Progressive Teachers Union Of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) President, Mr Takavafira Zhou says government must urgently offer teachers a rescue package that can take them to the next pay day or risk another incapacitation.
Examination classes opens today, with all other learners expected to start school on 6 September.
In a statement, Zhou said teachers were unable to cope with the current economic hardships insisting that the government should provide a package which would enable teachers to report for duty without any hindrance.
“Government must urgently offer teachers a rescue package that can take them to the next pay day.
“Without such envisaged rescue package it will be mission impossible for many teachers to report for work, teachers’ incapacitation is real and government must bail out teachers,” he said.
Furthermore, Mr Zhou said several teachers will not call for duty because they have tested positive to poverty.
“Indeed several teachers would not be reporting for work today not because they are insensitive to the plight of pupils but because they are grossly incapacitated and have tested positive to poverty,” said Zhou.
He went on to say government should urgently intervene and capacitate teachers so that the student’s future is not destroyed.
“The ball is therefore in government’s hands to positively intervene, engage teacher unions, pay a rescue package and ensure the successful opening of schools.
“Without this swift intervention 2021 may fast become an academically wasted year, hope government would not destroy the future of the country’s best asset, viz, students, but rather urgently intervene and capacitate teachers,” says Zhou.
Mr Zhou added that teachers are also parents with kids to take care of.
“Teachers are parents too, with some earning as little as $21000 this month ,we wonder how government expect them to pay schools fees as high as $62000 in government schools this term .
“Teachers are ready to report for work even if they are given a mere rescue package to enable them to function up to pay day when we expect the government to holistically resolve the long standing challenges facing teachers,” he said.
Since October 2018 the government has failed to restore the purchasing power parity of teachers’ salaries.
Teachers are advocating for a salary increase that resonates with salaries they used to earn back in 2018 thus $520- to $550 U.S. dollars.
