Progressive
Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president, Takavafira Zhou, yesterday said they had
been receiving reports of teachers leaving or contemplating leaving the
profession due to poor working conditions and low salaries that are being
outpaced by an escalating cost of living.
“Yes, we have
received such cases. What is most worrisome is the delay in processing
retirement benefits for those who formally retire, with some even passing on
before accessing retirement packages. The sciences (Mathematics, Physics,
Chemistry, Biology, Combined Science and ICT (computers) are the most
affected,” Zhou told NewsDay.
“The statistics
for early retirement or any other form of retirement are very difficult to get.
However, we are losing between 15 000 and 20 000 teachers per year through
desertion. Statistics for this are computable because, apart from getting
monthly provincial reports, the Salary Services Bureau also gives monthly
indications of members whose dues cannot be deducted after leaving teaching.
“There is a
general feeling that the government is deliberately fixing teachers for a crime
best known by the employer. Many teachers have also been psychologically
affected by the blame levelled against them, when they are doing so much with
so little.”
He said there
was little room for engagement with the government resorting to imposing
things, such as curricula, “without appropriate educational taxonomy and
prudence, let alone interoperability, standardisation, provision of learning
and teaching materials”. Newsday
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