Teachers threaten vow to continue strike as examinations loom

By Henry Makiwa
03 October 2007

Leaders from Zimbabwe’s two teachers’ unions have urged their members to continue with their on-going strike despite the approaching annual final examination season that begins on Monday.
The unions say the teachers’ job action, now approaching its fourth week, must continue at the expense of students’ examinations as they argue the teachers’ welfare is more important. They insist that if government does not give in to their demands, no examinations will be taken. Already, millions of students have lost out on preparations of their end of year tests. Zimbabwean examinations kick off on Monday starting with the grade seven pupils sitting down for their tests before Ordinary level students tackle the vernacular language question papers.
The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) national co-ordinator, Oswald Madziva, insisted that teachers would not show up for work unless government met their demands.
Madziva said: “We have been around long enough to note that government has a pattern of not increasing the teachers’ salary in the third term. This time around we have resolved to be utterly unyielding, and to that end we appreciate the contribution of the Zimbabwe Teachers Association who have now joined the job industrial action.”
Teachers spurned a 100 percent salary increment from government last month, demanding instead a Z$15 million basic salary plus a Z$5, 2 million housing allowance and Z$4 million transport recompense.
Some teachers in Zimbabwe are earning as little as Z$2 million, less than 2 pounds sterling on the black market.
A teacher who refused to be named on Wednesday said the government’s negligence towards teachers was tantamount to “madness”.
He said: “The minister of education obviously reads all these stories of how some people in Harare are having to fork out as much as Z$15 million for water bills alone, how then does he expect teachers to survive earning a paltry Z$2 million? Its madness!”
He added: “Recently, boarding schools sent students back home to get some top up fees that would cater for the rampaging inflation. These ranged from Z12 million to Z$40 million. If teachers have children at boarding, how then are they to educate them?”