Fly in the ointment

Stephen Mpofu, Perspective
ZIMBABWE is known far and wide and reputed for the country’s very, very high literacy rating on the African continent.

Which augers well for the country’s development, as advancement in all spheres hinges on workers’ competence to catalyse national development.

It is therefore, no doubt in recognition of education as a catalyst for development that the Second Republic Government saw it fit to introduce a competency-based curriculum for primary schools which are the base or foundation for education and with that the sharpening of skills for economic development.

But be that as it may, there is a challenge that needs speedily to be met head on by the powers that be in order to avoid disruptions in the free flow of primary education in particular.

In these days of the Covid-19 virus pandemic, teachers have been known to be reluctant to return to school when classes resumed after lockdowns and the public in general has believed that the reluctance is in fear for their safety and that of their charges.

This may no doubt be the case for some of the teachers but stagnant pay against an increased workload for primary school teachers seems to be the big fly in the ointment.

Several primary school teachers with whom this communicologist interacted in recent days said they were demoralised by measly pay not commensurate with the increased work load for both themselves and their pupils brought about by the new curriculum.

A spokesman said the for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education was aware of the teachers’ salary concerns but that the Ministry alone could do nothing about it — the remark implying that as teachers were public servants their salary concerns fell under Government’s prerogative and not that of a single ministry.

One primary school teacher who asked not to be identified cited RTGS$23 000 as among the highest salaries a primary school teacher earned.

Out of that amount one could not adequately educate and support his/ her family sufficiently enough at the same time, the teacher said.

The same teacher claimed that the workload for the pupils was so high that some of them could not cope.

Education is the whetstone upon which schoolchildren are sharpened and then assessed through curricula such as the one in point here and kindred others to discover sagacity for human tools fit for a country’s national development.

Therefore, the Government’s assessment of primary pupils, as in the case under discussion in this discourse, to discover their suitability as resources for the emancipation of our country politically, socially and developmentally is to be commended, also obligating the powers that be to give teachers appropriate salaries as an incentive.

That the teachers in point here have not downed tools in a bid to force the Government to attend to their complaints is a demonstration of their loyalty to their Government as well as of unmitigated patriotism.

Zimbabwe forward ever; backwards or stagnation, NO NO NO!