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Teachers should not have to pay school fees for their children
Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ)
January 07, 2006

In view of the paltry salary increment, which has been offered to teachers by the government beginning, January 2006 it has become clear that we will not be able to make ends meet in 2006. As a result we have resolved that we will not be meeting certain obligations with effect from January 2006. Chief among these obligations is the payment of tuition fees for our children. Teachers should with immediate effect be allowed to send their children to government schools without paying tuition fees. We therefore urge all teachers with children in government schools not to pay fees. We have written to the permanet Secretary of Education, Sport and Culture informing him of this resolution by our members. We urge all headmasters who are fully aware of teachers’ plight not to dismiss teachers’ children for non-payment of fees.

Teachers currently receive no other benefit from their employment besides their paltry salary. The government should take a leaf from their counterparts in private schools who allow the children of their teachers to attend these schools for free. Teachers on government payroll cannot afford to pay the fees that are being demanded by schools this year. Reports that are coming out pertaining to children being withdrawn from boarding schools are very true. Many of these are teachers’ children. Surely how can you educate other people’s children when you cannot even afford to send your own to school

We strongly urge the government to put in place mechanisms that would allow teachers children to attend government schools free of charge before we take matters into our own hands. We also urge non government schools to follow suit if they do not already have such a policy.

Raymond Majongwe
General Secretary

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