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Striking Zimbabwe teachers want exams cancelled
Africasia
October 07, 2008

http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=africa&item=081007154846.licuu723.php

School exams in Zimbabwe should be cancelled because strike action by teachers has left pupils unprepared, a teaching union said Tuesday.

"For the record, there was no meaningful learning and teaching in 2008 and all examination classes are not prepared," Takavafira Zhou, leader of the Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), told journalists.

Teachers went on strike when classes began in January, demanding pay increases and better working condition.

The strike was briefly suspended following a deal with the government but nearly two months ago the teachers embarked on an indefinite strike.

Due to massive inflation teachers have seen their salary shrink to a pittance.

High school pupils were due to take their final examinations at the beginning of October but have not yet been informed whether they will go ahead.

Zimbabwe's economy has been on a downturn for a decade with high inflation and unemployment. At least 80 percent of the population lives in poverty.

The state-run Herald newspaper on Tuesday reported that some teachers were demanding payment in groceries and cash from parents and pupils.

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