Politics shouldn’t interfere with school system: Committee told

of teachers as they flee volatile areas, a Parliamentary Portfolio committee heard yesterday.
Teacher’s unions yesterday said the polarisation in the country’s politics was filtering through to schools, creating two separate centres of power.

This undermined the smooth adminis- tration of learning activities at most schools. Unions said this during a public hearing organised by the Portfolio Committee on Education, Sports Arts and Culture aimed at appreciating challenges faced by the education sector.
The committee chaired by Gokwe MP, Cde Dorothy Mangami (Zanu-PF), is gathering information on people’s views on the education sector.

Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe official Ms Elizabeth Bere said the polarisation along political lines in most cases created insecurity among teachers.
“Most School Development Committees have become antagonistic and work out- side their statutory mandate, that of over- seeing developmental projects and financial matters at school and have become a factor in the demotivation of teachers,” said Ms Bere.

“We strongly feel there is need for legislation and reforms in school governance to address the challenge of undue interference in professional matters.
“The existence of too many centres of power exacerbates teachers’ insecurity and these politically volatile areas have problems in retaining teachers.”
She said some SDCs had become extensions of some political parties, thereby undermining the authority of the headmaster.

The unions re-reaffirmed that incentives were divisive and should be removed and replaced by improved salaries and better conditions of service.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive officer, Mr Sifiso Ndlovu said it was the duty of the Government to pay teachers and parents should only focus on development issues.

Pastor Steward Dhliwayo from Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe said plans to distribute condoms in schools were counter-productive as it exacerbated moral decadence among pupils.
“You will be encouraging pupils to sleep around. This must be shelved because that will encourage pupils to be promiscuous,” he said.