The Zimbabwean
By Sofia Mapuranga
5 June 2013
Teacher retraining initiatives are set to commence soon, after the government secured $23 million from the World Bank’s Partnership for Education.
Zimbabwe is among the 12 beneficiaries of the $439 million grant awarded to developing countries to enhance the quality of education for all children.
David Coltart, the Minister of Education, said the funds came at a time when there had been very little professional development for teachers for more than a decade.
In an interview with The Zimbabwean, Coltart said the money was set to be dispersed in 2014 and teacher retraining initiatives would commence forthwith. The grant will be dispersed in tranches from 2014 for three years.
“Teachers need to be kept abreast of current trends, changes to the curriculum and pedagogical changes and developments. Due to shortage of funds, there has been very little professional development for teachers and the fund is going to address this gap,†said Coltart.
The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe Secretary General, Raymond Majongwe, called for more engagement between the education ministry and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the money was channelled towards the most important priorities.
“It does not make sense to invest the money in people who are going to desert the country in search of greener pastures. We will be equipping teachers with skills that are not going to benefit the country but we will be giving them incentives to be better qualified to leave the country,†Majongwe said.
He urged that all avenues of dialogue be explored before coming up with a national decision such as this. The government of Zimbabwe through the education ministry applied to re-join the global partnership for education in May 2012 and the funding proposal was submitted to in the last quarter of 2012.