Bill to elevate educators to full professional status

Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]

MODALITIES are underway for the Government to establish a “Teaching Professional Council”, which will regulate conduct, uphold ethical standards, and elevate teachers to full professional status by the end of the year.

The Teaching Professional Council Bill, which seeks to create the framework for the new regulatory body, has already been presented to the Cabinet Committee on Legislation and is expected to be gazetted as an Act of Parliament before December.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Torerayi Moyo, said once enacted, the legislation will transform teachers from being classified as semi-professionals to fully recognised professionals, with a dedicated council made up entirely of educators.

“My Ministry is seized with the Teaching Professional Council Bill, whose draft has been presented before Cabinet. The Bill has been presented to the Cabinet Committee on Legislation and there are a few clauses that will be finalised next week.

“At the moment, teachers aren’t regarded as professionals but as semi-professionals. Once this Bill becomes an Act of Parliament, we will have formalised the professionalism of teaching. There is going to be a council, which will be constituted by teachers only,” he said.

Minister Moyo was speaking during the World Teachers’ Day commemorations in Gwanda on Friday, held under the theme “Recasting teaching as a collaborative profession, invest in teachers, invest in quality education.” He said the Bill is part of the Government’s broader strategy to motivate and empower educators by ensuring their welfare, dignity, and professional standing are protected through proper regulation.

The minister said every teacher will be required to affiliate with the new council, and no one will be allowed to enter the profession without membership — a move expected to improve accountability, ethics, and performance across the education sector.

He said the legislation is one way of motivating educators and ensuring their needs are taken care of.

Turning to the role of teachers, Moyo hailed their contribution to national development, describing them as the “true architects of society.”

“On behalf of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa, and the Government of Zimbabwe, I extend my deepest gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to every teacher across our great nation. Your dedication, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to our learners will not go unnoticed. Teaching is not merely a profession; it is a profound calling that influences the hearts and minds of future generations,” he said.

Minister Moyo said collaboration between teachers, administrators, parents, and communities was essential to strengthen the country’s education system and improve learning outcomes.

He noted that challenges such as access, equity, innovation, and digital inclusion required a whole-of-Government approach, urging ministries, departments, and development partners to co-ordinate efforts in advancing education.

The minister also highlighted ongoing digital empowerment efforts under the Presidential Computerisation Programme, revealing that 400 teachers had already received online training in Artificial Intelligence (AI) teaching methods in partnership with Russia’s Perm State Humanitarian Pedagogical University.

The goal, he said, is to train 2 000 teachers by the end of the year.

“Government remains committed to listen more attentively to teachers’ concerns, collaborate more intentionally across all sectors, and create a dignified, respectful and enabling environment for the teaching profession,” said Minister Moyo.

In a speech read on his behalf by Mr Edward Mandeya, the Director of Finance, Administration and Human Resources in his office, Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cde Albert Nguluvhe, commended teachers for their passion and resilience despite various challenges.

“We particularly celebrate your role in promoting inclusive and equitable quality education (SDG 4). Your dedication transforms potential into reality, shaping learners who will contribute meaningfully to the development of this province and Zimbabwe as a whole,” he said.

World Teachers’ Day, observed annually on October 5, celebrates educators worldwide and commemorates the 1966 ILO/Unesco Recommendation on the Status of Teachers — a benchmark document that defines teachers’ rights, responsibilities and professional standards.— @DubeMatutu