Women teachers must be empowered, says Zimta

Zim Now Writer

The Zimbabwe Teachers Association has outlined the importance of promoting female teachers to leadership positions as 60 percent of the teaching profession are women.

There are approximately 144 000 teachers in Zimbabwe, of which about 86 400 are women.

Commemorating women’s month, Zimta chief executive officer, Dr Sifiso Ndlovu said his organisation believes in female teacher empowerment as guided by its organisational directive of promoting gender equality in the association, the educational sector and in all spheres of society.

He said this is followed through in the various strategy plans where gender mainstreaming is a key focus area in major activities, projects, and employment, which sets up the policy framework on which to base women’s empowerment.

“At the Government level, we are noting good progress in the promotion positions as more and more women are rising to positions of leadership.

“The ideal situation will be that this mirrors the demographic composition of the teaching force, that 60 percent of school leaders should be women.

“The association also strongly believes that spouses must be deployed to the same stations or at least within range of each other if opportunities are not available at the same school.

“We have lobbied for this and now want this to be codified as part of the recruitment policy for it to be monitored for compliance,” Dr Ndlovu said.

He further said that Zimta already has gender focal persons called “Women Teacher Representatives” who are elected by women delegates at properly constituted meetings and conferences.

“The Zimta constitution provides for women quota in the presiding structures and sectoral structures like teacher level representation, the inclusion of women is an ongoing phenomenon, which has been intentional and strategic because, we realise that women have the interest and potential that is needed to take the profession to higher levels.

“Women teachers in Zimta want the employer to include them on the decision-making table as they decide their salary packs and other work-related benefits so that they are not economically left behind in a fast-changing economy and world driven by hyperinflation and fast-moving exchange rates,” he added.

Dr Ndlovu noted that better pay for women teachers is a form of inspiring inclusion and there is no better way of including women teachers in economic development than awarding them economic empowerment in the form of a better salary.