Herald
By Felix Share
26 September 2011
EDUCATION, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart will tomorrow hold a crisis meeting with the three teachers’Â unions to strike a “common ground” over the payment of incentives.
Confirming the meeting yesterday, the minister dismissed claims by teachers’ unions that the incentive scheme was not a Public Service Commission policy, but came as a result of his “insistence”.
He said the policy was already in existence before he took office in February 2009.
“I am meeting them (unions) Tuesday afternoon as there has been a lot of debate in the media,” he said.
“I have to get their views because I have no problem ending the incentives overnight, but I cannot just terminate them without an agreement.
“If they tell me formally that they do not want them (incentives), then they will have to assist me in policing the teachers lest we criminalise the education sector.”
Minister Coltart shifted the blame to his predecessors, saying they were the ones who introduced incentives.
“When I took office in 2009, the policy was already there and there was a circular from the permanent secretary (Mr Stephen Mahere) that had legalised everything,” he said.
“I only continued with the policy and structured it to ensure implementation equitability so that it would be implemented. It is my desire to end them quickly, but a common ground has to be found.”
Teachers’ unions last week blamed Minister Coltart for the incentives, saying it was a “serious miscalculation” while others said the policy was “poorly crafted” in terms of sustainability.
This comes as teachers in some parts of the country are striking against school authorities’ decision to slash the incentives.
In Harare, teachers at Rugare Primary School went on strike last Wednesday after authorities slashed incentives by US$30.
Teachers at Prince Edward High School also downed tools last Friday protesting against, among other things, a decision to reduce their incentives from US$300 to about US$50.
The unions were against the payment of the incentives from the start, arguing that the long-term solution was to increase salaries and improve conditions of service.
Government increased salaries and allowances for its workers in July this year, resulting in teachers earning an average of US$300.
But it has been difficult for Minister Coltart to effect the scrapping of the incentives after the salary increment.
Instead, disputes between teachers and school authorities have erupted at most schools in Harare and Bulawayo over the incentives.