PUPILS from various schools were yesterday turned away after “incapacitated” teachers resolved to attend duty for three days per week.
NewsDay Weekender gathered that parents were ordered to
withdraw their children from schools, especially in Harare, as teachers did not
report for duty.
Teachers unions vowed that their members would not attend
classes until government addressed their concerns. Primary and Secondary
Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro said the ministry was aware of
reports that teachers were not attending classes.
He said to maintain order in schools, government had tasked
“devoted” teachers to attend to learners whose instructors had absconded.
“The (Education) ministry will not be deterred from its
mandate of providing inclusive and quality education by perceived threats of
job action,” Ndoro said.
“If the employees who are under our ministry are not
performing as expected, then we will advise the employer.
“There are only a third of teachers who are members of the
teachers unions and the rest have no representatives. Just like any other
employer, we will take the necessary measures against those teachers who are
not reporting for duty.”
But a boarding school head who spoke on condition of
anonymity told NewsDay Weekender that it was difficult to control and monitor
pupils when teachers were not reporting for duty.
“It is difficult to enforce the wearing of masks,
sanitising and social distancing among pupils single-handedly as teachers are
on go-slow,” he said.
“That is the reality on the ground. The situation is better
for day schools as pupils can go to their homes, but here at boarding schools,
we have to take care of them.”
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz)
president Obert Masaraure said government should address the incapacitation
crisis, as it was likely that school would close due to the bleak COVID-19
situation in schools.
“Teachers are not teaching.
When they show up at the workplace, they are simply logging in and
staying in,” he said. “When Artuz members go to schools on Monday, they are
going to protest on campus. The COVID-19 scare is soon going to force schools
to close; we should find solutions to the incapacitation crisis.”
Government’s efforts to resolve the impasse reached a
deadlock last week after the civil
servants rejected a 70% pay rise offer. Government also threatened to revoke
salaries for civil servants who were not reporting for work in protest over
poor salaries. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment