Cops block teachers march

transfer of educators from their work stations.

The teachers, led by the Progressive Teachers of Union of Zimbabwe, said this term alone hundreds of teachers had been transferred from their stations in Harare mainly to rural areas under unclear circumstances while their positions were filled by temporary teachers.

Education officials are accused of demanding bribes from the temporary teachers for them to get relief posts.

In a letter of notification to the union, Officer Commanding Harare District Chief Superintendent Alex Chagwedera said the teachers had failed to meet some of the requirements for the march to be sanctioned.

“Your intended march to the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture has not been sanctioned due to the following reasons.

“You have failed to provide us with details of your intended route, the number of people expected to participate in the march and the manner in which the participants are going to be transported to the place where they are going to assemble for the march. . .,” read the letter.

Scores of teachers had turned up for the protest march.
Chief Supt Chagwedere said the police had no human and material resources to cover the event due to “other commitments lined up for the 19th June where the Head of State will be officiating within the Central Business District and the Prime Minister pencilled to address his party members within the district . . .”

Minister Coltart, however, had notified in writing that he would receive the PTUZ petition if they bring it to him.

PTUZ secretary general Mr Raymond Majongwe said the transfer of teachers should be done transparently.

“What is disturbing is that while the Ministry of Education is claiming to be dealing with overstaffing by forcibly transferring some teachers, the affected teachers are being replaced in stark violation of the same principle, thereby rendering the whole process a circus and very suspicious,” he said.

“Some schools have lost more than 10 teachers and we wonder who is next.
“We are demanding that Government stops this victimisation of teachers.”

He said the transfers should be planned and fair to the effected teachers.
“The transfers should be done in terms of Section 13 (3) and (4) of the Public Service Regulations, 2000 as read with Section 26 of the same regulations which makes it mandatory for the transfers to be planned,” Mr Majongwe said.

He said while Government had frozen the transfer of civil servants for lack of resources, some officials within the ministry continued violating the law.

“They are facilitating the transfers simply to get kick-backs from the teachers they are bringing in,” he said.

Government this year banned the processing of transfers and filling of vacant posts in the civil service, attributing the suspensions to budgetary constraints.

The PSC said the civil service budget from Treasury did not provide for any adjustments.