ndoro said.
Government and civil servants have been at loggerheads, with the teachers blaming the State for pushing a propaganda campaign aimed at painting a positive picture yet the education sector was in turmoil.
Speaking during the same event, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe and the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe challenged government to face the reality on the ground and create platforms for genuine dialogue with the teachers.
This is mainly due to the meagre salaries, which are way below the poverty datum line, which the teachers continue to receive.
Chaos continues to reign supreme at government schools around the country and students continue to be deprived of their right to education.
However, in the midst of this crisis, the government has been on an overdrive to paint a rosy picture of the country's education sector despite the fact that events on the ground prove
otherwise.
Speaking during a Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition event on the state of the country's education sector, the Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro claimed that all was well at schools across the country.
He, however, admitted that more could be done to improve the standards of education as well as teachers' welfare.
"I have been at several schools and what I observed was that we have a mixed bag ever since government intervened. Last week, we had a number of teachers not attending, but now the situation is changing. It is not all blink and blurry but the outlook is looking positive although there is probably more that could be
done.
"Let us allow government to take the strides that it has taken to make sure that the welfare of the teachers is taken care of," Ndoro said.
Government and civil servants have been at loggerheads, with the teachers blaming the State for pushing a propaganda campaign aimed at painting a positive picture yet the education sector was in turmoil.
Speaking during the same event, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe and the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe challenged government to face the reality on the ground and create platforms for genuine dialogue with the teachers.
Source - NewsDay Zimbabwe
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
