COMMENT - That idiot Coltart is 'incentivizing' teachers instead of paying them a living wage. Pure neoliberal idiocy.
Teachers’ incentives bleeding parents
EDITOR — I read with utter disbelief the story in your paper that Government has allowed schools to continue paying teachers incentives so that they could stay motivated to do their work.
While it is understandable, as the responsible minister pointed out, that Government was preparing a "viable" salary for the sector, and that Government really wants to see the back of the incentives, the issue rather suggests a system failure on the part of Government.
This is because only a while ago Finance Minister Tendai Biti presented his 2010 Budget and it is to be wondered why he could not adequately address the concerns of teachers as to lift them from the present situation of being receivers of charity.
While it is not deniable that the economy has had more than its fair share of problems, what is baffling is the fact that Government has not stepped in to address such hard-hit sectors like education.
The evidence of the troubles in schools was so glaring last year, as learners could not afford school and examination fees while teachers were in short supply or simply demotivated.
Senator David Coltart, the Education Minister, should really be an ashamed man.
Does he honestly believe that retention of teachers is the responsibility of parents instead of the teachers’ employer — him and the Government?
Surely, as Minister Biti was compiling his Budget Senator Coltart was supposed to think about his flock.
On the other hand, parents themselves are in trouble as they try to make ends meet and it is hard to imagine whether they can be able to pay school fees for their children plus the teacher incentives.
Government should devise an urgent and comprehensive plan to snap the education sector from the jaws of permanent death.
And that excludes flimsy ideas about parents paying for teachers’ upkeep.
Mary Jengeta.
Eastlea,
Harare.
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