Fears that the chaos that gripped the education sector in the greater part of 2008 might resurface in 2009, that saw little if any learning activity at schools and colleges, a continuous strike by teachers and lecturers at institutions of higher learning have been raised after government deferred the opening of the first term of 2009 from January Tuesday 13 to Tuesday 27.
The government through the ministry of education was quick to point out Tuesday that the move has been necessitated by the need to complete marking of last year’s national examinations.
The government controlled Herald newspaper quoted Secretary for Education, Sport and Culture, Dr. Stephen Mahere saying ,”all our valued clients and stakeholders are therefore advised to take note of this decision which has been necessitated by the need to facilitate completion of the marking of 2008 public national examinations involving a significant number of teachers.”
Critics, however believe that the delay has been largely caused by Grade 7 examination papers which are still not marked as markers are in a showdown with government demanding to be paid in foreign currency as the local currency is unstable. Primary students need Grade 7 results to be enrolled in secondary education.
Zimbabwe’s education sector once rated one of the best in Africa has had is status overshadowed by dwindling standards as teachers and lecturers either leave for greener pastures in neighbouring countries or put down their tools for better working conditions, which government has been slow to address over the years.
Late last year, the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), a militant teacher organization said if teachers’ demand for a salary of about US$2, 200 is not met they (teachers) would not report for duty in 2009. The teachers’ body argues the demand is in line with the dollarization of Zimbabwe’s economy, where most goods and services are now pegged in US dollars and the South Africa’s Rand as the hyper-inflationary environment has eroded the value of the unstable local currency. The teachers’ organization also estimate that up to 30, 000 teachers resigned in 2008.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) December report, school attendance rate in Zimbabwe fell to 20 percent by last term 2008 from 85 percent in 2007 as a result of the prolonged job action and the mounting political and economic uncertainty gripping the country.
Voice of America news early this week quoted UNICEF Representative in Zimbabwe, Roeland Monasch saying schools closed early last year because teachers were not coming to work because of bad salaries and poor working conditions, expressing fears that the same scenario might be repeated when school reopens in January 2009.
“What we need to do is we need to make sure that teachers are motivated and are able to come back to school. And, that really all depends on the support we can provide those teachers.”
“It basically means we are working at the moment with the Ministry of Education in public service to see if there is a possibility to set up an incentive scheme so that teachers are willing to come back to school. For that…we need donor support,” said Monasch.
As Zimbabwe’s education sector continues to be affected by the political and economic situation in the country, key political rivals, Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, who signed a power sharing agreement last September, are yet to agree on the formation of a unity government widely believed to be the starting point in addressing the country’s steadily waning fortunes.
