Govt to address Mat North, South teacher shortages
THE Government is working towards addressing the shortage of teachers in schools in Matabeleland North and South ahead of implementation of the new educational curriculum next year.
Most schools in the two provinces were left facing serious teacher shortages after Government froze the recruitment of temporary teachers who were making up to 40 percent of the teaching staff in most rural schools. In an interview on the sidelines of the presentation of the 2015 Secretary’s Merit Award to Coalfields Primary School in Hwange last week, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango said her ministry was working towards ensuring that all schools are manned by qualified teachers.
“We need teachers not temporary ones, we don’t want to create problems with unqualified personnel so we are now looking at how we can now meet the requirements. We are in discussion with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education (Science and Technology Development) and we are coming up with a way of ensuring that we have enough qualified teachers not temporary ones,” said Dr Utete-Masango.
She bemoaned the state of some schools in the district adding that in reality some of the so-called schools do not deserve to be open as they were not meeting the correct minimum requirements of teacher pupil ratio. One such school is Nengasha Primary in Dinde which is manned by one teacher and has an enrolment of 33 pupils.
The school which is close to Hwange National Park together with Kandebwe and Najebwe which are 70 and 80 kilometres from Hwange failed to open at the beginning of the second term after teachers shunned it citing lack of access roads, proper water and sanitation facilities.
“I visited the school (Nengasha) and I can confirm that it is opened. However, there are 33 pupils against the stipulated requirement. If you are looking at teacher pupil ratio its 1:40. It means the enrolment does therefore not warrant that to be a school. The school is only servicing 30 families who relocated to that area. So we have got to either attach it to a school or see how we can still help the learners otherwise it’s not a school because the enrolment is not even meeting the minimum expected for any institution to operate as school,” she said.
Presenting the 2015 Secretary’s Merit Award to Coalfields Primary Dr Utete-Masango said the school deserved the award which came with a $5 000 cash prize and plaque as it had excelled beating 590 schools in the province.
“You people of Coalfields Primary School are a leading light in Matabeleland North Province and I have come to celebrate with you. Your hard work and successful achievements should make you a beacon or an inspiration and encouragement for all schools in Hwange District. This also means that you will superintend over other clusters starting off with the Dopota one,” she said.
The privately owned school which has an enrolment of 200 pupils has for the past five years been recording 100 percent Grade 7 pass rates. Dr Utete-Masango called on school heads to be focused and committed as the implementation of the new curriculum will kick off next year.
“As we begin the implementation of the new curriculum in January 2017, I’m calling for focused and committed leadership on the part of all managers in the system beginning with the heads of schools,” she said.
The event was attended by acting Matabeleland North provincial education director, Mr Joseph Mpofu, district school inspectors from other districts, chiefs Hwange and Nekatambe and other officials.