Back to Index

This article participates on the following special index pages:

Striking Zimbabwe teachers demand Z$1.7 billion salaries
Prince Nyathi, Zim Online
February 14, 2008

http://www.zimonline.co.za/Article.aspx?ArticleId=2712

Harare - Zimbabwean teachers, who have been on a two-week strike to press for more pay, say they will not return to work until the government increases their salaries to Z$1.7 billion a month.

Oswald Madziva, the national co-ordinator of the Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), said although the government had awarded salary hikes last month, the salaries were still way below their expectations.

Madziva said the strike by teachers had plunged the entire education system into chaos after hundreds of teachers failed to report for duty at the beginning of the term last January in protest over poor salaries.

"This week teachers got back-pay for January ranging between $220 million to $260 million. This puts a teacher's salary and allowances at $551 million a month but we are saying this is still too little," said Madziva.

The president of the Zimbabwe Teachers' Union (ZIMTA), Tendai Chikowore, could not be reached for comment on the matter.

Teachers who spoke to ZimOnline yesterday said even some of their colleagues affiliated to ZIMTA, largely seen as pro-government, had also downed tools to press for a further salary adjustment.

"Now it's every teacher because these hardships know no affiliation," said a teacher at a Harare school who refused to be named.

A survey by ZimOnline yesterday showed that there was virtually no learning taking place at most schools in Harare with school children spending the greater part of the day loitering in school grounds.

"The situation is the same across the country. It is not Harare alone. Even in rural areas, teachers have also downed tools," said Madziva.

Education Minister Aeneas Chigwedere could not be reached for comment on the matter yesterday.

Zimbabwe's education system, once revered as one of the best in Africa, is a shadow of its former self because of a severe economic crisis ravaging the country that has seen government fail to pay realistic salaries to teachers.

The PTUZ says at least 25 000 teachers quit their jobs in disgust over poor pay and working conditions last year alone with most of the teachers fleeing to Zimbabwe's prosperous neighbour, South Africa.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP