Teachers Moral Ripped Off

By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE teachers have positively responded to their duties in fear of losing jobs despite having received US $175.00 salary plus allowances Tuesday afternoon.

Teachers who spoke to Post On Sunday said the money was not enough for their transport, food and rentals which have gone up even in real currency the US dollar.

Civil servants are earning US $100.00 which is converted from RTGS salary and US $75.00 Covid-19 allowance.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) Secretary General, Raymond Majongwe said his union is still gathering information from members of the union on the current situation and plan a way forward, hoping to get a final decision by end of day yesterday.

“We are still to meet with other members and map the way forward, the situation is bad and we are also going to meet with the government so as to discuss how we can have the buying power back in an economy where prices are going up everyday,” Majongwe said.

He added that his members were angry, disgruntled, incapacitated and victimized.

Some teachers received a paltry ZWL $5000 in their accounts as change which is part of the salary, equivalent to US $15 if calculated using parallel market rate of 1:450.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) leader, Orbet Masaraure said teachers in rural areas are most affected. Apart from lack of resources, teachers in rural areas are suffering from the commodity pricing factor which is usually double due to transport costs in a poor road network area.

“We maintain that teachers are still incapacitated, it will be very naive for them to continue reporting for duty, that’s why we have requested for a compassionate week so that they are able to deal with their daily challenges which is constitutional and a requirement at this point in time,” Masaraure said.

Parliamentary Chairperson for the portfolio committee of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Emma Ncube, told this publication that she has questions in the order paper which she want the minister to respond in Parliament regarding the welfare of workers, the vulnerable and people with disabilities.

“The minister does not respond to committees and I have decided to ask these few questions in the house which are supposed to be in the order paper, maybe we can all get the response,” she said.

Meanwhile teachers have raised fears that the 2022 November examination is likely to face marking challenges due to late payment of money to teachers who performed their duty regardless of monetary issues which led to demonstrations across centres.

Examiners said their money has since been eroded by inflation and it is as good as nothing because of calculating using official bank rate which has since been abandoned by market forces.

Asked on the situation regarding teachers, the parent ministry’s spokesperson, Taungana Ndoro said, “Our ministry is not the paymaster”.