Zimpapers Logo

The Herald, January 21, 2000

THE Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture has failed to fill more than 1 000 teaching posts in Gokwe North and South, as qualified teachers are shunning the area, an official said this week.

The education officer (staffing) for Midlands, Mr Rueben Mabhena, yesterday said out of the more than 1 240 available vacancies, only 174 had been filled as of yesterday.

Vacancies in other districts of the province have been filled. The Midlands had a total of 1 560 teaching posts vacant this month.

He said only 90 of the 600 posts available in Gokwe South were taken up, while 40 posts out of 172 in secondary schools had been filled.

In Gokwe North, of the 670 posts, about 40 were filled.

The ministry advertised the posts in the media, with graduates applying direct to the schools of their choice, unlike in the past when they were deployed by the ministry.

“The biggest problem is that schools are not accessible. Basic infrastructure, such as houses, is not available. The schools are in malaria places, where people shun to go,” he said.

Mr Mabhena said schools in the two districts would be forced to re-hire temporary teachers whose contracts had been terminated.

“Some schools had up to 30 temporary teachers, which means there would be no teaching if we don’t re-hire them,” he said.

Recruitment of the temporary teachers has already started, he said.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

• It would be impossible for every public school to be exactly equal, but there are ways to improve the education standards of every child. One of those ways is to hire more teachers.
• Teachers play a pivotal role in fulfilling the promise of Sustainable Development Goals by ensuring “equitable and inclusive quality education” for all.
• Filling the teacher gap is not enough to improve the quality of education, of course. The level of knowledge and skills of teachers, and how they teach, are equally important.
• Education for all, can only be achieved through an extensive teacher employment exercise which ensures that every school has adequate teaching staff.
• The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in August 2021 published a list of 3 816 teachers recruited into the public service to serve right across the range from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to Advanced Level in all provinces.
• Despite the disparities in availability of basic amenities and conditions of service, there has also been a huge brain drain not only in the teaching profession, but other sectors as well, as people look for green pastures. In the end, Zimbabwe spends billions educating people that it will not retain.