Rural Teachers' Union Leader Urges Govt To Decentralise Teacher Deployment

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), secretary-general Robson Chere says the government needs to decentralise teacher deployment to ensure that teachers are placed in areas where they can speak the local language.

In a telephone interview with OpenParly, Chere said the current centralised system of teacher deployment is unfair to learners. He said:

The Government should allow education devolution which then makes it possible for provinces to do recruitment which suits the interest of the particular areas.

The current centralized recruitment has resulted in some challenges where in some Provinces there is a massive exodus after being deployed to areas where they can’t speak the ethnic language of those communities.

Teacher’s associations, local authorities, parliamentarians and members of the public have in the past raised concern over the deployment of teachers which they say is not in the best interests of some teachers and learners.

Beitbridge Paramount Chief David Tshitaudze Mbedzi said one challenge faced by teachers from other provinces is the language barrier. He said:

To teach an early childhood development (ECD) learner, you need to know their home language and then translate it to English because most of them only begin using English in school so there is a need to revise the deploying system.

It is not just about language, it involves culture, and the best way to preserve it is to teach it, but you can’t teach the practices of other people, better than the owners can.

However, the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA), secretary-general Goodwill Taderera argued that the current teacher deployment policies are fair and should be followed. Taderera said:

Policy issues must be adhered to regardless of circumstances. Ministry policy is literally that first out from college priority to be employed.

As far as we are concerned it’s not about children from which areas because we believe all Zimbabweans must have equal access to employment opportunities. Unless the teachers have scarce skills.

We don’t expect a 2021 graduate from college with the same qualifications as a 2018 or 2019 graduate employed ahead of the earlier graduate.

Unless the earlier graduates refuse offered posts. But still first from college first to be employed.

More: OpenParly