Zimbabwe January 2007 |
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| Schools hit by teacher exodus, (Chronicle, 2007-01-09):-Many schools in the country have been hit by an exodus of teachers who are leaving for neighbouring countries in search of greener pastures as the first term kicks off today. A survey by the Chronicle revealed that 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 are engaged in 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 in other nations such as Swaziland and Namibia. Most schools in Matabeleland provinces have in the last weeks been flighting advertisements in national newspapers for teaching posts, an indication of the serious shortage of staff.The advertisements indicate that the most affected subjects are sciences and commercials as a considerable number of posts for biology, chemistry, physics, agriculture, mathematics, computer science and accounts are available. 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 ALevel science teacher, a situation likely to affect students this term.“Teachers are leaving the country for the Diaspora where they get better salaries compared to what they are paid here,” said a teacher based in Bulawayo. A 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 are that the Government would award them a 300 percent salary increase. If the increment is approved, the basic salary for a teacher would be $92 000. Despite the anticipated salary increase, some teachers complained that the money would still be low compared to 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 have 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, which has about 100 000 teachers, has been hit by an exodus of skilled manpower as the economic challenges deepen. Besides the education sector, some of the sectors that are facing a shortage of staff due to migration include the health, engineering and the manufacturing sector. 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 |