Reverend Kenneth Mtata, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) secretary-general has implored the government and teachers to find a long-term solution to the challenges currently bedevilling the education sector.
The majority of teachers in public schools are not reporting for duty citing incapacitation, demanding a US$520 salary while the government has refused to bow down to the educators’ demand.
Mtata warned that the ongoing impasse will not only have long-term negative consequences for the education sector but the country’s development trajectory as well. He said:
Failure to find a lasting solution for our schools could have long-term consequences not only for education but also for our development trajectory of the nation.
Solutions must be holistic, comprehensive and inclusive. We can resolve this social contract breakdown.
Schools across the country were turning away pupils on Monday and yesterday as there were no teachers to attend to the learners.
Meanwhile, parents have urged teachers to accept the government’s 40 per cent salary offer and a 10 per cent risk allowance as a refusal to do so is a violation of their children’s rights.