LIVINGSTONE MARUFU
Teachers’ unions have lashed out at the government over its ‘unilateral’ decision to re-open schools at short notice amid fears of deteriorating relations between the constituency and its employer, Business Times can report.
Government ordered examination classes to resume this week. The non-examination classes will start next week Monday.
The unions said some teachers are yet to report for duty.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary general Raymond Majongwe told Business Times that the government should desist from making unilateral decisions.
“The announcement was untimely made and there was no consultation on part of the government as to when the schools would be opened. Currently, teachers are not prepared to teach as the Covid-19 pandemic is still ferocious and haven’t been dealt with effectively,” Majongwe said.
He said parents were also not prepared as they are yet to recover from effects of Covid-19.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association secretary general Godwill Taderera told this publication that there has been a low teachers’ turn out due to the lack of preparedness of both teachers and parents
“We note with concern the inadequate and or lack of information on the preparedness of schools and educators to handle learners and staff who have been subjected to the effects of the third wave of Covid-19,” Taderera said.
He added: “We believe that more consultations could have been done in order to ensure that stakeholders such as staff associations, parents, donors and communities are involved in mobilising resources, to ensure that schools run smoothly and that Covid-19 infections and disruptions remain as minimal as possible.
“Although educators have been aware of this eventuality of schools re-opening, insufficient notice to the re-opening dates puts many into a dilemma because preparations have to be done psychologically and financially at all levels.”
Teachers are faced with several challenges, including the availability of protective personal equipment (PPEs), and how to manage huge class sizes during the pandemic era.
They have been advocating the class sizes to be reduced to 20 learners per every teacher.
There are growing fears that many students would drop out of school due to the harsh economic environment.
