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Teachers' salaries should be increased: Zanu-PF
The Herald (Zimbabwe)
December 12, 2005

http://www1.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=442&cat=1&livedate=12/12/2005

ZANU-PF has resolved that salaries of teachers should be increased but expressed concern at the lack of discipline within the profession which has seen some teachers reporting for duty drunk.

The resolution, which was proposed by the Education, Science and Technology committee of the ruling party at its just-ended Eighth National People’s Conference in Esigodini, was unanimously adopted by the delegates numbering about 3 000 on Saturday.

Moving the motion for the adoption of the resolution, the Minister of Science and Technology, Cde Olivia Muchena, who is also the party’s Secretary for Science and Technology, said it had been noted that teachers were lowly paid.

Some teachers were reportedly getting as little as $3 million per month when the poverty datum line was well above $10 million.

"It is proposed that conditions of service for teachers should be reviewed so that we do not lose teachers as they search for greener pastures,’’ she said.

Cde Muchena said it was also being proposed that science teachers be given a special retention allowance.

"There are a few science teachers. Those who have done sciences they have a lot of better paying areas they can venture into other than teaching, hence the need to give them a special allowance, to retain these professionals,’’ she said.

However, Cde Muchena said, there was concern over the unruly behaviour of some teachers with reports that in some instances they taught while drunk.

"There is a lack of supervision of teachers, hence the indiscipline. We, therefore, propose the reintroduction of school inspectors to correct the situation. The culprits should be severely punished as a deterrent to would-be offenders,’’ she said.

Cde Muchena said it had been noted with appreciation that in next year’s National Budget the education ministries were allocated the highest vote.

"In other countries it is the defence ministry that is given the highest vote, but here it is education. We appreciate that,’’ she said.

Cde Muchena said there was also need for a reduction of the teacher-to-student ratio for effective learning.

She said ratios of 1:50, for instance, were not realistic.

"We need to set ourselves targets, say to have the teacher-to-student ratio at an average of 1:35 by 2010 or 1:25 by 2020 for instance,’’ Cde Muchena said.

She said there was also need to reintroduce education with production in primary schools.

Cde Muchena said there was also concern over nepotism and favouritism in the recruitment and deployment of teachers.

She said in line with the programme by President Mugabe and the First Lady Cde Grace Mugabe to donate computers to secondary schools and tertiary institutions, there was need to have teachers trained to teach computers.

Cde Muchena said some of the computers might be gathering dust because of lack of computer-literate teachers.

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