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NewsDay

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Govt must bridge gap between rural, urban teachers: PTUZ

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THE Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has challenged government to bridge the gap between rural and urban teachers so that they operate on an equal platform.

THE Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has challenged government to bridge the gap between rural and urban teachers so that they operate on an equal platform.

BY SILAS NKALA

PTUZ Matabeleland South chairperson, Urgent Moyo, said rural teachers operate under extremely difficult conditions such as political intimidation, lack of transport and communication incentives to reach work stations, poor infrastructure and a high teacher to pupil ratio.

This, he said, was quite different from their peers in urban areas, hence, the poor results recorded in rural schools. Moyo’s remarks come ahead of schools’ opening for the third term tomorrow.

“The majority of teachers are shut out from services such as health and information, as they cannot access and harness new technologies,” he said.

“The employer seems to ignore the plight of rural-based teachers when it comes to compensating the hardships they endure on a daily basis. As PTUZ, we call upon the government to invest in these teachers to close the gap in rural and urban areas for quality education in rural areas also.

“Government must expedite infrastructure development in marginalised areas. Above all, government must pay hardship allowances for teachers working in rural areas.”