Branton Matondo
Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has come out guns blazing on schools opening day (February 7, 2022) expressing dismay towards Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s inability to rescue a collapsing education system.
The education sector came to a standstill on February 7 when teachers reportedly boycotted schools opening citing reluctance by government for long to address fundamental teacher needs and conditions of service.
Reports indicate that learners battled to make it to schools and those who managed to make it to the classroom were turned back as there were no teachers to attend to them while some schools had no one to open the school gates, remaining closed.
The official document prepared by ARTUZ Secretary General Robson Chere said that Finance Minister Prof Mthuli Ncube is not respecting teachers who are sinking in muddle of slave salaries.
He implored Prof Ncube to halt austerity measures and focus on retrieving the sinking education sector.
“The union implores Mthuli Ncube to dump the ruinous austerity measures and rescue the education sector from collapse. Mthuli is committing an academic genocide and destroying a whole generation.
“Barring the poor from accessing education is a clear recipe for entrenching inequality and sow seeds of future conflict .The anti-people professor, Mthuli Ncube is working round the clock to frustrate efforts to attain, Zimbabwe’s vision 2030, SADC’s Vision 2050, Africa Union’s 2063 agenda and Sustainable development Goal, SDG 4, ” read part of the report.
ARTUZ claimed to have carried out a survey to gather learners and teachers numeric during the opening day and concluded that 96 percent of schools were inactive in terms of teaching.
“A sampled survey indicated that slightly above 10 percent of Zimbabwe’s 6 797 primary schools, 720 schools were visited nationally. 10 primary schools were visited in each of the 72 education districts of Zimbabwe. 3 798 teachers, (5 percent) were sampled from the total primary teacher population of 75 960. 52 teachers interviewed per district.
“At secondary school 2 392 teachers, (5 percent) were sampled from 47 839 total teacher population. 33 were interviewed from each of the 72 education districts. 298 schools, (10 percent) were sampled from the 2 980 Secondary schools. Four secondary schools were visited per each education district,” added the report.
ARTUZ is calling for the government to meet with a set of demands or else teachers will stick to their guns and refuse to report for duty.
“Government should provide an all stakeholders dialogue to find solutions to the education crisis, restoration of pre-October 2018 US$ 540 salaries for teachers, and enhancement of education recovery grants for all schools.
“State funded basic education should be prioritized while we also expect employers to enhance capacity of schools in adherence to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP),” added the ARTUZ report.
PTUZ President Dr Takavafira Zhou commented on the same lines saying that the moment is now or never for teachers to blow the torch and seek salary redemption from pay masters.
“For all fellow teachers, it is now or never. Let us engage a higher gear and ensure that we make maximum gains within a short period so that we can get US$540 and travel to our schools to teach our students who are in essence future leaders of Zimbabwe,” said Dr Zhou.
ARTUZ President Obert Masarure was recently arrested along with 16 teachers as they were demonstrating in Harare.
