Dokora disowns teacher ‘back-to-class’ directive

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THE government has denied formulating plans that require teachers without ‘O’ Level Mathematics and Science subjects to return to class saying it was just a social media rumour.

THE government has denied formulating plans that require teachers without ‘O’ Level Mathematics and Science subjects to return to class saying it was just a social media rumour.

BENSON DUBE OWN CORRESPONDENT

Lazarus-DokoraPrimary and Secondary Education minister Lazarus Dokora told Southern Eye on Wednesday that the government had no policy requiring teachers who do not have the two subjects to seat for examinations.

“Where did people get this information from? l do not understand what you are talking about. Teachers without science and maths will go back to class? No, that is not true and you must have got this from the social media and it is unfortunate,” Dokora said.

Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu said people were distorting a circular from the minister.

Ndlovu said there were currently two circulars from the ministry regarding staff development.

“People are mixing things up; the first circular wanted to know the number of teachers who intended to further themselves academically in sciences, maths, technical or vocational subjects at university level and the question was do these people have these at ‘O’ Level?

“The government had to establish a data base to see who has what at ‘O’ Level so that it could fund them accordingly in their choice of study and if one chooses to do science at university he or she has to do it at ‘O’ Level first before furthering his or her studies at university level,” Ndlovu said.

He said teachers were asked to indicate their areas of interest and this was not compulsory as alleged by those spreading the rumour.

He said the circular only applied to a teacher eyeing a degree in sciences, but did not have the subject at ‘O’ Level.

Ndlovu revealed that there was $2,4 million given to the Primary and Secondary Education ministry by an education partner for the purpose of developing teachers.

“There is $2,4 million which was given to the ministry for advancing teachers academically and we even discussed this with the minister,” he said.

“Zimta encourages teachers to further themselves academically to prevent them from becoming academic dwarfs.”