Controversy over teachers incentives

A survey conducted by The Zimbabwean revealed that most schools, both rural and urban, had made it an unwritten law that every pupil had to pay a certain fee towards an incentive for the teachers not to abandon their jobs. A parent with a child at Rupare High School in Bikita, Phainos Rwaringeni, said: We can not continue forking out US$5 every month as an incentive for teachers since it is the prerogative of the government to make sure civil servants get salaries that are commensurate with the average standards of living at a particular point in time. US$150 is too little for a monthly salary for teachers who contribute immensely to the economy through providing education.

Most boarding schools were demanding that pupils bring at least a 20kg bag of maize meal, 5kg bag of rice, 2l of cooking oil as well as small amounts of money to supplement their fees and ensure that the pupils would be fed adequately. Another parent with a child at Kwenda High School in Wedza who preferred to remain anonymous, said: Its hard to fork out US$250 for school fees since most of us are also civil servants who earn the same. How can one expect us to pay incentives to teachers in addition to such exorbitant fees? Surely the government must play its part and relieve us of such a burden.

Almost every school in Zimbabwe demanded that parents pay teachers extra money on school fees to ensure teachers were motivated to do their work as educational standards and the quality of education has been deteriorating. This has also been exacerbated by the massive exodus of qualified teachers to other countries in the region in search of greener pastures.

Asked whether the government would increase the teachers salaries in January, Raymond Majongwe, Secretary general of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, the largest teachers union in the country, could not confirm or deny the rumour, but only promised that the government was committed to improving the plight of teachers.