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We
want money, not training: teachers
NewsDay
October 14, 2013
https://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/10/14/want-money-training-teachers/
The Progressive
Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has condemned as ill-advised
government plans to re-train teachers and vowed to resist the move.
Education minister
Lazarus Dokora last week revealed that government had secured $23,6
million from the Global Partnership for Education for the re-training
of teachers to improve their efficiency.
However, PTUZ
president Takavafira Zhou indicated on Friday that these plans were
unfortunate and ill-conceived, saying teacher efficiency can only
be improved through the payment of good salaries.
“We again
re-iterate our long held view that the problem in schools in Zimbabwe
is not so much of teacher inefficiency as of security and pathetic
salaries.
“Any impositions
would be resisted and ultimately futile,” Zhou said in a statement.
Teachers are
demanding a basic salary of $800, but an organ representing all
civil servants submitted proposals of $540 for the lowest paid government
employee.
Zhou said government
should rather channel the $23,6 million funds to teacher training
colleges and universities to help improve the curriculum if it was
concerned about teaching standards in the country.
“PTUZ
strongly recommends that if the ministry has seen a deficiency in
teacher training, then it needs to improve training in teacher training
colleges and universities with teachers in service getting in-service
training rather than retraining.”
He said it was
worrisome that the government never consulted teachers on the need
to re-train them.
“PTUZ
would want to advice the new Minister of Education that teachers,
as important stakeholders, we would want to be involved in policy
formulation rather than be abused to implement unpopular measures.
“Surely,
teachers need in-service training and not necessarily retraining.
What is worrisome is that there has not been a baseline survey to
determine what form of in-service training the teachers may want
yet the ministry is already at an advanced stage in its so-called
programme of re-training of teachers,” Zhou said.
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