The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has blasted the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MOPSE) for dabbling into politics through the Teachers for Ecoinomic Development (Teachers4ED) initiative.
The teachers union which has been consistently fighting for the inclusive access to quality education, working conditions and remuneration of the teaching workforce accused the Ministry of acting as mouthpiece of the initiative.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is now the patron of the ruling party aligned initiative officiated at its official launch in Harare today.
ARTUZ secretary general Robson Chere said it is worrying that TeachersforED id demanding funding from schools.
“It is mind boggling to note how the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MOPSE) is being politicized. As ARTUZ we have advocated for a liberated Ministry which is not conflicted with political agendas from a certain political party. This position does not change, we still today and tomorrow call for an independent ministry which does not pursue political interest for politicians.
“The worrying thing is that TeachersforED is demanding funding from schools which is actually something illegal. As this is not enough the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education through its Permanent Secretary is supporting this political outfit union by coercing Provincial Education Directors to send teachers to the launch of this unruly formation which is coinciding with the writing of exams. This means that pupils who have a legitimate claim to classrooms and schools will have to pave way for this political movement,” said Chere.
He said those currently heading MOPSE are incompetent and manipulated to serve political agendas at the expense of the country’s education.
“TeachersforED is a parasitic movement that is sucking money from schools through forcing Head of schools to donate money towards its activities and also demanding allegiance from the teachers. This devilish grouping is instilling fear using command tactics. The Agenda is to put teachers in paralysis of strategy and that is unacceptable. Recently in Mashonaland East the grouping demanded all headmasters to attend a programme and fortunately the event was a dismal failure.
“It is not a secret that TeachersforEd is just but an election campaign animal which is an offspring of other many populist slogans that has an ED in them, as a way of showing solidarity to the leader of the ruling party, these include MahwindiforED, MapositoriforED among others. These campaigns from ruling party parallel structures must never be allowed to siege and loot the education sector and as ARTUZ we successfully challenged the use of school properties by political parties and we won the case in courts,” he said.
Chere said they are not going to fold hands and allow school resources to be looted through political schemes and using intimidation strategies.
