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Parents should not pay incentives to teachers
Zimbabwe High Schools Students Union (ZIHISSU)
January 11, 2010

Zimbabwe High Schools Students Union (ZIHISSU), wish to condemn the Minister of Education, Sports and Culture Honorable Coltart's sentiments regarding the payment of incentives to teachers and other school authorities.

The Minister continue to insist that our struggling parents should continue to pay incentives to teachers and other school authorities despite clear evidence that they are even failing to pay the basic tuition fees.

Students and their parents do not afford the current levies demanded from us by our respective schools due to reasons well known by the Minister himself that workers are receiving paltry salaries and wages. It is therefore mind boggling that the ministry keeps on piling pressure on our parents to pay teachers as if they are the employers of teachers.

The employer of teachers is government; not the parents and government must desist from transferring its responsibility to parents.

We equally wish to remind the Minister our parents get money from the very same government that is failing to pay its workers.

The sentiments issued are of grave concern to the students as they are promoting the commercialization of education in our beloved nation. We therefore appeal to Honorable Coltart to rectify his utterances as they are adding negative value to the education system. Killing the education system is tantamount to killing a goose that lays golden eggs!

Teachers who are faced with a burden of trying to earn a decent leaving have since resolved to put much of their efforts on private lessons. This is greatly discriminating the majority of the students who cannot afford such schemes from accessing their right to education. No to the so called 'no money no lesson' education policy!

We further appeal to the Minister of Finance, Honorable Biti to differentiate rather than to integrate (on the budget) the money channeled towards the education sector and to other sectors for Basic Education Access Module (BEAM) since it targets every citizen. This is leading to improper utilization of the funds and leaving a small amount for students and the rest transferred to social educational issues.

We re-iterate as students that we will remain firm in our stance that parents should not pay incentives to teachers. This is just the same as crushing a three year old child's finger with a ten pound hammer.

To Min Coltart, leaders in the Coalition Government, the people of Zimbabwe deserve a better deal. Protect the poor and the vulnerable. Instead of focusing on this pressing issue, you are spending valuable time, resources and energies on the so-called outstanding issues. This escapist strategy of diverting the people's attention on the real issues using outstanding issues must stop.

We, the children of the suffering working class people of Zimbabwe deserve a better deal.

Issued by

Kudakwashe Munemo (ZIHISSU President)
Cell : +263 913 847 421
Email address: kmunemo@gmail.com

Morris Chengaose (ZIHISSU Secretary General)
Cell : +263 914 099 117
Email address: mchengaose@gmail.com

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