The insensitivity of teacher incentives

Melody Dube, Features Reporter
THE Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) recently released Ordinary Level results for 2020 with a noticeable drop in the pass rate compared to previous years. This could be blamed on the Covid-19 pandemic which caused serious disturbances to the learning process since early 2020.

It is no secret that less learning was conducted nationwide following national lockdowns which were imposed by President Mnangagwa to help slow the spread of the disease.

The lockdowns disrupted the normal way of doing things and schools were not spared.

Physical learning could not be conducted giving rise to online learning as a solution to the choking problem.

However, online learning was not entirely effective as many disadvantaged children were incapacitated to learn online.

Schooling timeframes were also disturbed and most schools, both primary and secondary, lagged behind in completing syllabuses for all grades and forms. This mostly affected the exam classes which explains the drop in the national pass rate for the year 2020.

Thus, the resumption of physical learning early this year was a relief to both parents and learners who have been gravely affected by the pandemic.

Going back to school came with the hope of catching up on the missed learning time.

However, this new-found hope was short-lived as learners got back to school to find teachers on go-slow as they bemoaned incapacitation due to low wages.

As it stands, normal conduction of lessons is still a rare phenomenon in most schools.

Several schools, have decided to solve this problem by introducing teacher incentives, which, the Government has however declared illegal.
Some school officials have decided that teachers need to be motivated in some way in order for them to teach. This motivation is coming in the form of money from parents with children at the schools.

Parents have to pay extra money specifically for the teachers despite having paid the school fees.

Speaking off record, one headmaster said together with the School Development Committee (SDC), they came up with teacher incentives.
They came to an agreement with the parents that there was to be a weekly payment of US$7 for the teachers to work.

The money would also cover the weekend lessons that the school officials introduced as well.

However, many have argued that this “solution” has been inconsiderate to parents who also suffer the same economic challenges as the teachers.

Most parents who are asked to meet the needs of teachers also have the same challenges as them. Many cannot afford to pay the stipulated amounts, but because of the desire to see their children learning, they oblige.

One parent who preferred anonymity said these incentives are unjustified and a burden to parents.

“The incentives are unfair and they have become a burden to us parents. What the teachers don’t realise is that most parents are in worse situations than theirs. Some earn less than them. As much as my wage is half theirs, I’m expected to take the little that I have and pay the teacher so that my children learn,” he said.

He said asking for incentives from parents is like asking an individual on a wheelchair to pull an able bodied person.

“What they’re asking for is basically like asking an individual on a wheelchair to pull an able bodied person walking with both feet. Where is the justice in that?” he said.

The concerned parent said schools should consider both parties involved before making such decisions.

“We are all citizens of the same country and have similar problems. It’s inconsiderate to think of the teacher only in such situations,” he said.

The parent, who has two children in high school, said in the school where his children are enrolled, the officials have not introduced this incentive but he foresees it coming soon.

“Where my children learn, we have not been asked to pay the teachers yet but I foresee it coming soon. If other schools are already doing it, what would stop the rest from joining in?” he said.

Another parent said they are paying teacher incentives because they do not have an option.

“The incentives are unfair in the sense that parents give these incentives not through their will but because they don’t have an option.

“No parent would relax knowing that their child is not learning every day, especially after paying large amounts of school fees,” she said.

Director of Communication and Advocacy in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Mr Taungana Ndoro said teacher incentives are illegal. He said schools should not be victimising parents who are in a position of desperation.

“As we have been saying, incentivising teachers is illegal. It was outlawed in 2014 and it still is illegal,” he said.

Mr Ndoro said parents who are victimised should stop paying the teachers because they are already on a salary.

“Teachers are already on a salary and therefore, parents should not give them incentives when asked to. Parents don’t take care of teachers and thus they must not pay them,” he said.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is following up on schools said to be asking for these incentives to ensure that they refrain from doing so.

“We’re approaching these schools to ensure that they don’t harass the parents and that incentives are not given.

“Parents should work together with us because as much as we are working on stopping this, some are going behind our backs and giving incentives still,” he said.

Some parents are however willingly giving the incentives saying they do not see a problem with paying teachers.

“I personally don’t have a problem with paying teachers if it means that my children will at least get an opportunity to learn.

“I understand the grievances of these teachers. Their wages are low to the extent that they don’t even cover transport fares for them to make it to school. If I can give something to get that teacher to school then let me do so,” said one parent, Mrs Mavis Moyo.

Mrs Moyo who has four children in both primary and secondary school said what makes her willingly pay teacher incentives is that her children are far behind and she wishes they could learn every day to catch up.

“My Grade Three son can’t even write his name correctly as it is. This pushes me to pay these incentives,” she said.

Another parent who has a son enrolled at a primary school that is requesting the payment of US$7 per week as teacher incentive said that she was happy with this decision.

“My son was going to fail if it was not for this initiative. Surely, he was going to fail but I thank God that because of these US$7, he is able learn.

“We hear that this is not allowed but the truth is, if we had not initiated it, our children’s future would have been compromised,” she said.

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