Muchinga targets native teachers
By Moses Kuwema
Tue 04 Sep. 2012, 09:00 CAT
EDUCATION authorities in Muchinga Province have come up with a strategy of recruiting only single teachers or those who are married within the area as a way of maintaining the staffing levels.
Provincial education officer Jobbicks Kalumba disclosed this on Saturday during the provincial development committee meeting after Shiwangandu member of parliament, Steven Kampyongo, expressed concern at the high number of teachers that had left his constituency.
Kalumba said the province had lost a number of teachers because of transfers and that this had adversely impacted on the levels of teaching and learning in the province.
"We want to identify men and women who are single or married within the province because these will not go. They will remain with their husbands and wives within Muchinga Province. That is the scenario we have reached because we have lost a lot of teachers out of transfers," Kalumba said.
He said so far, more than 400 teachers had requested for transfers to provinces such as Lusaka, Copperbelt, among others.
"This is not healthy for the nation but fortunately the 350 teachers that are expected to report to the province this month are single or married within the province," he said.
''We are going to solve this problem. I learnt a lesson from Mpulungu where people are crying that teachers were going back. I said okay, 'what do I do?' We recruited single men and women for the first time; 65 of them. What happened was if a single man and woman reported for duty, I would send them to one school where they eventually fell in love, married and remained there. Thus we maintained the staffing levels in Mpulungu," said Kalumba.
He said the issue of transfers was a big problem but promised that this would come to an end.
Kalumba said the 350 teachers to be recruited for Muchinga would be sent to all the six districts in the province.
And Kalumba said in terms of infrastructure, the province still had so many schools made of pole and mud.
"Besides this, there are also a good number of classrooms that are dilapidated and inadequate making the atmosphere inconducive to learning. Staff houses are also inadequate and in some cases in poor state thus making it very difficult to send staff to schools that are in remote or rural areas where such situations are common," Kalumba said.
Kalumba said furniture in some schools was not adequate and that this was more pronounced during examinations when desks were not enough for both pupils in secondary and basic schools writing examinations.
He said the provincial performance at grade seven and 12 for the past three years had been improving steadily whereas at grade nine, a lot still needed to be done in all six districts.
Meanwhile, Kalumba said the province had collected all the staff files from Northern Province in addition to successfully holding the Teaching Service Commission session.
He said they had also developed a provincial work plan and strategic plan for the period 2012-2015 and had also held administrative meetings for all stakeholders in education aimed at improving learning and teaching.
Kalumba said other achievements that the province had recorded included the distribution of 4,000 desks from Mpika to Isoka that would be shared between Isoka and Mafinga, and appointed staff to manage education at Mafinga district education office.
Kalumba called on the government to procure vehicles for all districts and provincial offices, increase funding to all the institutions, recruit more staff, construct offices at Isoka and Mafinga and put the latter district on the establishment.
Labels: EDUCATION, TEACHERS, VOCATIONAL TRAINING
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Workers, loan sharks and micro-lenders
By The Post
Fri 13 July 2012, 10:20 CAT
The revelation by Dr John Phiri, the Minister of Education, that over 77,000 public school teachers are shackled in debt they owe micro-finance institutions is frightening.
But they are not the only ones. Most of our working people are in a similar situation. They are in debt not only with so many micro-finance companies but also with banks, shops and other suppliers of all sorts of things.
And come pay day, they are left with nothing, they can hardly buy a bag of mealie-meal. So they have to go back to borrowing. It is not borrowing for investment; it is borrowing for consumption. Everything they have is obtained on credit.
The house they claim to own is on mortgage; the car they drive, there is a loan behind it. Sometimes even the clothes they wear are from borrowings or are purchased on credit from suppliers.
Some of our workers have consumed their salaries 20 to 30 years in advance. And this being the situation, where is their future? What happens to their families if they dropped dead today?
It is good that our Minister of Education sees this as a big problem, a gigantic challenge affecting the plight of our workers and one that demands urgent intervention. But urgent intervention by who?
This is an issue that calls for strong leadership from Dr Phiri and his colleagues in government to reform our whole system of credit and debt in the country.
This problem has not been dealt with properly over the last 20 years. Now is the time to make sure that the interests of the ordinary Zambian workers come first, not last.
For too long, our people have suffered because government policy and laws have favoured business interest above the interests of the working people.
In this country, the poor pay more interest on the little money they borrow than that paid by the rich people. Ours is a financial system that rewards the rich and punishes the poor. It is a system that makes the rich richer and the poor poorer.
Rich people can borrow from banks to start businesses, get loans for houses and cars, get credit cards, buy clothes, shoes, everything on credit and pay back from their earnings at rates they can afford. Poor people struggle to get meaningful loans from banks; they must use the money for food, school fees, transport and for emergencies like funerals.
They have to borrow from the so-called micro-lenders, the loan sharks who charge the most interests. It is not unusual for these micro-lenders to charge up to over 40 per cent or even over 60 per cent interest on small loans to poor people, workers and pensioners.
This is not in order. This is wrong.
This is shameful. This is exploitation of the workers and the poor. It is time for change. This exploitation must end.
We should not accept a system where loan sharks masquerading as responsible micro-lenders or banks steal what little our workers and the poor have in high interest charges.
The government needs to move in and set some limits on interest charges to the poor and bring it to the same level as the interest that the rich pay. This situation demands that the government acts quickly to deal with this issue. And we call on the working people, the people most exploited by loan sharks, micro-lenders and banks, to demand their own redemption.
There is need to transform our financial sector so that it meets the needs of all our people.
Transformation of important sectors of our economy is of just as much interest and importance to all workers, the users or buyers of goods and services as to the banks, the providers or suppliers of goods and services or the regulators, the government and its agencies. This is something that some in the financial sector seem to have difficulty learning.
And the trade unions need to come in. They are answerable to the workers whose interests they represent. It is therefore right to call upon the workers as a whole, and organised workers in particular, to strengthen their formations, flex their muscles.
There is need for our trade unions, our labour movement to get more involved in economic issues and policies affecting our country's economic growth and development. Workers must control their financial resources, including pension. It is time that the unilateral control and investment decision over workers' funds by the financial institutions was challenged.
A united working class must break the seemingly arrogant culture of entitlement by business to want to use workers' monies as it deems fit. And this must be located within the broader goal of deepening workers' unity in our country, and earnestly work towards the goal of returning to one country, one trade union federation.
There is increasingly more that unites the working class than divides it, including the common challenge of unemployment, retrenchments, poverty. It is only a united working class that is the social force best capable of taking our country out of a current crisis of unemployment and poverty, and lead our society towards a better life for all.
In order for this government of Michael Sata and the PF to address and effectively respond to the electoral mandate of the workers and the poor, as well as the challenge of joblessness and poverty, it is absolutely critical that they place workers' interests at the centre of transformation of our society.
In this respect, concerted effort is required if the PF government is to address poverty and joblessness. We cannot address unemployment in our country unless it is from a consistently workers' perspective and from the standpoint of its political interests.
Any approach to this problem outside the worker and the poor's perspective will not succeed.
In the light of the current high unemployment levels, one cannot fail to admit that private capital in this country has not played a meaningful role in the overall economic development of our country.
As a country, we have made more progress in those areas where government and the donors have taken a lead. Where matters have been left to the private sector, to international private capital, we have seen retrenchments and low job creation.
Therefore, there is need for the government to take a keen interest and play an active role in ensuring that all sectors of our economy are making progress and are doing so without leaving the workers and the poor behind.
Of course, we know that private capital, especially the foreign one, doesn't care about people's needs but solely about their profits! And as for our labour movement, it is important for it to realise that these are matters that should not be left to the government alone - they have an important role to play.
Labels: DEBT, JOHN PHIRI, MICRO-FINANCE, MILES SAMPA, TEACHERS
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Teachers shackled in debt - Phiri
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Fri 13 July 2012, 14:00 CAT
MOST Public school teachers in the country are shackled in debt they owe micro-finance institutions, reveals education minister Dr John Phiri. And finance deputy minister Miles Sampa says huge debts distract workers and make them less productive.
Officially closing the launch of the national strategy on financial education for Zambia, Dr Phiri said the heavy indebtedness of the teachers in the country deserves urgent intervention.
He said the government had a huge challenge of freeing the teachers from their indebtedness.
Dr Phiri said the levels of financial literacy among teachers in the country were very low, and that there was need to build a future that will be financially literate.
"We have in the ministry the largest number of civil servants who are called teachers - 77,000 plus, scattered all over the country who may greatly benefit from this arrangement," said Dr Phiri. "Today, the plight of the teacher like many civil servants I guess is that their names are in every micro-finance institutions.
The payslip just confirms that 'yes, you have used your money, and here is the other K200,000 you left behind'. So, the scenario demands urgent intervention and that intervention will go a long way."
And Sampa said the proliferation of easy money for workers to borrow was recipe for under-performance among workers.
He said there was need for the government and private sector employers in the country to find a way of limiting workers' exposure to unnecessary credit.
Sampa advocated for increased financial education of the workers in the country.
"Employees who are financially educated are less likely to get into the financial difficulties which can distract them at work and thus make them less productive," said Sampa.
"It's not unusual to see workers zoom out of the offices to go and seek for kaloba somewhere because they are in financial difficulties, but all they are doing is just making their problems even worse and worse. If they are fully informed and educated, they will find other better alternatives to resolve their problems."
Labels: DEBT, JOHN PHIRI, MILES SAMPA, TEACHERS
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Copperbelt teachers urge quick recognition of PTUZ
By Fridah Nkonde in Ndola
Wed 15 Feb. 2012, 11:59 CAT
TEACHERS on the Copperbelt have asked the Ministry of Education to quickly sign the recognition agreement with the Professional Teachers Union of Zambia. Professional Teacher's Union of Zambia Copperbelt early this month held its first national convention in Lusaka where it national executive committee was elected.
In an interview, PTUZ provincial chairperson Richard Mweetwa said teachers on the Copperbelt were not going to recognise the bargaining outcome should his union be excluded from negotiations.
"…This is because they have chosen to be members of Professional Teacher's Union of Zambia rather than other unions which were MMD vuvuzelas," he said.
Mweetwa said as provincial leaders, they were cautioning teachers who were being sponsored by other teacher unions to desist from making false statements concerning PTUZ.
He said those claiming to be founder members of PTUZ would have been present at the union's first convention, adding that they would have been free to contest any position.
"Our advice to them is that not everyone can have a position. Just like in any political party, not every founding member can be given a position so they should follow the laid down procedure to air out their concerns," said Mweetwa.
Labels: COPPERBELT PROVINCE, PTUZ, TEACHERS
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COMMENT - Like the neoliberals they are, the MDC is underfunding any of the growth factors in the economy. Whether it is defunding agriculture (food security), the armed forces (national security), or the teachers (education) and doctors/nurses (healthcare). They are destroying demand in the economy, so the country's assets end up even cheaper to buy for the likes of Anglo-American De Beers.
Teachers threaten to strike
04/01/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
TEACHERS unions say government cannot continue to plead poverty after recently paying MPs US$15 000 each and warned that schools may not re-open next week unless a deal is reached over their own wage demands.
The unions accuse the government of dragging its feet over negotiations for this year’s salary increments and expressed outrage over reports treasury recently paid up to US$2 million in allowances owed to MPs.
Government employees want their salaries adjusted in line with the country’s poverty datum line which would see the least paid civil servant earning about US$538 up from US$253.
But they have yet to get a response from their employer since the submitted their proposals last month.
“It is not a surprise that there might be no movement since December 16,” Tendai Chikowore, who heads the umbrella body for the unions, said.
“We are giving them until this Friday and after that the workers will decide on what action to take," she said.
Government negotiator, Prince Mupazviriho said the coalition administration was looking into the proposals.
"Something is being done in terms of salary negotiations," Mupazviriho told The Herald.
"What is important is not the date of the meeting but what we are discussing. We are still consulting and once we finalise our consultations a date would be set."
Teachers have however warned that they will not be returning to work when schools re-open next week unless a deal is reached.
"They (Government) should take heed of the warning as schools are only a few weeks from opening. Government should not underestimate the anger that is latent in the civil service," Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive, Sifiso Ndlovu said.
"Their insincerity and insensitivity just shows that all the workshops we have been holding are not genuine."
Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe chief executive Manuel Nyawo added: "It's one promise after the other.
“Someone affords to pay US$15 000 to 211 people but those who matter in a Government are useless to him and they should continue wallowing in poverty," he said.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe secretary general Raymond Majongwe added said the coalition government had failed to address the plight of civil servants.
"Our situation has worsened since the inception of the Inclusive Government. We are mere victims of political fighting between MDC-T and Zanu-PF,” he said.
"But if MPs united and won their battle, nothing is going to stop us from doing so. Our grievances are always last minute issues and this time we will fight to the end."
Labels: MDC, NEOLIBERALISM, TEACHERS
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COMMENT - Another day, another 'IMF riot'. This is in the wake of the IMF telling Swaziland to introduce austerity measures, so they can make up for letting go of the customs union that provided most of the government's revenues. (Read:
Swaziland must get its house in order, warns World Bank, or the more blunt:
"Swaziland must cut spending") My guess is that the IMF wants to get rid of King Maswati. They know that austerity makes rulers extremely unpopular, because of cuts in services like education.
Swazi teachers demand freeze on king's assets
MBABANE, SWAZILAND - Jun 01 2011 20:36
About 3 000 Swazi teachers marched to the South African and American embassies on Wednesday to appeal for an international asset freeze against King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch.
"We appeal to you to identify and freeze assets owned by the ruling elite and invested in the US resultant from their looting of our economy over the years," read the petition by the Swaziland National Association of Teachers.
The union appealed to Washington to ask countries in the Group of Eight to also freeze assets of Mswati and his inner circle.
Mswati has drawn condemnation for his lavish lifestyle with 13 wives and more than 20 children.
Excluding the cost of overseas trips and refurbishing palaces, the royal family's budget allocation this year was $30-million -- 20% more than last year.
The angry teachers brought the capital Mbabane to a standstill in the first demonstration since pro-democracy protests in April were dispersed with water cannons and batons. This time police did not intervene.
"We are saying as Swazis, it is enough! We are in a bus that is burning and we are kicking out the emergency window," union leader Sibongile Mazibuko told the crowd.
The United States is the country's biggest donor, putting millions of dollars into the fight against AIDS in the country with the world's highest incidence of HIV.
"We remain partners with the Swazi government and people ... We seek to strengthen key government institutions that uphold democratic values," said US embassy political adviser Craig Pike.
Teachers fear that Swaziland's lilangeni currency could be de-linked from the South African rand.
They petitioned the South African embassy for assurances on the currency peg and asked President Jacob Zuma "to intervene in helping Swaziland becoming a multi-party democratic state".
Swaziland is reeling after a 60% drop last year in revenues from a regional customs union, its main source of income.
The country has been paying civil servants by drawing down foreign reserves, but as the crisis deepens the cash is running out. -- AFP
Labels: NEOLIBERALISM, SWAZILAND, TEACHERS
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Chibombo teachers threaten to strike over unpaid rural hardship allowance
By Justin Katilungu in Kabwe
Thu 12 Aug. 2010, 15:10 CAT
ZAMBIA National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) members in Chibombo district have threatened to withdraw their labour if the government does not pay off rural hardship allowances by August 31, 2010.
ZNUT Chibombo district chairperson Edward Phiri stated in a press release jointly signed with his secretary Renartus Mushibwe that despite the new collective agreement of April 2010-March 31, 2011 being signed, the affected teachers had not received their hardship allowances.
The affected teachers are from Shimfwankula, Mwanjuni, Moomba, Kapopo, Mutakwa, Chombela, Katuba, Kapila, Kamaila, Kizito, Bruneli, Namununga, Musopelo, Katete, Kayosha, Kabanga and Chowa schools.
Phiri also noted that schools that were supposed to get hardship allowances were getting a rural hardship allowance which was an anomaly.
“Teachers in Chibombo further believe that it is the duty and obligation of the employer to accommodate its employees, hence we are calling for the immediate stoppage of rentals so that housing allowance is done away with,” stated Phiri.
Labels: SALARIES, TEACHERS, ZNUT
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Zim has highest literacy rate in Africa: UN
By: TH-TZG
Posted: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 3:18 am
ZIMBABWE has the highest literacy rate in Africa, according to the latest United Nations study. The UNDP Statistical Digest shows Zimbabwe ahead of all African countries and taking over from Tunisia which held pole position for years with Zimbabwe second-best and number one in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Zimbabwe’s literacy level currently stands at 92 percent, up from 85 percent while Tunisia remains on 87 percent. This is despite the country’s education sector suffering from the effects of lack of funding blamed on illegal Western sanctions on Zimbabwe.
Commenting on the latest statistical data yesterday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Dr Washington Mbizvo, attributed the increase in literacy levels to Government’s investment in education over the years.
He said Government had promoted conventional and open distance learning in its quest to achieve education for all.
"The latest statistical digest was published last month and shows our country surpassing all African countries.
"This is because we have been able to make all people access education including those in resettlement areas.
"Despite hardships, education facilities are present in most parts of the country," he said.
Dr Mbizvo said while infrastructure had deteriorated, the quality and the culture of education had improved.
"Zimbabweans have always been eager to learn," he said.
He also cited Government’s investment in teacher training colleges as another contributory factor to the increase in literacy levels.
"We have expanded the number of teachers’ colleges to 13 and we are producing 2 500 teachers per year.
"Other countries in Africa produce between 200 and 400 teachers annually on average.
"This has seen other countries like Namibia requesting us to train teachers for them and this shows that we are well-recognised on the continent," he said.
As a result, despite the exodus by teachers to countries that offered better pay, Zimbabwe still produces more skilled personnel that most other nations.
Labels: EDUCATION, LITERACY, TEACHERS, ZIMBABWE
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Kasama teachers resolve to strike
By Ackson Phiri in Kasama
Sun 27 June 2010, 03:00 CAT
TEACHERS in Kasama have resolved to go on strike if they are not paid their June salaries by the end of the month.
The teachers passed the resolution during a meeting called by their union leaders from Secondary School Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ), Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) and the Zambian National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) held at Kasama Boys High School recreation hall on Friday.
The teachers said it would be better for them to stay away from classes if their salaries were delayed again this month.
They charged that they had an obligation to fend for their families and subjecting them to untold misery by delayed salaries would not be entertained anymore.
The teachers also resolved to hold peaceful demonstrations in future at the office of the permanent secretary in the event that their salaries were not forthcoming.
They have since asked the government to normalise irregularities on their payslips in order to get their dues on time.
The teachers urged the government to speed up the payment of outstanding claims such as rural and remote hardship allowances to eligible teachers in order to motivate them to work extra hard.
They further appealed to their national union leaders to consult teacher members before commencing negotiations with the government for salary increment and improved conditions of service.
They castigated union leaders for bargaining without their input during the last salary negotiations with government, adding that it was pointless for their district union leaders to call for a meeting to report about past negotiations.
And speaking at the same function, SESTUZ Kasama district chairman Maxwell Chiwele appealed to teachers to desist from any form of misconduct saying the teachers’ unions would not defend indisciplined members.
Chiwele said conditions of service and the code of conduct were very clear on the responsibility and functions of public service workers and as such teachers should not misbehave while on duty.
He further disclosed that the three teachers’ unions were currently negotiating among themselves with a view to merging in order to enhance their bargaining power during negotiations with the government for improved conditions of service.
Labels: KASAMA, SALARIES, STRIKE, TEACHERS
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Govt owes Eastern Province teachers K15bn – PEO
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Thu 11 Feb. 2010, 04:00 CAT
EASTERN Province education officer Pilila Jere has said the ministry owes teachers in the province about K15 billion in unpaid outstanding allowances.
Featuring on a Breeze FM Budget Tracking programme on Tuesday, Jere commended teachers for being committed to work despite the outstanding allowances owed to them by the Ministry of Education.
“The strike that we had last year was not as a result of maladministration in the province, they were as a result of national issues. When you talk about rural hardship you are talking about issues that affect all teachers in the country, so Eastern Province was not spared,” Jere said.
“In terms of outstanding bills, the province has about K15 billion in form of outstanding bills and these are in different categories. We have leave terminal, leave travel benefits, long service salary arrears, excess leave and other allowances. Under leave, we have a total amount of K3.7 billion that is outstanding, leave travel we have K1.7 billion, long service bonus we have about K868.9 million, under salary arrears we have K4.4 billion, under excess leave K630 million and acting allowance we have K1.6 billion. So you can see that the bill is huge and most of our retired senior citizens are also badly affected.”
She said her office had received some money in the line of salary-related allowances that include leave travel, leave terminal, long service bonus and salary arrears.
Jere said her office had been allocated with K31 billion that would go towards outstanding bills.
Jere revealed that most retired teachers were affected by the outstanding debt, which resulted from insufficient funding to the ministry due to the global financial crisis experienced last year.
And senior planning officer at the provincial education office, Steven Zimba said the province had a lot of needs in infrastructure development like dilapidated structures, lack of staff accommodation and lack of furniture in schools.
Zimba said the ministry would need billions of kwacha to ensure that all the challenges affecting the ministry were addressed.
He revealed that the Ministry of Education in Chipata had been forced to cut down on the identified projects from 30 to about five due to inadequate funding.
However, Zimba said the Ministry of Education was thankful to the government for providing resources to the education sector.
Labels: DOMESTIC DEBT, EASTERN PROVINCE, PILILA JERE, TEACHERS
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Teachers' union demands compromised by MDC-T
Comment by Bhekizulu Sibanda
Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:18:00 +0000
WITH the issue of public service salaries still a contentious issue Progressive Teachers Union (PTUZ) Secretary General, Raymond Majongwe is embattled in a fierce clash with Takawira Zhou, PTUZ President over the intended strike by teachers.
Majongwe who is believed to have met Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai recently at his Munhumutapa offices in Harare where he claims he was told that the government had no money is totally against the intended strike.
Prime Minister Tsvangirai is believed to have told Majongwe to pacify his Union so that MDC-T would not be embarrassed by its failure to improve the welfare of teachers after having made an impassionate plea to all teachers to return home promising them lucrative salaries and improved working conditions.
Tsvangirai who is being forced to take back his words is facing a major showdown from teachers and civil servants alike who have realized the futility of the promise.
Still a year down the line, the conditions have remained appalling as the education sector continues to be riddled by an exodus of teachers and schools recording an all time low pass rate from public examinations.
The low pass rate has been attributed to low morale and lack of incentives especially from teachers in rural areas who have to teach under strenuous conditions.
With no end in sight, Majongwe insists that teachers are supposed to understand government’s position, which is battling with so much and yet it has to operate with so little.
Zhou insists that understanding government’s position was not good enough for their members who have been operating under very difficult circumstances. He added that their members had shown a very high level of patriotism and commitment over the past years and it was only dignified to reward them.
Teachers whose salaries fall within the same income bracket with the rest of civil servants have been receiving a paltry US$150 and have had their salaries increased to US$160 during the current financial year by the government against a poverty datum line of US$500.
Majongwe’s reluctance to participate in striking comes as a surprise to many as he was previously seen as a fierce democrat who pushed for workers' rights.
Prior to the GPA, he was instrumental in pushing for strikes against the Zanu PF government demanding better working conditions and meaningful salaries.
The advent of the inclusive Government saw the PTUZ taking a sympathetic approach towards the government and refusing to strike on the understanding that the government was operating on a shoestring budget.
Parallels can be drawn across the Limpopo where COSATU and the ANC government enjoy a cordial working relationship and the union will continuously push for dialogue as opposed to confrontation.
However the dangers of such unions are that the workers are compromised as their leadership and government enjoy their felonious relationship.
Government wants to maintain these relationships to avert potential strikes and embarrassment and the leadership are given incentives as kickbacks at the expense of employee welfare.
Where Majongwe’s allegiance lies is an open secret and unquestionable, and if rumours that he was promised a diplomatic posting by the MDC-T if he successfully manages to stop teachers from striking is true then the chances of PTUZ joining in the civil servants strike are slim.
Labels: PTUZ, RAYMOND MAJONGWE, TAKAWIRA ZHOU, TEACHERS
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Teachers demand US$600, threaten strike
by
07/01/2010 00:00:00
TEACHERS have threatened not to turn up for work when schools open on Tuesday unless government agrees to raise their salaries to a monthly minimum of US$600.
Organisations representing the country’s 90 000 teachers say their members have run out of patience with the inclusive administration over its failure to improve their conditions of service.
However, the US$600 minimum salary demand is clearly beyond the government’s means as it translates to about US$55 million; half the country’s monthly tax income.
Takavafira Zhou, president of the more militant Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe said teachers would not turn-up for work unless they received clarity from the government over their salaries.
"We have given the inclusive government enough time and ... it’s high time they give us salaries above the poverty datum line meaning (nothing) less than US$600.
"Right now we don’t know what we are getting and if we get the same $150, what will happen next? We have to warn them now," Mr Zhou told The Herald.
Tendai Chikoore, President of the rival Zimbabwe Teachers’ Union said her organisation would seek a meeting with the government next week over the issue.
"If teachers strike, their move would be justified because we have given them (government) enough time to sort out everything.
"Since the budget was announced, we expected to know what we will be earning and if the issue of being graded has been addressed, but up to now they have been quiet,” Chikoore said.
Education Minister, David Coltart referred questions to his counterpart at Finance, Tendai Biti who could not be reached for comment.
"I think the best person to answer their questions would be the finance Minister as he is the one who presented the budget. I do not know what they would be getting as I am not the one who pays them," Minister Coltart said.
Teachers say they are not amused with the Government’s silence over their remuneration since the announcement of the national budget last December.
They also want to know if calls for the implementation of salary structures have been addressed.
Meanwhile, should job-action go ahead, this will be the latest, in a long series of disruptions to the country’s school calendar as teachers continue to fight with government over their conditions of service.
Upon assuming office, the inclusive government put all civil servants on the same salary of US$150 and pleaded with its employees for time to address the country’s economic challenges.
The government said salaries could only be improved once revenues had increased meaningfully.
Labels: STRIKE, TEACHERS
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Over-enrolment has affected quality of education – Bubala
Written by Masuzyo Chakwe
Monday, October 05, 2009 8:44:54 PM
ZAMBIA National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) general secretary Newman Bubala has said over-enrolment in schools has greatly affected the quality of education in the country.
Commenting on World Teachers Day, which falls today under the theme Build the future of the nation, invest in the teacher, Bubala said the problem of over-enrolment, if not addressed, would have a serious impact on the future of the education sector in the country.
“The number of pupils enrolled does not match the infrastructure and the number of teachers. You find in a community that has one school that is supposed to enrol 40 pupils enrols 150 pupils. How does a teacher work like that? How does the teacher mark all the books? And this is affecting the standards of education, especially the performance because the pupils will not get the individual care that is required, the number of pupils is increasing but the infrastructure remains the same,” Bubala said.
He said teachers expected the change of the budget cycle to impact positively on the education sector and see more resources allocated to it.
Bubala said the importance of education needed to be emphasised and more resources allocated to the sector.
“What kind of children will we leave behind? We need to invest in education as much as we invest in other sectors so that teachers have better conditions of service, more schools are built and more pupils are enrolled. All people need teachers to become somebody in one point in their lives,” he said.
He said more investment in the education sector could help bring about free education to enable more pupils attain some form of education.
“Most people cannot afford education and this will only result in more street children. So free education up, even up to grade twelve would be welcome and we would like that as soon as it can be done,” he said.
Bubala said the issue of housing allowance had been outstanding for a long time as the current amount of money given to teachers was not enough.
He said the housing allowance depended on the salary scale of the teachers with the highest getting about K320,000 and the lowest between K250,000 and K220,000.
Bubala said this amount was not enough to motivate teachers or enable them find decent accommodation.
Bubala said there was also the issue of pending allowances such as fixed band and rural hardship, which had not been paid completely.
Labels: EDUCATION, TEACHERS, ZNUT
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ZNUT challenges govt to build more houses for teachers
Written by Zumani Katasefa in Kitwe
Thursday, September 17, 2009 12:18:09 AM
ZAMBIA National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) Copperbelt provincial chairman Brian Manyando has challenged government to allocate sufficient funds in next year's budget for the construction of teachers' houses countrywide.
In an interview, Manyando said government should consider setting aside adequate funds for the construction of teachers' houses countrywide to ease the accommodation woes that the teaching fraternity was currently going through.
He said the government recruited new teachers every year and that it was therefore important to be constructing new houses annually in order to ease accommodation problems that teachers go through.
"We have submitted to the government what we need government to address in next year's national budget. Government should look into the issues of housing allowance, many teachers want housing allowances to be increased by K500,000 across the board and negotiations for next year should be completed by January," he said.
Manyando said the government should ensure that all outstanding arrears owed to the teachers were cleared before the new budget was presented to Parliament.
"We want all the outstanding arrears owed to the teachers such as rural hardship allowances to be cleared before the presentation of the new budget. It is sad that the government promised to clear the fixed band housing allowance this August but this is September, it has not cleared. We just pleaded with our teachers, they wanted to boycott classes this term in protest against government's failure to pay them the fixed band allowance, the 10 percent owner occupier should also be looked into," Manyando said.
He urged the government not to scrap off the rural hardship to allowances for teachers working in rural areas such as Lufwanyama, Mpongwe and Masaiti districts. anyando said non-payment of allowances discouraged teachers from putting in their maximum effort in executing their duties.
"Although a teacher may not be on strike, but when he is not paid what is due to him adequately and on time, he is automatically demotivated from performing his duties as expected. This affects the child who is in school," he said.
Manyando also said it was unfortunate that government had decided to be adamant over the teachers who were housed in classrooms and storerooms in some schools within Chingola.
Labels: BRIAN MANYANDO, TEACHERS, ZNUT
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Govt owes C/belt teachers K10bn
Written by Zumani Katasefa in Kitwe
Thursday, September 03, 2009 12:07:00 AM
GOVERNMENT owes teachers on the Copperbelt Province K10 billion in unpaid fixed band housing allowance, Secondary Schools Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ) Copperbelt Province spokesperson Davis Chavula has said.
Chavula urged the government to address the problem of housing allowance arrears before teachers resorted to another work stoppage when schools reopen next week.
“Whenever teachers go on strike, the government does pay something just to mitigate the strike action, this trend is not good, strike actions in the teaching system disturb the learning calendar. It is time government addresses the issues of housing allowances before teachers resort to another work stoppage as we open schools next week,” he said.
Chavula said teachers on the Copperbelt Province were tired of asking the government for what rightly belonged to them.
“We are appealing to our capable Republican President Rupiah B. Banda to intervene in the issues of housing allowances and rural hardship in the Copperbelt for teachers,” he said.
Chavula said the issues of housing allowances had been a big problem for teachers especially on the Copperbelt Province.
“...the 2009 negotiations didn't address anything on housing allowances and rural hardship, and this has made most of our teachers to be frustrated,” he said.
Chavula also said it was the dream of SESTUZ to come up with one strong union to represent the teachers’ interests.
“It is our dream in future for the three unions namely SESTUZ, ZNUT and BETUZ to come up with one major union instead of our frustrated teachers to form another confused splinter briefcase union,” said Chavula.
And some teachers who spoke on condition of anonymity urged President Banda's government to show seriousness in handling national matters.
The teachers said they expected President Banda to attach great importance to issues such as education by way of paying teachers all that was due to them, such as allowances.
“Once teachers are not motivated, it will be impossible for them to perform to the expected standards, therefore Millennium Development Goals will be impossible to attain,” said the teachers.
Labels: COPPERBELT PROVINCE, DOMESTIC DEBT, TEACHERS
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Donations for gifts to Dora annoy Nchelenge teachers
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Sunday, August 16, 2009 3:59:51 PM
TEACHERS in Nchelenge district have expressed displeasure over their District Education Board Secretary’s (DEBS) decision to demand financial contributions from schools to buy gifts for education minister Dora Siliya who is expected to tour government projects in the district.
But Nchelenge DEBS John Kalifungwa could neither deny nor confirm the matter. Teachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Kalifungwa went round the schools collecting K100, 000 from each of them for the purpose of buying gifts for Siliya.
“The money was being collected last week on Tuesday without the money being receipted for. The minister was expected on Thursday but the programme has changed, she is coming on Sunday [today]. The figure that is being targeted to be raised is K5 million as a gift to the minister of education,” said a teacher working in Nchelenge.
Another teacher said instructions came from Luapula Province education officer Florence Kanchebele for the DEBS to collect funds that would be given to Siliya as a gift or used to buy a gift that would be presented to her.
“Ms Dora Siliya… will be in Nchelenge on Sunday but the issue is that the DEBS office is going round schools collecting K100, 000 per school in order to raise K5 million to come and give it to Ms Siliya as a gift for her touring of Nchelenge to inspect government projects,” said a Ministry of Education official in Nchelenge.
“Nchelenge has more than 36 basic schools and over 20 community schools. Instructions are coming from Mrs Kanchebele, the PEO in Mansa [the provincial headquarters] for what the DEBS is doing for Ms Siliya.”
Another source complained that this was abuse of public funds in rural schools that are financially handicapped.
“This is plundering of public resources. You can imagine, for rural schools a K100, 000 is substantial,” a civil society official said.
When contacted for comment, Kalifungwa declined to comment on the matter referring the queries to Kanchebele.
“I have no idea. Only the PEO can comment,” said Kalifungwa before cutting the phone line. “Get the information from the people who told you that.”
And Kanchebele confirmed that Siliya was supposed to visit Nchelenge but her programme had been postponed.
“She would have come but that one has been postponed to some other time,” said Kanchebele and immediately cut the phone line.
Labels: CORRUPTION, DEBS, DORA SILIYA, JOHN KALIFUNGWA, TEACHERS
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District committee accuses Kunda of intimidating Chitambo teachers
Written by Chibaula Silwamba in Chitambo
Sunday, August 16, 2009 3:55:59 PM
SERENJE District Conflict Management Committee has charged that Republican Vice-President George Kunda’s remarks against Reuben Primary School teachers in the run-up to the Chitambo parliamentary by-elections ‘had an element of intimidation and was unjustified’.
This is contained in a report dated August 13, 2009 following opposition Patriotic Front (PF) vice-president Dr Guy Scott’s earlier request that the committee convenes a meeting to consider his party’s complaint against Vice-President Kunda’s statement over some teachers’ decision not to attend his arrival at Rueben Primary School.
This compelled Vice-President Kunda to allege that such teachers could rig the Chitambo by-elections in favour of the PF. But the committee stated that the teachers at the school were under no obligation to attend Vice-President Kunda’s partisan political rally.
“It was the view of the committee that the statements attributed to the Republican Vice-President had an element of intimidation. The reasons being that the Republican Vice-President is the head of government. The specific school, specific headmaster and his teachers referred to from a specific school are civil servants who work for the government which makes them subordinates to the Republican Vice-President,” stated the committee in a report signed by its chairperson Happy Chongo, who is also Serenje magistrate, and secretary Mumbi CK.
“The complaint which the Vice-President had against the said members of staff of the school, Reuben Basic School, as reported in The [Post newspaper] story was unjustified. The teachers were under no obligation to attend a partisan political rally since it was not a government official meeting.”
In his letter to Serenje district Conflict Resolution Committee dated August 12, 2009, Dr Scott stated: “I am hereby formally requesting, under the provisions of the Electoral Code of Conduct Act, that you convene a meeting of the conflict resolution committee to consider a complaint by my party of intimidation of presiding officers in tomorrow’s [last Thursday’s] Chitambo by-election by the Republican Vice-President.”
On Monday, Vice-President Kunda expressed fear that some teachers that were electoral presiding officers in the Chitambo parliamentary by-election ‘will start rigging’ elections in favour of the PF.
Vice-President Kunda made the remarks after teachers at Reuben Primary School shunned his campaign rally.
“We are also disappointed that teachers are becoming partisan supporting the PF. I am here as your Vice-President but instead of being here they have all disappeared. What kind of teachers are these?” Vice-President Kunda asked. “Where do you find the headmaster walks away when he knows we are coming? The teachers have also been distributing pamphlets urging you the voters to vote for PF. This government will not tolerate indiscipline. We want teachers to teach our children. That is their duty not to be involved in partisan politics. How can such teachers preside over elections? They will start rigging.”
The electorate in Chitambo Constituency voted for their new member of parliament on Thursday following the death of Nassim Hamir in May this year. MMD’s Dr Solomon Musonda won the parliamentary by-election.
Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, GEORGE KUNDA, TEACHERS
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Biti behaved like Father Christmas, says teachers' union
Ralph Mutema
Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:54:00 +0000
THE Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe has slammed Finance Minister Tendai Biti for failing to recognize the importance of teachers in his latest mid-term budget statement.
In a statement released to the Zimbabwe Guardian PTUZ said they "feel highly disturbed that
the Minister of Finance presented the Mid-term Fiscal Policy without engaging teacher unions."
The union, which is an affiliate of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions said Biti behaved like "Father Christmas" giving 'handout' to teachers.
"We do not tolerate the doctrine of state paternalism where government behaves as Father Christmas.
"Teachers are not children of the government; they are partners who should be consulted whenever decisions which affect them are being made," read the statement.
The militant teachers' union said the additional USD150 million budgeted by Biti for government is "unacceptably too low".
"The decision to convert the allowances into salaries with scale differentials is against the concept of shared misery. This will advantage those in managerial posts ... and disadvantage the majority of workers like teachers who had no hand in the collapse of the economy."
PTUZ demanded that all civil servants should be paid an "equal and deductible allowance" to help cover medical and other policies and to raise them above the Poverty Datum Line (PDL).
"In line with the doctrine of shared misery, we demand that all public servants be paid an equal and deductible allowance for the purposes of funeral and medical policies up to a time when government can pay salaries above the PDL."
The Union also called on the Minister of Education, Sport, Art and Culture, David Coltart to implement Article VII clauses 7.1 (c) and (e) where the minister agreed to either reinstate or reappoint teachers who left the profession due to economic and political circumstances.
The teachers who sought reappointment have remained unpaid since February 2009.
"They are now being 'charged' and getting 'fired.' After these rituals, they are asked to reapply, undergo 'security vetting' and 'medical examination'.
"Imagine teachers who ran away from violence being asked to do all this. They are now suspected criminals and suspected ill persons," read the statement issued by Raymond Majongwe, PTUZ Secretary General.
Labels: BUDGET, TEACHERS, TENDAI BITI
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Kapiri teachers denounce national union leadership
Written by Isaac Zulu in Kapiri Mposhi
Friday, June 19, 2009 2:56:41 PM
TEACHERS in Kapiri Mposhi on Tuesday unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in their national union leadership.
During a joint meeting on Tuesday held at Lukanda Basic School, the teachers however resolved to resume work, demanding that the national union leaders address them and explain on the just signed 15 per cent salary increment within 30 days.
“Zambia Nation Union of Teachers, Secondary Education Teachers Union of Zambia and the Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia have accepted to go back for work on Wednesday 17th June 2009 on demands that the national union leadership come and address them as whole district by 16th July 2008 failure to which they shall withdraw their monthly contribution from the union,” they explained in a joint statement issued after the meeting.
“Kapiri Mposhi teachers have also expressed no confidence in their national union leadership, whom they have accused of misrepresenting them by signing for 15 per cent salary increment without consulting them.”
Meanwhile, police in Chingola have detained 15 pupils from different secondary and basic schools for three days on account of having taken part in a riot on Monday.
Parents of two teenage boys who were part of the group that was still in detention, said their children were by press time yesterday still in cells at Chingola Central Police Station without charge.
Evans Mwanza, father of a 15-year-old Chingola High School pupil, complained that police had since Tuesday been telling him and other parents that their children would be released after investigations against them were completed.
Mwanza, who spoke on behalf of other parents, demanded the release of the children.
He also complained that the children, most of whom were 15 years and below, were picked up after the riot.
And another parent, Mulenga Mwelwa, whose child is 13 years old demanded the immediate release of his child and others in detention.
And when contacted, Copperbelt police commanding officer Antoneil Mutentwa confirmed that the pupils were in detention but said they were being released after paying the admission of guilt fine for conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
Labels: KAPIRI MPOSHI, TEACHERS
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ZNUT urges extension of teacher recruitment deadline
Written by Masuzyo Chakwe
Saturday, May 09, 2009 4:04:48 PM
THE Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) has appealed to the Ministry of Education to extend the deadline for the recruitment of teachers to give enough time for would be applicants to receive the information and submit their applications.
Welcoming the announcement by the Ministry of Education on the intention to recruit basic and high school teachers for rural areas, ZNUT director for public relations and international affairs Jose Phiri said this process was supported especially that there were many schools both in rural, remote and urban areas that had inadequate number of teachers when hundreds of teachers were roaming the streets.
Phiri urged the ministry to adequately prepare for the recruitment in terms of settling-in allowances, housing allowances and rural hardship allowances.
Labels: TEACHERS, ZNUT
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