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PTUZ highlights critical issues plaguing education system to Ministry
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ)
October 07, 2008

Having met with the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Education Sport and Culture, Dr. Stephen Mahere and his team of Directors at Head Office on the 6th of October 2008 to among other things articulate the issues affecting and of concern to teachers and proffer solutions thereto and having agreed that the issues raised by the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) be condensed into a written memorandum for submission to the Permanent Secretary, the Management Committee of the PTUZ hereunder flags its observations and recommendations.

Salaries and working conditions

Concerned that the teachers' salaries have plummeted to several points below the Poverty Datum Line since the 1990s and that teachers cannot afford to buy basic food items for their families, pay fees for their children, purchase movable and immovable property, cloth their families and enjoy social decency,

Aware that no realistic formula has been used to fix the quantum of salaries and allowances and that in the absence of economic indicators like monthly Consumer Price Index and inflation figures from the Central Statistics Office other tools have to be used to measure the purchasing power of salaries,

Noting that inflationary pressures have occasioned the phenomenon of recurring, ceaseless and frequent salary negotiations in the National Joint Negotiating Council and, that teachers have been imprisoned in hope by such exercise and their faith in such institutions has been abused,

Conscious that the US dollar is a global currency which has been used by various arms of the United Nations to define concepts like poverty and that in real terms teachers in Zimbabwe lived on less than US$10.00 per month when their September salary of $62,000.00 was converted to US dollars using the United Nations rate,

Convinced that industry and commerce use the US currency to determine prices of goods and services,

Concerned with the absence of retention schemes and the teacher exodus,

Concerned also of the grouping of teachers in the same community of labour interests with other government workers as epitomised by the APEX Council,

Believing that there is urgent need to curb the increasing student to untrained teacher ratio,

Resolves and recommends:

The indexation of teachers' salaries to the US Dollar and its liquidation to Zimbabwe dollar terms using the Old Mutual Implied Rates prevailing on the last working day of the first week in which the salaries are going to be paid and that the lowest paid teacher be paid a total package of US$1,200.00 per month,

The setting up of a Teaching Service Commission as the statutory employer of all teachers under employment by government and an Educators Professions Council as per the recommendations of the 1999 Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Education and Training,

The award of a rescue package to our patriotic teachers who have suffered several years of material and social prejudice but continued to serve Zimbabwe diligently,

The resuscitation of a sustainable teacher-centred housing loan, vehicle loan and computer loan schemes,

Teachers who left the profession during Zimbabwe's period of political polarization be allowed back in the profession without loss in position and benefits

2008 public examinations

Fulfilling our role of defending the integrity of our education and examination systems and of speaking out on behalf of students and in particular those from disadvantaged sections of society and seeking therefore to raise a dispute of interest with the Ministry of Education Sport and Culture.

Realising that pupils in the majority of schools in rural and peri-urban areas learnt for an average of twenty three uninterrupted days in 2008 while those in urban areas had contact time with teachers for an average of forty eight days as the academic year was wasted to political disturbances in schools, teacher commitment to election duties and a spate of labour unrest.

Observing that pupils at least from families which can afford relied on private tutors which tuition is not within reach of quality assurance by ministry officials and cannot impart manipulative skills in subjects with practical components and that's not very reliable in developing an all round student.

Fully aware that over ninety five percent of the students about to sit for Grade 7, 'O' and 'A' Level examinations were not adequately prepared for the examinations and that there is nothing to test since the pupils did not effectively learn.

Concerned that proceeding with the examinations as scheduled is not only a failure by the Ministry to appreciate the violence and trauma that teachers were subjected to in the election period, the impact of internally displaced teachers and the moral dimension of labour unrest in the education sector but is an exercise that will disadvantage pupils coming from communities plagued with political violence and from poor communities and consequently perpetuate inequities in our society.

Resolve and recommend:

The setting up of a Committee to assess the State of Students' Preparedness for 2008 Public Examinations comprising stakeholders from government, labour and employers with a view to either defer the examinations to an appropriate date as determined by the outcome of the survey or to set aside the 2008 academic year and allow all students to repeat their current grades in 2009 and freeze all intakes for a new cohort of Grade 1, Form 1 and Form 5.

Unfair labor practice

Having studied the several injustices faced by teachers at the workplace and their denial to legal representation by disciplinary committees,

Taking into account the obtuse misconduct charges being preferred against teachers by school administrators and the several cases of unlawful and wrongful cessation of salaries,

Noticing the narrow interpretation of statutes by disciplinary committees and the absence of substantial and procedural justice in internal disciplinary procedures,

Aware of the blatant disregard of grievance proceedings brought to administrators in the education ministry by teachers,

Resolves and recommends that:

The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe brings such cases to the attention of the Director of Legal and Disciplinary Services.

School administrators and disciplinary committees receive training from labour law experts on the concept of law, principles of natural justice, procedural justice, case law position and interpretation of statutes.

Victims of political violence

Recalling:

• The political persecution of teachers as witnessed by the murder of six teachers, the assaults, the extortion, the arson attacks, the destruction of teachers' property, the displacements and hate speeches during the 2008 election period,
• That some of the perpetrators of political violence against teachers were employees of the ministry of education to which teachers look for protection,
• That teachers lost confidence in the police and did not report the several cases of political violence they experienced,
• That political violence has alienated teachers from communities that they have to serve,

Recognizing:

• The need for trust building between teachers and the desire for teachers to be emotionally attached to the communities they serve,

Resolve and recommend that the Ministry of Education Sport and Culture:

• Sets up a committee comprising teacher organisations, ministry officials and police to investigate cases of political violence against teachers,
• Issue a public statement condemning the heinous and barbaric acts of violence against teachers,
• Send condolence messages to the families of deceased teachers and vicariously assume responsibility for the upkeep of the surviving spouses and children,
• Adequately compensate teachers who lost property and livestock,
• Prefer misconduct charges against those in its employment who assisted in the political persecution of fellow teachers.

HIV/AIDS and the education sector

Noting:

• The high incidence rate of HIV/AIDS among teachers and that UNICEF estimates that by 2010 Zimbabwe is likely to lose a cumulative total of 60,000 teachers to AIDS related illness,
• The absence of a sector specific response to HIV/AIDS by government and the omission of teachers from critical priority group for accessing ARVs by the National AIDS Council (NAC),
• The violations of the rights of HIV positive teachers by school administrators,
• The lack of in-service training on teachers to work with children showing signs of being HIV positive particularly in the lower grades,

Resolve to ask the Ministry of Education Sport and Culture:

• To engage the National AIDS Council and appraise it of the teachers' concerns and facilitate the representation of teachers in all NAC structures from national to wards.
• To roll out an in-service programme to workshop school administrators and teachers to work in schools with HIV positive teachers and pupils.
• To make the HIV/AIDS a workplace issue.

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