New Education Minister

The much awaited response from the Minister of Education and Culture the Honourable Mr David Coltart regarding conditions of service for teachers came in last week .The two days of negotiations with the Prime Minister and the Teachers Unions were seen by many stakeholders as a practical way of addressing long unresolved issues dating back to 2006.

"Over 80% of primary and secondary school teachers had been on indefinite strike since October 2008."

Government's response

The Government awarded teachers and all civil servants US$100.00 allowances to cushion them against the daily economic challenges. This was welcomed by the teaching profession in that at least the government had made a firm commitment in addressing the plight of teachers .This went a long way in addressing the current challenges considering that teachers had been paid US$3.00 or 30.00 South African Rands in December 2008.

Main issues

1. The Minister made a passionate appeal to all teachers to return to work from the week starting 23/02 09 .The Minister also declared an amnesty to bring all qualified teachers into the service. All teachers who had resigned from 2007 were to rejoin the service without going through the rigorous processes normally associated with rejoining the civil service.
2. The new Minister also made some revelations that his Ministry was engaging all relevant stakeholders in order to find a lasting solution to the problems bedevilling the Education sector. It was reported that a key stakeholder UNICEF would also be enlisted to harness resources for teachers.
3. The two unions ZIMTA (Zmbabwe Teachers Union) and PTUZ (Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe) also made a united call to their members to come for work and give the new government time so that it can address some of the long outstanding issues.
4. The marking of public examinations started in earnest from Monday 23/02 /09 and is supposed to run up to the 13/03 09. The Zimbabwe School Examination Council invited all seasoned markers and paid them S$100.00 and also promised to pay markers US$1.40 per script. The response was very encouraging judging by the number of teachers who have asked for permission from their heads at different schools. Common centres like Belvedere Teachers College in Harare, Mutare Teachers College and Masvingo Teachers College were a hive of activity as teachers got involved in this important exercise. This development will certainly put an end to the anxiety which had gripped concerned candidates and parents who were waiting for the government to put an end to this waiting.

Conclusion

The message to the teaching fraternity is that they should return to work in order to safeguard the interests of the most important player in the education system- the child. The point which is beyond dispute is that school children have been given a raw deal during the past two years and the classroom practioners should be the first in promoting one of the fundamental human rights - education.

Compiled by T Mushangwe (Project Manager - Educated Horizon)