Following a documentary that was published by The NewsHawks on 16 February this year, which exposed a shocking scenario in which one teacher had been single handedly teaching more than 800 pupils at Chimandau Primary School in Rushinga, 181 teachers have since been deployed to the district in a move aimed at lowering the pupil-to-teacher ratio.
The development comes at a time the government is moving to address the critical shortage of teachers that has greatly affected rural and remote schools.
The situation was not unique to Chimandau Primary School alone; several others from the same district, like Matoto and Maparepare, were also facing the same predicament.
At some point, more than 1 000 students from Kasika Primary School, also in Rushinga, were left stranded for months when the school was temporarily closed after the last remaining teacher had left.
Community leaders and parents who were interviewed were disheartened by the zero percent pass rate that had for years been recorded by schools in the district.
They pleaded with the relevant authorities to avail teachers as soon as possible, before children’s lives are ruined.
Statistics from 2021 indicated that 140 000 teachers were responsible for the 4.6 million learners in Zimbabwe and that there was a need to recruit an additional 40 000 educators.
Rushinga legislator Tendai Nyabani told The NewsHawks that the deployment of 181 teachers to his constituency was a move in the right direction that is going to lessen the teacher crisis the area had been facing for years.
“I am delighted that schools in my constituency got 181 teachers from the recent recruitment.
“It’s a step in the right direction that will go a long way in solving the teacher crisis Rushinga has been having for years,” he said.
Nyabani called for the decentralisation of the teacher recruitment process, a move he believes will go a long way in reducing the number of teachers who do not take up posts after recruitment or leave after having worked for a month or less.
Meanwhile, teachers in Zimbabwe are up in arms with government over salaries and better working conditions.
The teachers are demanding pay in stable currency, US dollars as the Zimdollar is losing its purchasing power on a daily basis.
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) is on record saying it would down tools in the government doesn’t meet the teachers’ demands.
“Prices have gone up and retailers are demanding forex (USD). While the workers wage remains constant and valued against the devalued RTGS . We want our US$540,” says the teachers union body.
They rejected the government’s offer of a 100 percent increase.
“When we tell @edmnangagwa that workers deserve to be paid USD540 we will not be just making noise but it because of the prevailing environment, no sane government will pay their workers a worthless currency, no to 100 percent increment of zero,” said ARTUZ in response to the increment.
Apparently, a number of teachers unions in the region have sent solidarity messages to the Zimbabwean teachers.
“We appreciate the solidarity from Sister unions on the content. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” said ARTUZ.
Zwnews/ Newshawks
