The government has announced its intention to address the acute shortage of nearly 20,000 teachers through an extensive training program.
Amon Murwira, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, made this disclosure while responding to questions from members of Parliament on Wednesday. He acknowledged the shortage of qualified teachers, stating, “Our training schedules show that Zimbabwe still faces a deficit of trained teachers.
The primary issue pertains to the teaching positions released by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, funded by the Treasury. As it stands, the last update indicates around 15,000 to 20,000 vacant positions, and the number of teachers we’ve trained falls short of this figure for those who are yet to receive training.”
The government recently employed 839 teachers to fill vacant roles nationwide, but teacher unions argued that this number barely made a dent in the extensive shortfall of over 20,000 educators.
In an October 2, 2023 letter addressed to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Public Service Commission (PSC), the PSC Secretary, Tsitsi Choruma, called for the immediate processing of these appointments.
She noted that these appointments were subject to Section 7 (1) of Statutory Instrument 1 of 2000, as amended, where the appointees would serve a probationary period of no less than one year.
Murwira also mentioned a deficit of approximately 3,000 to 4,000 schools in Zimbabwe. He explained that a new approach to school construction would help alleviate the strain on existing schools.
He added that students from polytechnics and similar institutions would contribute to building these schools, while trained teachers would serve as educators in these new establishments.
The government is currently entangled in a labor dispute with educators over inadequate salaries and working conditions.
Teachers are demanding pre-2018 salaries of US$540 per month, the rate in place before President Emmerson Mnangagwa reintroduced the local currency in 2019. As a result, many teachers have sought employment abroad for better pay, leading to a significant shortage of teachers in the country.
According to the Ministry of Education, Zimbabwe’s educational system requires 136,000 teachers to function optimally.
Source Bulawayo24
