The Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) over outstanding allowances owed to examiners marking the ongoing national examinations.
According to a recent parliamentary report, ZIMSEC continues to face serious financial and infrastructural challenges that have threatened the integrity and smooth administration of national examinations.
The situation has been worsened by recurring budget deficits and delayed government disbursements, with ZIMSEC reportedly owed US$71 million by the State as of March this year.
In a letter seen by NewsDay, addressed to ZIMSEC chairperson Paul Mapfumo, ARTUZ president Obert Masaraure said the examinations body owes teachers about 70% of their allowances.
“This pattern of financial exploitation cannot be allowed to continue. Educators who dedicated their time and expertise have been patient long enough,” Masaraure said.
“ZIMSEC is hereby issued a firm 24-hour ultimatum, effective immediately, to process and confirm full payment of all outstanding allowances owed to its examiners.”
Masaraure said ARTUZ submitted a petition at 11am giving ZIMSEC 24 hours to settle transport and subsistence allowances for examiners.
“At 12 noon, they made a 30% payment. This shows that the State has the capacity to pay but simply does not want to,” he said.
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He criticised authorities for shifting the burden of economic hardships onto workers, arguing that teachers are being forced to operate under difficult conditions without timely compensation.
“The non-payment of examiners is not merely a labour dispute; it poses a direct and existential threat to the quality and credibility of Zimbabwe’s national examinations,” Masaraure said.
“This is a crisis being carried on the backs of working people. Teachers are central to the examinations process, yet they are treated as an afterthought.”
ARTUZ said experienced teachers are increasingly reluctant to participate in marking due to fears of non-payment.
The union warned that the withdrawal of experienced examiners would inevitably compromise the accuracy and fairness of examination results.
Masaraure warned that failure to settle the outstanding balance within the stipulated timeframe would result in examiners withdrawing cooperation with ZIMSEC.
“Failure to meet this deadline will be viewed as a definitive declaration of bad faith, necessitating immediate legal action and a nationwide call for education professionals to withdraw all future cooperation with the examination body,” he said.
ARTUZ also urged the government to abolish “batch payments”, which examiners have repeatedly criticised due to inflation-related erosion of value.
“The government must address the root cause of ZIMSEC’s perpetual cash-flow problems. The funding mechanism needs an urgent and permanent overhaul,” Masaraure said.
“A policy must be instituted to ensure that all future remuneration is paid in a single lump sum immediately upon completion of marking duties to safeguard its value.”
“We condemn this deliberate practice of batch-payment devaluation, which amounts to exploitation of examiners’ labour and a betrayal of contractual agreements,” he added.
