Zim in deficit of 45 000 teachers

Zim Now Writer

The lack of adequate funds from Treasury has resulted in Zimbabwe registering a deficit of 45 000 teachers, a senior government official has said.

Presenting his 2023 pre-budget report in Harare at the weekend, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Paul Mavima said the funding they got from Treasury could only fund the recruitment of 5 000 teachers against a shortfall of 50 000, leaving a deficit of 45 000.

“The teacher-pupil ratio needs urgent address as it affects the quality of education, especially at the infant level. Currently, the existing situation on the ground is far from optimal.

“In the 2022 financial year, 5 000 teaching posts were funded against a shortfall of 50 000. In the 2023 financial year, a budget provision for 10 000 teaching posts is proposed subject to Public Service Commission (PSC) approval and Treasury concurrence.”

Only last week, Zimbabwe sent over 150 qualified teachers to Rwanda following a bilateral agreement signed between Harare and Kigali.

Teachers’ unions claim that Zimbabwe has suffered massive brain drain due to low salaries and poor working conditions in the public service.

Government has said it will address teachers’ concerns if they showed commitment.

“As a ministry, our mandate can only be achieved if the teachers are in the classrooms and teaching meaningfully. We appeal for continuous motivation of our teachers so that they help us transform education. We also need funding to enable teachers to migrate from wholly providing face-to-face teaching and learning to technology-based instruction provision.”

At the same event, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Emma Ncube presented a report stating that rural schools had the highest pupil-to-teacher ratio, adding that there were shortages of doctors and nurses at district hospitals.

“The 2023 national budget should focus on improving the welfare of all civil servants (consider non-financial benefits) to improve service delivery and reduce corruption. The PSC should recruit adequate teachers, police, doctors and nurses to ensure enough deployment, especially in rural areas. Recruitment priority should also be given to social welfare workers across the country,” Ncube said.

With a national literacy rate of 96 percent, Zimbabwe has 14 000 qualified but unemployed teachers while teachers’ training colleges in the country churn out about 2 500 graduates every year.