Critical teacher shortage hits Matabeleland North

Sunday,   20 June 2010

BULAWAYO – The Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture is battling to fill vacancies for teachers particularly for critical subjects such as science and mathematics with Matabeleland north alone in urgent need of 1 400 teachers.

The Education minister David Coltart has for the past year been in a serious drive to resuscitate the education sector that had been eroded by the economic and political meltdown of the past decade.

Speaking at the Plan International Learn Without Fear (LWF) campaign media luncheon at a local Bulawayo Hotel recently, the Provincial Education Director for Matabeleland North Province Boithatelo Mnguni, said it was important to capacitate rural schools so as to lure more teachers.

She said teachers shunned rural schools because of lack of facilities such as housing and transport as teachers had to walk distances of more than 20 km to reach the nearest main roads. She said Binga was the most affected.

“Some of the schools have no transport linking them to other parts and naturally teachers tend to shun them. Most of our rural schools are supported by temporary teachers in the form of Ordinary and Advanced level graduates. The biggest challenge now is that they are also finding it hard to continue in the education sector especially when there are no attractive packages.”

“It’s now part of history that these rural schools were manned by temporary teachers. However, our curriculum is getting narrower as we are failing to attract practical subjects’ teachers”, she said.

The provincial education boss said her ministry wants all form two pupils to do practical subjects but this was becoming increasingly difficult due to the shortage of teachers.

Hordes of teachers continued to leave the education sector to neighbouring countries such as Botswana, Namibia and South Africa where they were offered better salaries.