Its back to chaos for education

The most crucial and final term of the year began more than two weeks ago but there has been very little or no learning taking place at public schools after the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA), the largest of two unions representing teachers in the country, called a nationwide job boycott by teachers to press the coalition government to hike salaries.

The strike that began slowly when the new term began on September 2 appeared to gather pace last week with, for example, nearly 90 percent of public schools visited by ZimOnline reporters in Bulawayo and surrounding areas in the past week found with only a few senior teachers present or no one at all to teach or supervise children.

Many schoolchildren could be seen loitering at school grounds or nearby shopping centres in scenes reminiscent of 2008 when learners were left on their own as teachers went on strike or simply stayed at home because they could not afford bus fare to work on their meagre salaries.

Education Minister David Coltart, who has held several fruitless meetings with union leaders since the new term began, told ZimOnline that there was little he could do to get teachers back to classrooms, surrendering the task to the Ministry of Public Service that employs all government workers.

ZIMTA president Tendai Chikowore said: The strike is still on . . . the majority of our members are not reporting for duty in all provinces across the country.

Teachers, who earn about US$150 a month on average, want salaries hiked to about $500, money which the government does not have.

Zimbabwes power-sharing government between Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara and President Robert Mugabe has promised to revive the economy and restore basic services such as health and education that had virtually collapsed after years of recession.

But the failure by the administration which says it requires a total US$10 billion to get Zimbabwe back on its feet again to convince rich Western nations to release grants and soft loans has hampered its ability to sustain the recovery effort.