GOVERNMENT has ordered teachers to invigilate the ongoing Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) examinations or face penalties for failure to comply with the lawful order.
Some teachers unions called on their members to boycott
invigilating the examinations after a deadlock over payment of invigilation
allowances.
Zimsec said the obligation to pay invigilators fell under
the Public Service Commission (PSC).
The PSC on Tuesday said invigilation was part of teachers’
duties in line with their employment contracts.
In a memorandum dated November 30, 2021, Primary and
Secondary Education ministry chief director (human resources) Learnson Tagara
said teachers who failed to invigilate Zimsec examinations would face the
consequences.
This was after PSC chairperson Jonathan Wutawashe wrote to
ministry secretary Tumisang Thabela ordering her to inform teachers that they
were obliged to participate in line with their employment contracts
“Please refer to the attached minutes from the PSC dated
November 25, 2021 and the approved job description for the post of a teacher,”
Tagara wrote.
“According to the attached job description, invigilation is
part of the duties of a teacher under making and administration of
examinations. In view of the above, provincial education directors should
remind their structures of these duties and sensitise teachers of the
consequences of refusing to take part in the administration of examinations.”
But teachers unions accused the PSC of doctoring the
minutes to dodge paying them for their services.
“That memorandum was not part of the contract teachers
signed up for. We just saw a copy dated November 25, 2021,” Amalgamated Rural
Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure said.
“Rules don’t apply in retrospect. We have done due
diligence, including engaging those who are in the Education ministry human
resource department, the minutes were non-existent in the past. It, therefore,
does not apply to us, but to those who will agree to sign up for it.”
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general
Raymond Majongwe said the order for teachers to invigilate for free was
unacceptable.
“If that is allowed, then teachers will be ordered to dig
wells, cut grass or clean toilets as part of their duties,” he said.
“This is an unfair labour practice and an unnecessary
onslaught on teachers. Government just wants to abdicate the responsibility of
paying for the invigilation of examinations.”
Primary and Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro
said teachers who refused to invigilate would be charged with breaching their
employment contracts.
“Any breach of contract gives rise to a right in the hands
of the innocent party to recover the damage suffered caused by the breach of
contract by the defaulting party,” he said.
“Those damages can come in different forms such as
rescission and/or restitution. Damages are normally classified as being
compensatory or punitive. In this case, punitive damages may be given because
the wrongdoer would have acted wilfully, maliciously or fraudulently.” Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment