Parliamentarians have raised concerns over teachers who align themselves with political parties, noting that such conduct creates divisions at learning institutions.
This was raised by Member of Parliament for Kambuzuma, Willias Madzimure recently in Parliament.
He said all teachers should affiliate with teachers’ unions while at work and see to their political preferences afterwards.
“Teachers are supposed to be united and look after every child. Therefore, teachers are expected to remain apolitical but we now have a situation where we have teachers for E.D. Where does it leave the other teachers if some teachers are said to be aligned to the President? Does it mean that we have some teachers who do not support the President?” Madzimure said.
“If we do not have such a situation, why are we dividing the teachers? How are they going to treat children from different parents of different political persuasion? Can we continue doing that in a country where we think the President is our father and an umbrella who brings everybody together? This is not a semantic but a real situation. We have seen them dancing on the dance floor before the President.”
Madzimure added: “Our Education Act is very clear and even Government policy is very clear. A teacher is a teacher and can only belong to a teachers’ association. A teacher cannot belong to a political association. Therefore, I want a ministerial statement from the Minister of Primary and Secondary and even Higher Education on why they are allowing teachers to belong to a political association.”
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) condemned the Teachers4ED movement, citing that those who are part of it are demanding resources from fellow teachers and under-resourced schools.
ARTUZ spokesperson, Thembakuye Moyo, noted that the movement is demanding US$10 per teacher in a school so that they may attend a Teachers4ED workshop.
“The Union learnt that #Teachers4ED have been relentlessly demanding USD 10 per teacher, for the teacher to attend a #Teachers4ED workshop. The money is supposed to be paid either by the underpaid teacher or underresourced school. In some instances schools have coughed up as much as USD 500 to fund #Teachers4ED business,” he said.
“This money is from school fees and levies paid by ordinary struggling and overburdened parents in a context where government has dismally failed to fund education. #Teachers4ED is neither a government institution nor a legitimate arm of the ruling ZANU PF party, but just a shadowy and dodgy private enterprise claiming to be bidding for President Emmerson Mnangagwa as an individual.”
