Teachers have expressed disgruntlement over Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Tumisang Thabela’s recent utterances where she said they should borrow money to report for work in their respective workstations.
In a statement, the Zimbabwe Teacher’s Association (ZIMTA) said teachers expect Thabela to represent issues in a more serious way and advocate for the welfare of her subordinates.
“The lack of concern and careless attitude displayed by the secretary of a very large ministry such as Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in Zimbabwe leaves a lot to be desired. It’s clearer now than before that, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education does not hold teachers in high regard, neither do they care about their welfare. This is more than sad. It is a misrepresentation of issues and facts, and a display of arrogant attitude in the education sector in Zimbabwe, an element which is undesirable,” said ZIMTA.
Teachers argued that their problems are real as their current salaries are insufficient to meet their daily needs.
“As a supervisor, in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, It is a universally acknowledged truth that motivated employees perform better than unhappy or disgruntled ones. Teachers who make up a large group of the Civil Service, representing an estimated 140 000 members of the civil service in Zimbabwe, are being downplayed by their own supervisor. Clearly this is not the kind of representation that teachers are looking for in their government,” noted ZIMTA.
The teachers association highlighted that it is the duty of the government to ensure that they are well paid, their skill must be recognized, treated professionally and must be rewarded accordingly.
“Teachers can’t borrow to sustain the system, the system must support the teachers to educate the nation,” added ZIMTA.
