Cabinet on Tuesday announced a phased reopening of schools
after a lengthy COVID-19-induced break, with examination classes supposed to
report for lessons on March 15, while the rest of the classes will open a week
later.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president
Obert Masaraure told NewsDay that as long as government failed to meet
teachers’ grievances, there would be massive failure by teachers to return to
work due to incapacitation.
Teachers are demanding a basic salary of US$520 or its
equivalent in local currency, but government insists that it has no capacity to
pay in foreign currency or the equivalent in local currency.
“It is very unfortunate and tragic that the government of
Zimbabwe is opening up schools without capacitating the teachers who ordinarily
teach there. The teachers will neither be able to show up for duty nor pay the
school fees for their own children. Government is acting like the proverbial
fool who repeats the same mistake and expects different results. The crisis of
September 28 will haunt us,” Masaraure said.
He said government should ensure voluntary vaccination of
teachers and mandatory testing of all participants in the physical school
ecosystem to ensure adherence to COVID-19 standard operating procedures.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Takavafira
Zhou said currently, teachers’ salaries ranged from $14 000 to $19 000, a
situation which rendered them incapacitated.
Zhou accused government of reneging on its November 2020
promise to pay them US$520 or its equivalent by July 2021.
“The message from President Mnangagwa was clear and loud
that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education must prepare to open
schools in line with WHO [World Health Organisation] regulations. Indeed, the
timelines would have been sound if government was preoccupied with the urgent
resolution of the welfare of teachers and prioritisation of health and safety
of teachers and pupils,” he said.
“As teachers who are nearer the schools and classrooms, we
want to tell Mnangagwa that teachers will not be able to report for work on
March 15, 2021 as they are grossly incapacitated. There is no need for the
State to be inconsiderate by giving teachers an impossible mission of opening
schools on March 15.”
Zhou accused the civil servants’ negotiating body, Apex
Council, of failing to represent government workers.
He said the National Joint Negotiating Forum and Apex
Council could not serve the interests of civil servants and teachers as they
did not have the interests of civil servants at heart.
But Apex Council president Cecilia Alexander dismissed the
claims, saying teachers were the most represented in the Apex Council. “The few
individuals who criticise the Apex Council are those betraying the workers’
struggle. They are not giving any service,” Alexander said.
Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson
Taungana Ndoro said schools would open as planned.
“The ministry has come up with catch-up strategies that
will see all continuing classes starting with 2020 work. Syllabi have been
compressed to enable accelerated coverage. Both primary and secondary levels
have three levels of accelerated compressed syllabus each. This will result in
work being covered in much shorter time,” he said. Newsday
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