BY Gary Gerald Mtombeni IN the old days, teaching was one of those noble professions that many people aspired to belong to.
In most jurisdictions, the profession remains respected. But somehow, for some funny reasons teachers in Zimbabwe are now a laughing stock.
On social media, a joke is doing the rounds of two people speaking to each other. One says in 2018 government promised us free education and the other replies: “No, you did not hear properly, government said teachers would be teaching for free.”
It breaks the heart to think that all those who made it in life and have one way or the other acquired some form of education through the hands of teachers and are in government are now riding roughshod over teachers.
Teachers play a pivotal role in shaping society. Education anchors development.
It then saddens to see how the government is ill-treating teachers in this country.
For Primary and Secondary Education minister Evelyn Ndlovu to be where she is today, it is because of the patience and guidance of a teacher. This is the same with everyone in well-to-do positions.
But for the past three years, teachers have been in the headlines screaming incapacitation. They have raised concerns over their working conditions, but it seems no one cares to listen.
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Teachers were forced to report for duty without personal protective equipment at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were forced to make do with poor resources in classrooms. Because of the love of their profession, they had to improvise. But for all these sacrifices, government is throwing rotten eggs at them by making empty promises on improved wages and conditions of service.
If it is difficult for government to meet the teachers’ demand to be paid the pre-October 2018 salary of US$540, why does government not at least pay the teachers half of their salaries in US dollars, if it cares about them?
Better still can the government not facilitate the export of some of our teachers abroad where they will earn the country foreign currency through remittances, instead of treating these noble professionals in such a manner?
Presently there are already hundreds of teachers in the diaspora.
For example, according to South Africa’s Department of Higher Education and Training, Zimbabwean teachers constitute the largest group of migrant teachers across the Limpopo River, this basically shows how government has failed its own teachers.
But it was not easy for those teachers to go there, which is why, in my opinion, government should sign bilateral agreements with other nations to facilitate the smooth passage of the teachers as expatriates in foreign lands.
What nurses are also going through in trying to find greener pastures outside the country highlights how government is treating its citizens in general. Government is virtually making it impossible for the nurses to leave this country, which is very unfortunate.
How in this era can a qualified teacher earn $60 000? This is after the 100% increment by government. Half of that amount is barely enough to by a month’s supply of bread given the country’s rate of inflation currently at 191,6%, the second highest in Africa after Sudan. The current basket for a family of five stands at $120 000.
We are definitely not serious as a nation. These salaries are not only too low, but an insult.
The money is not even enough to meet their transport costs, nor does it allow them to buy groceries.
It is high time government respected the teaching professionals and reward them appropriately.
Government’s insincerity towards improving the welfare of teachers has reduced them to paupers despite their invaluable contribution to economic development.
According to the Primary and Secondary Education minister, the country has an establishment of 136 000 teachers, and to imagine that all these teachers have families, you then wonder whether our government has any conscience.
As long as our leaders, who also went through the hands of teachers to hold positions they have today, seem not to appreciate this great profession, teachers will forever suffer in abject poverty.
- Gary Gerald Mtombeni is a journalist based in Harare. He writes here in his personal capacity.
