Zimbabwe Educators Union Challenges Minister on Teacher Dismissals

Responding to a statement recently made by a Government Minister to fire all non-performing teachers, Educators Union of Zimbabwe (EUZ) president Tafadzwa Munodawafa said the way forward is not to accuse teachers of the poor performance of pupils but to carry out a comprehensive education audit for Mat South Province and the whole country. Mat South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Albert Nguluvhe recently expressed concern at the poor pass rates in his area and called for the dismissal of non-performing teachers. He said these should be replaced by hundreds of unemployed teachers returning from South Africa in the face of xenophobic attacks in the country. “We caution against creating a narrative in which teachers become the scapegoats for poor educational outcomes. A 0% pass rate in 11 schools should prompt a comprehensive provincial education audit to establish the underlying causes and identify schools that require urgent intervention. “Government, education authorities, school leadership, teachers, parents and communities all have a role to play in improving learner outcomes. Rather than simply asking teachers to leave Matabeleland South, we should be asking: why are these schools failing? What support do these teachers and learners need? What interventions have already been implemented, and have they been effective?” she said. Mat South Chief Education Director Beatrice Manjere concurred that there are other factors that should be looked into in order to improve performance in schools. “It is not the teachers alone who can contribute towards poor pass rates. There are a lot of factors, but we always encourage our teachers to do their best to achieve higher pass rates,” she said. Source: Don’t single out teachers for low pass rates – EUZ tells Minister – Masvingo Mirror Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *