Teachers in Zimbabwe are refusing to return to work after the resumption of some classes this week, accusing the government of failing to adequately prepare for the opening of schools.<\/p>\n
Schools reopened last week for pupils due to sit exams in early December, six months after they were closed because of a rise in Covid-19 cases in the country. But teachers say the government is ill-prepared to deal with a possible outbreak of the virus in schools.<\/p>\n
Only a limited amount of hand sanitiser has been made available to schools, according to the Progressive Teachers\u2019 Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), and acute water shortages make handwashing impossible.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernment is not serious. There is no sanitation, there are not enough toilets and sanitisers. Each school in urban areas was given 20 litres of sanitisers and this is expected to cover 800 schoolchildren. It is simply not enough. How then will you sanitise the kids enough when they are coming to school every day,\u201d PTUZ president, Raymond Majongwe said.<\/p>\n
Regular washing of hands has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an effective way to prevent the spread of Covid-19.<\/p>\n
According to the union, 98% of teachers did not report for work last week across the country, leaving some pupils fearing they will struggle to pass exams.<\/p>\n
With most pupils failing to access online lessons during lockdown, attending class in the remaining months before the exams offers the only chance to catch up.<\/p>\n
Students practice social distance in a queue for handwashing on 30 September 30, 2020 in Harare, Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
Students practice social distance in a queue for handwashing in Harare \u2026 schools say they are struggling to provide enough clean water.<\/p>\n
Teachers, who are paid the equivalent of $50 (\u00a339) a month, have been at loggerheads with the government over salaries. They have said returning to class would endanger their families and are demanding a salary rise to $520 a month.<\/p>\n
As frontline workers, the teachers also want regular testing, personal protective equipment (PPE) and risk allowances before resuming work.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeachers should now be regarded as frontline staff, so we need allowances, PPE and other things that come with frontline workers. We must be tested because nobody was tested. We risk taking Covid-19 home, so the government should be serious here,\u201d Majongwe said.<\/p>\n
Education ministry officials acknowledge schools are struggling to provide clean water for handwashing.<\/p>\n
Obert Masaraure, president of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), said schools were ill-equipped to reopen.<\/p>\n
\u201cRural schools have the worst infrastructure; the pandemic has exposed serious fault lines in our education sector. The same schools cannot afford to procure basic learning materials and cannot be expected to institute recommended safety measures for safe learning. Learners are going to school with faces covered with rags as they can\u2019t afford masks,\u201d Masaraure said.<\/p>\n
According to a report on the education system by ARTUZ, social distancing is nearly impossible in overcrowded classes. Zimbabwe has 136,000 teachers for 4.6 million learners.<\/p>\n
The government is now working to reduce overcrowding.<\/p>\n
The report also noted an acute shortage of infrared thermometers to measure students\u2019 temperature before entering school.<\/p>\n
Teachers are calling on the government to defer 2020 examinations to give students more time.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the PPE issue, all teachers and learners will be protected; supporting staff will be protected. You can rest assured that what is required at each public school will be available,\u201d education minister, Cain Mathemasaid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Teachers in Zimbabwe are refusing to return to work after the resumption of some classes this week, accusing the government of failing to adequately prepare for the opening of schools. Schools reopened last week for pupils due to sit exams in early December, six months after they were closed because of a rise in Covid-19 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":28604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[599,315],"class_list":{"0":"post-28602","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-community","9":"tag-ptuz","10":"tag-teachers-of-zimbawe"},"yoast_head":"\n