POLICE have turned down the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ)’s bid to march to Parliament today to submit a petition over educators’ poor salaries and working conditions.
PTUZ secretary-general Raymond Majongwe had requested
police escort in a letter addressed to the police dated February 25, 2022.
But police said the teachers should send a few individuals
to deliver the petition.
“Please be advised that I am not in a position to sanction
the march due to the following reasons. Some rogue elements may take advantage
of the situation and hijack your march and further their own ill-conceived
agenda. However you may allow,” acting officer commanding Harare Central
district one Chidakwa wrote to Majongwe on Tuesday.
Majongwe had also written to Clerk of Parliament Kennedy
Chokuda giving notice of their intention to march to Parliament to deliver the
petition.
The majority of teachers went on strike when schools
reopened on February 7 citing incapacitation
Government offered a 20% salary increment to teachers,
among other incentives, but the educators insisted that government should
revert to the pre-October 2018 salaries of at least US$540.
Speaking to NewsDay yesterday, Majongwe said they would
challenged the police ban on the proposed march.
“We are definitely challenging this. We want to submit the
petition as a group. We are considering taking the legal route. How can two
teachers carry the burden of over 22 000 teachers? Certainly, there is no
justification to stop us from handing over the petition,” he said.
Harare provincial
police spokesperson Inspector Tendai Mwanza referred questions to national
police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, whose number was not
reachable.
Meanwhile, the Primary and Secondary Education ministry has
reportedly dispatched district school inspectors (DSIs) on a witch-hunt
targeting teachers who have been absent from work since schools opened.
Government had instructed all teachers to have reported for
duty by February 22 or be considered as having resigned.
PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou said the union had received
information that DSIs were ordered to charge the absentee teachers and their
respective school heads.
Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson
Taungana Ndoro could not be reached for comment. Newsday
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