Teachers call for delay in schools opening

Zim Now Writer

Teachers’ unions have called on government to consider postponing the opening of schools for the third term in light of heightened political tensions in the country following last week’s disputed elections.

Schools are scheduled to open on Monday next week with most boarders travelling back to their learning institutions on Sunday.

The educators argue that the safety of staff and children was not guaranteed following the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change’s threats of protests over the outcome of the presidential election.

The CCC has said the protests were aimed at forcing a fresh election supervised by the Southern African Development Community and the African Union.

However, both Sadc and the AU have called for peaceful resolution of any election-related grievances.

Secretary-general of the Educators Union of Zimbabwe, Tapedza Zhou, said the situation in the country was volatile.

“The current situation in the country is dangerously calm, with potential to explode any minute,” Zhou said.

“The safety of teachers and school kids returning to school is not guaranteed. Opening schools is only a gimmick to portray that things as back to normal yet risking the lives of learners and teachers.”

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe leader, Obert Masaraure, said opening schools under the current political environment was not advisable.

“We fear for the safety of both teachers and learners in the current context,” Masaraure said.

“We recommend that the opening of schools be postponed by a week to allow political tensions to diffuse.”

There have been posts on social media purporting that government had postponed the opening of schools to September 12, a position which the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education dismissed.

In dismissing the reports as false, Primary and Secondary Education deputy minister Edgar Moyo said:

“It’s all lies; schools are set to open as scheduled. People are now obsessed with lies and I don’t even know where this culture came from.”