The opening of this year’s school calendar has suffered a blow after various teacher organisations across the country declared incapacitation owing to poor remuneration.
Government announced that the general school calendar for 2022 will begin on February 7 after a long layoff due to a surge in COVID-19 pandemic infections.
Several teacher organisations lamented the poor working conditions and called on the Government to urgently address issues relating to salaries by reverting to the United States dollar pegged salaries.
“The Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) now declares a state of incapacitation and now informs relevant authorities, parents, and stakeholders of this unpalatable situation in the education fraternity. We urge the responsible authorities to conclude the salary issue now and further desist from the tendency of throwing teachers and indeed the rest of the civil service into cyclic industrial disharmony. ZIMTA stands by the recommendations of the many teachers in the public schools and many civil servants tormented by the poor salary and employment benefits awarded negligently by the employer.” said ZIMTA president Richard Gundane
The Federation of Zimbabwe Educators Union (FOZEU) a platform for teacher organisations called on the Government to restore value of salaries to pre-October 2018.
“We urge the government to urgently; Restore value of teachers’ salaries to pre-October 2018, USD 540, provide state funded education as prescribed by section 75 of the constitution; Enhance the capacity of schools to adhere to COVID 19 Standard Operating Procedures; Avail Education Recovery Grants for schools to help them recover from COVID-19 shocks; Align labour laws to Section 65 of the constitution, providing for genuine collective bargaining,” read a FOZEU statement
The teachers said they will not report for duty until their demands are met and said an online protest will be staged by all citizens in a bid to protect the education sector from further collapse.
