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The teaching has for years been regarded as a noble profession and teachers were held in very high esteem by their respective communities until recently.
The teachers in the village were regarded as very educated individuals and used to inspire the young to work hard at school. The homes of teachers were outstanding and their general conduct within their communities was usually beyond reproach.
Teachers’ salaries were regarded as modest and as such teachers used to afford most of the basics and their families were therefore an envy of many in their respective communities. Teachers were revered by their communities because the foundation of all other professions is education and as such all professionals in the various fields passed through the hands of a teacher.
It is unfortunate that today’s teacher is no longer held in high esteem. The teaching profession seems to be now cursed and the treatment of the teachers by their employer has not helped the situation. Morale within the teaching profession is at its lowest ebb partly because of poor salaries which is not only the problem of teachers but the entire civil service.
A number of punitive measures have been introduced in the education sector which has made the teaching profession unattractive. The worst affected teachers are those in urban areas who have been reduced to lodgers because of their poor salaries. The government recently cancelled teachers’ leave and ordered all teachers on leave to immediately return to work and the move is being contested in court by the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta).
We do not want to discuss the merits and demerits of the move as the matter is sub judice but the fact remains that denying a worker the right to go on leave is an infringement on his or her rights. What needs to be appreciated is that teachers go on leave after seven or so years and to assume that those who take leave will be idle at home and can be recalled at any time is very wrong.
Each individual who goes on leave plans for this leave in order to use the vacation days productively and as such recalling such a person to work when there is no emergency warranting such as move, is very unfair. The teachers’ morale has been dampened by official and unofficial negative pronouncements.
Last week there was an announcement that teachers whose schools register below 50 percent pass rate at Grade Seven and O-level would forgo their April, August and December salaries. This announcement turned out to be a hoax which unfortunately some gullible newspapers quoted as official announcement.
Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Lazarus Dokora has a mammoth task of restoring the teaching profession to its former glory. Dokora’s ministry should restore the teachers’ confidence in the profession and raise the teachers’ morale.
Teaching needs individuals who have a passion for the profession and it is only motivated teachers who can do their best. Teachers do more than teaching because when pupils are at school, teachers take the role of parents hence the need to always ensure they are motivated for the good of the children and their welfare.
We want to once again call on Minister Dokora to put measures to counter unofficial statements that are demoralising the teachers while at the same time coming up with incentives to make the teaching profession as attractive as it was in the past.
derick.khumalo