Sunday News
4 April 2010
By Vincent Gono
THE just ended school term was a huge waste as no learning took place at most public schools amid reports that some teachers forced children to sleep in class during lessons as they continued with their sit-in for better salaries.
In interviews last week, parents and students accused the Government of showing a non-committal attitude towards resuscitating the ailing education delivery system that has been on a free-fall over the past years . The said unless something was done to resolve the teachers, Public Service Commission stalemate there was dangers that the situation would deteriorate further during the second term.
It also emerged that some pupils at various primary schools were forced to sleep while others were being given assignments to try to maintain a semblance of order and reduce noise. The teacher however did not bother to mark given assignments that were a daily diet for pupils.
The fall of standards of education in public schools has also seen the emergence and sprouting of private colleges that are charging amounts beyond the reach of many average earners.
The Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart, acknowledged that the country’s education sector was a national crisis insisting that the situation that prevailed last term was unlikely to improve in the short term, as insufficient money has been made available to pay teachers.
He insisted that there was little the Government could do, as there was no fiscal space to allow payment of salaries that the teachers were demanding.
He confirmed that there was little learning in schools this term owing to a myriad of problems dogging the sector chief among them the crippling strike by the teachers.
Senator Coltart said the challenge they face now was to try and recover the time that was lost urging the nation to appreciate that there was a slight improvement in the situation compared to that of last year.
“It is true that there hasn’t been much learning this term because of the strike by the teachers. That there is a lot of time lost is a fact that we cannot dispute and we are trying to put everything in place to recover the time lost. While it has to be stressed that the Government had no money people should appreciate that this year’s learning was better compared to last year. I have raised the concerns in Cabinet and as soon as there is fiscal space reasonable wages and salaries will be put in place. As of now it is difficult for me to deliver and rehabilitate the sector as there was insufficient budget allocation,†he said.
Senator Coltart added that textbooks would be made available to schools in the country as part of efforts to revive the education delivery system but conceded that textbooks alone could not complete the rehabilitation process if not complemented by human resources.
He said while the Government was working out something teachers needed to be patient.
Parents interviewed said the school term that ended on Thursday was nothing but a waste of resources and time as nothing substantive was done in the classrooms with some of the schools not even bothering to demand school fees and levies, as a result.
They said the just ended school term that was punctuated by a prolonged teacher’s strike which later turned into a sit-in until the end of the term was a pointer to the reluctance by the Government to rectify the anomalies that have been dogging the sector for almost half a decade now.
Parents urged the Government to work on restoring the country’s education system to its past glory. They expressed fear that if nothing was done the ugly state of affair would spill over to the next school term.
“My child was punished for opening his eyes when they were being forced to sleep in class by their teacher. They were not doing anything that justifies the amounts of money that we have paid. I think it’s high time parents should take it upon themselves to see to it that their children are getting something out of school as opposed to the raw deal that we have been subjected to by the Government.
The just ended term was one whose time was thrown to the dogs and it should be borne in mind that time lost will never be recovered,†said a concerned parent on condition of anonymity.
He lashed out at school teachers in public schools for their continued demand for incentives saying they were not doing their duties to the satisfaction of their paymasters — the parents.
The angry parent called for an end to incentives saying teachers should not be paid for forcing children to sleep in class or doing home work.
Mrs Nokuthula Chuma of Pumula North said it was unfortunate that the country’s education had reverted to the colonial past where it was a preserve of a few individuals who could afford it.
She said those with children attending public schools who were in the majority were the ones suffering the brunt of the slowly but surely decaying education delivery system while a few who afford to pay private schools enjoy the education.
“What it means is that the poor can no longer send their children to school. Education is now a preserve for the rich minority who can afford the private school levies and fees. The system is now reminiscent of the colonial era where the majority was denied the right to education. We need some semblance of order and seriousness on the part of the Inclusive Government,†she said.