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Solidarity Statement with the teachers of Zimbabwe
Crisis Coalition
Andrew Nongogo, Spokesperson
October 10, 2002

The Crisis Coalition would like to express its support for efforts towards the immediate resolution of the plight of teachers.

Iniquitous Conditions of Service
Zimbabwean teachers have reached this critical juncture because the government continues to offer them pitifully low remuneration in exchange for their patriotic service.

In 2002, other sectors of the civil service received reasonable salary adjustments following a series of wildcat strikes. For example, nurses got a 155 percent increment and soldiers received 165 percent in January 2002. Comparatively, teachers have since 1997 only received salary increments of between 10-55 percent. The disparity in the above sectors' conditions of service are inexplicable. For instance a graduate teacher in first year of employment earns a gross monthly salary of $27 000.00 whilst one with 20 years' experience earns a gross monthly salary of $49 733.00. On the other hand a nurse in first year now earns a gross monthly salary of $60 000.00. In real terms a nurse in first year of employment almost earns two and half times more than his or her counterpart in education.

The pittances given to teachers suggests a contemptuous attitude towards their contribution to national development. At best this may depict a deep-seated insensitivity to, and disregard for education as a sector. More so in light of the swift and generous awards given to the police, army and health sectors, the suggestion that teachers should wait until January 2003 is grossly unreasonable.

The Crisis Coalition wishes to categorically assert that poor working conditions are an intellectual, physical, emotional, and economic dis-incentive. Teachers' appalling working conditions adversely affect their productivity and compromises their commitment to duty.

The immediate victims of this unacceptable state of affairs are the parents and school children. Parents because they incur unbearable expenses on their children's education. The school children are inevitable victims of the absence of an environment for sound instruction. In the ultimate analysis, the crisis in the education sector is a grave threat to Zimbabwe's future human resource base.

The Way Forward
Rational dialogue and discourse remains the most ideal way to settle disputes of this nature. However, when the avenues for productive dialogue are unnecessarily frustrated, citizens are constitutionally entitled to invoke alternative means.

Confrontations between government and the education sector can and should be averted in order to safe-guard the best interests of all affected parties. In this regard government should award teachers an equitable salary increment commensurate with awards made to other public service sectors. The prevailing hyper inflationary environment demands that government should also give teachers a realistic cost of living adjustment.

In addition, government should ensure safe and equitable working conditions for teachers. This particularly requires that government should vigilantly stamp out the victimization of teachers in rural areas.

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