Zimbabwe’s teacher unions have called for action in the face of the inexorable collapse of the education system that is taking its toll on teachers and students alike.
The Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA) is appealing for solutions, warning that inaction is “a precursor to total failure by Zimbabwean children to access quality education in 2009”. This followed an earlier statement that claimed, “Education service delivery has been seriously compromised and is on the brink of collapse”.
Worthless salaries have forced many teachers to forgo classes as they struggle to make ends meet. Teacher wages at the end of October were $1.3 million Zimbabwean dollars, just enough to buy three loaves of bread. As ZIMTA comments “teachers were and are still seriously financially and materially incapacitated, further to this there is no system to handle the challenges that the education sector and indeed all sectors in Zimbabwe face today”.
The crippled economy, coupled with bouts of political instability, has meant that during 2008 most Zimbabwean children have been denied their right to education. Teacher unions say it is meaningless to hold exams in the midst of such a chaotic time.
ZIMTA spokesperson Sifiso Ndlovu stated that “the examinations will be written under unusual circumstances as the education system is operating below 40% and there might be no teachers to invigilate the examinations.” Not only are students inadequately prepared but results from the June examinations remain unmarked. Exam conditions are far from ideal, with reports that the army are being called upon to assist with invigilation.
The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), which recently became an EI affiliate, also opposes the Ministry of Education’s insistence to go ahead with the exams. General Secretary, Raymond Majongwe suggested that “the government wants to have the exams written for political reasons”.
The charade of exams will not obscure the reality that the education system is failing the learning needs of children and the professional needs of teachers, as the goal of achieving Education for All in Zimbabwe grows ever more elusive.
Education International is continuing to monitor the situation of education and the status of teachers in Zimbabwe and will be coordinating further assistance.