adminIvan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
THE virtual online recruitment examination for Zimbabwean teachers who will be selected to work in Rwanda, starts today, with some teachers welcoming the exercise.
A delegation of eight officials from Rwanda led by the permanent secretary in Rwanda’s Ministry of Education Mr Charles Karakye arrived in the country on Monday to conduct the recruitment.
While Government schools are on holiday, teachers from private institutions have applauded Zimbabwe and Rwanda agreeing in the exchange of teachers saying it will give local teachers an exposure of the outside world.
Some teachers who were still job hunting welcomed the decision and said there should have been an extensive outreach so that they could have been aware of the recruitment. They all however commended the Government for giving teachers an opportunity to explore the education system of Rwanda. More than 491 teachers from various fields have registered to undergo the virtual interviews under a worker-exchange agreement between Zimbabwe and Rwanda.
The recruitment examinations will be conducted in Harare, Bulawayo, Mashonaland West, Central and Midlands and is expected tomorrow.
It is being jointly undertaken by the Ministry of Labour, Public Service and Social Welfare and Rwanda’s Ministry of Education.
Mr Admire Mukandabvute head of ZimOnline Academy said he has seen some teachers expressing happiness over the recruitment of teachers to Rwanda.
“They are happy to explore other pastures in the education sector in Rwanda and they are also going to experience a new environment. Rwanda has a stable economy in Africa and it is developing within Zimbabwe so this a great opportunity for the teachers who are going for their lives will be changed for the better.”
Principal at Victory Hills International School Mr Clifford Chiringa echoed the same sentiments and said Zimbabwe and Rwanda have good relations which has witnessed several MoUs being signed between the two countries.
“Zimbabwe and Rwanda have a strong background and there is nothing wrong with any exchange. We have had overseas voluntary organisations in the past where we had some expatriate teachers flocking into Zimbabwe.
“We also had Cubans into Zimbabwe so this is not new. There are developments internationally especially human trafficking, that is one thing that may threaten people where they may not feel safe but since it is a Government programme safety is guaranteed,” he said.
Mr Chiringa also said the exchange of educational personnel may be an opportunity for one’s lifetime.
Ms Etina Makotore who has finished her diploma in Education at Nyadire Teachers’ College said the recruitment exercise will create opportunities for them to teach in Rwanda.
“I hope more teachers from Zimbabwe will be recruited because this is a great opportunity to work abroad and explore the new environment that Rwanda has to offer,” she said.
On December 23, 2021, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Rwanda and the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare of the republic of Zimbabwe signed an MoU on exchange of educational personnel and expertise.
This was followed by the signing of a Recruitment Manual on May 4, 2022 to guide the process of recruitment and employment of Zimbabwean teachers in Rwanda.
Following an agreed on plan of activities, Zimbabwe shared with Rwanda a list of 473 recommended candidates for Rwanda to register them in the e-recruitment system.
The next and most important stage was to administer online recruitment examinations which led to the confirmation of 5 provincial examination centres by Zimbabwe on August 1, 2022.
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