Zimbabwe January 2007 |
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| Teachers Leave Country for ‘Greener Pastures’, (The Herald, 2007-01-09):-Some schools in the country have been losing teachers who are leaving for neighbouring countries in search of greener pastures ahead of the first term which begins today. A survey showed most teachers were migrating to Swaziland, Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, where they are offered better salaries. However, in South Africa a number of them take up menial jobs as the neighbouring country also has a number of teachers' colleges, which are churning out qualified personnel annually. South African schools are reportedly not offering jobs to diploma and certificate holders unlike those in Swaziland and Namibia. Most schools in the Matabeleland provinces have in the past few weeks been flighting advertisements in national newspapers for teaching posts. The advertisements were for science and commercial subjects which include biology, chemistry, physics, agriculture, mathematics, computer science and accounts. Some of the schools that have indicated that they urgently require teachers are Minda, Usher, Manama, Embakwe, Gwanda and Elite High Schools. At Gloag High School in Bubi District, sources said there was only one A-Level science teacher. "Teachers are leaving the country for the Diaspora where they get better salaries compared to what they are getting here," said a teacher based in Bulawayo. Another teacher at a school in Bulawayo said his counterparts were leaving the country because they were not happy with the salaries they were earning. Last year teachers were earning a basic salary of $23 000 per month and indications were that the Government would increase the salaries. President Mugabe has also assured that the Government would review teachers' salaries. Despite the anticipated salary increase, some teachers complained that the money would still be low compared to that earned by those who were working in the neighbouring country. "Even if we are awarded 300 percent, it is still not enough. I heard that teachers in Botswana are earning between P4 000 and P5 000 which when converted at today's rate would translate to more than $1,6 million on the parallel market. "You can see that it is still far from the money the Government is intending to pay us," said another teacher who asked not to be named. Contacted for comment, the Minister of Education, Sport and Culture, Cde Aeneas Chigwedere, said it was premature to judge whether schools were facing a shortage of teachers. "We can only get to know the number of teachers who left by the end of next week. "All I can say is that schools open tomorrow (today) and we can't tell the exact position on teachers, just give us time," he said. The country has been hit by an exodus of skilled manpower as they seek higher salaries in the region and overseas. Besides the education sector, some of the sectors that are facing a shortage of staff due to migration include health and engineering. Most workers are earning salaries far below the poverty datum line that is pegged at $270 000. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |