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Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
Teachers have been challenged to actively participate in the mainstream economy by venturing into income generating projects, suitable businesses and creating industries to augment their salaries.
The call was made by Zanu PF Secretary for Women Affairs Cde Mabel Chinomona yesterday while addressing hundreds of female members from the Teachers for Economic Development (Teachers4ED) from Harare Province.
The teachers had converged at ZANU PF headquarters for an engagement with the party’s top women’s wing executives.
The meeting was running under the theme: “Identifying pathways for accelerating socio-economic empowerment opportunities for teachers”. It was convened to provide a forum for discussion on matters related to the identification of opportunities that female teachers can take advantage of to achieve socio-economic emancipation and empowerment.
As the country races to achieve an empowered upper middle income economy by 2030, Cde Chinomona said teachers’ participation in the mainstream economy was critical.
Said Cde Chinomona: “On the socio-economic front, the Women’s League is rolling out entrepreneurial skills training programmes for different categories of women.
“It is our wish that as teachers, you also benefit from this empowerment initiative and be able to conduct businesses in order to uplift your livelihoods and supplement your incomes.
“We have agreed that you should benefit from training on household detergents, petroleum jellies, skincare products production, among others.”
The training, Cde Chinomona said, would be rolled-out to the provinces to ensure many teachers benefit, in line with the mantra of “leaving no place and no one behind”.
“In this way, we know that teachers will not be confined to classrooms, but will also contribute to the mainstream economy and to their local GDPs, creating employment through establishment of businesses to ensure resources are being mobilised to opening up of empowerment opportunities more and more,” she said.
Cde Chinomona hailed teachers for remaining patient at a time economic saboteurs have been battling to upend the economy through unjustified price hikes and manipulating the economy.
“You are hardworking and we know that you love our country. Naturally, you will do anything in your power to feed your families and grow the economy.
“I encourage you to remain resolute in the face of these machinations. Do what you can, with what you have got, where you are’ to protect our country and the hard won independence,” she said.
Zanu PF Women’s League Secretary for Administration Cde Monica Mutsvangwa was equally excited that teachers eventually realised they were major targets of the country’s detractors.
However, Cde Mutsvangwa said teachers were quick to realise that everything that was going on was aimed at alienating them from the ruling ZANU PF, and stood firm, and formed an affiliate, Teachers4ED.
“The patron for Teachers4ED is the President of the country and they are now able to put all problems on the table and then discuss,” she said.
The Women’s League has been going around across the 10 provinces preaching the gospel of empowerment, and that the nation’s detractors were scheming daily to ensure the people turn against their Government.
“We are telling our people, particularly women, that please let’s try to do what we can; the Government is doing its best, measures have been put in place to make sure that the prices go down but at the same time, let’s remember there is an enemy out there who always targets Zimbabwe as we go towards elections,” she said.
Teachers4ED national chairman Cde Amon Chiwocha said: “We have often seen that men have dominated forums discussing issues that relate to female teachers in particular. We are saying as Teachers for Economic Development, women must be given the opportunity to sit together and discuss their own issues.
“For a long time, we had the situation that teachers have been sitting on the fence. We agreed anonymously as teachers that gone are the days when we used to sit by the fence.”
Cde Chiwocha said some opposition parties had been taking them for granted, “assuming that we were on their side, no! We are not”.
“We recently made a declaration that we are in support of the candidature of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe,” he said.
Female Teachers4ED, provincial coordinator for Harare, Ms Josephine Mberi, said they were ready to participate in the mainstream economy.
“We have been lagging behind in all the projects. Here the Women’s League is saying ‘you are our baby, you are going to be part of everything that will be happening under Women’s League’.
“We want to explore all the opportunities that we can get under Zanu PF, our ruling party and the President whom we have endorsed as a sole candidate for 2023 elections,” said Ms Mberi.
Online Reporter