JUST IN: Pupils sent back home as education crisis rages on

Today schools opened doors to escalated chaos as more learners trooped into schools in the absence of the incapacitated teachers, and this has seen most schools sending pupils back home.

The Zwnews.com news crew came across students from some schools going back home as early as 09:45am this morning, saying they have been ordered to return back home.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, ARTUZ revealed that teachers continue to take heed of the incapacitation call, and the body has since launched; #SaveOurEducationZW campaign.

Read details by ARTUZ below:

Only school heads are in schools and learners are being turned back home as schools heads fail to cope with the number of learners. Schools are also failing to comply with government set COVID19 Standard Operating Procedures.

The government remains obdurate, refusing to restore the value of teachers’ salaries to a minimum of USD 520. Teachers’ salaries were illegally slashed through currency reforms in 2018. Teachers currently earn around USD 50 excluding the COVID 19 allowance.

Government has failed to fund the implementation of COVID19 Standard operation procedures, thus exposing both learners and teachers to a possible spread of COVID19.

It is against this background that ARTUZ is appealing to all Zimbabweans to join us as we launch the #SaveOurEducationZW campaign.

The campaign seeks to push government to urgently resolve the salary crisis so that teachers can return to the classrooms.

The campaign will be run both physically and online. We invite citizens to use #SaveOurEducationZW imploring the government to resolve salary, crisis.

We also urge learners, parents and teachers to stage solo and small group protests demanding the right to education for our learners. Share pictures of your protests with us.

The government is duty bound to protect the right to education in section 75 of Zimbabwe’s constitution. As citizens, we have a responsibility to hold our duty bearers accountable. We cannot allow our education to collapse under our watch.