Pupils Turned Away As Teachers Boycott Lessons

Pupils from various schools were on Friday reportedly turned away after teachers resolved to attend duty for three days per week.

Primary and Secondary Education ministry spokesperson Taungana Ndoro told NewsDay that he was aware of the reports that teachers were absconding lessons but warned that the government will take appropriate action against them. Ndoro said:

The (Education) ministry will not be deterred from its mandate of providing inclusive and quality education by perceived threats of job action.

If the employees who are under our ministry are not performing as expected, then we will advise the employer.

There are only a third of teachers who are members of the teachers’ unions and the rest have no representatives.

Just like any other employer, we will take the necessary measures against those teachers who are not reporting for duty.

Meanwhile, Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president Obert Masaraure said the government should urgently address teachers’ concerns especially their incapacitation. He said:

Teachers are not teaching. When they show up at the workplace, they are simply logging in and staying in.

When Artuz members go to schools on Monday, they are going to protest on campus. The COVID-19 scare is soon going to force schools to close; we should find solutions to the incapacitation crisis.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (ZCPSTU), the umbrella body for civil servants’ unions, advised the government that with effect from Monday next week, their members will report for duty only two times a week.

More: NewsDay

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