By Dr Takavafira Zhou PTUZ President.
(News of The South) – Zimsec has arrogantly, unilaterally, intransigently and irresponsibly produced time table for ‘O’ and ‘A’ June Examinations. ‘O’ level candidates’ time-table stretches from 30 June to 20 July, while the ‘A’ level one stretches from 30 June to 23 July.
The time table defies advice given by Teacher Unions to both Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, and Parliamentary Portifolio Committee on Education to the effect that schools are ill-prepared to conduct such examinations. By flouting professional advice given, Zimsec has taken an acidic, toxic and arid approach impermeable to reason and facts. Without due considerations for the health, safety and welfare of teachers, Zimsec time-table is tantamount to declaration of war on teachers and pupils. Teachers and pupils are therefore entitled to engage in defensive warfare in order to guarantee their health, safety and welfare.
The onus is now on teachers to defend their worthy and bring Zimsec down to earth. Zimsec cannot trample teachers’ safety, health and welfare with impunity. Merely giving time table without taking into consideration teachers’ and pupils’ health, safety and welfare is practically unproductive, and at best a fantasy and at worst a fabrication and travesty. No consideration has been put into covid 19 risk assessment, acquisition and delivery of testing kits, thermometers, sanitizers, and PPEs into schools, let alone transportation system for both pupils and teachers, and risk allowance for invigilating public examination. No consideration has been done to give students ample time to prepare for such examinations, more so given the uncertainty that covid 19 had ensured. Zimsec and Ministry of Education are advised to mellow down to a more constructive approach punctuated by engagement and logical disputation. To be forewarned is to be forearmed, lest there would be disaster.
To the parents we strongly warn you against sending your children to write examinations where their life and future can never be guaranteed. To the students we reiterate that there is no life after death. To teachers our best foot forward is to guarantee our health and safety by boycotting schools until a healthy environment is established, and demanding restoration of the purchasing power of our salary through payment of US$520 to US$550 or the inter-bank rate equivalence. Our health, safety and welfare first before anything else. There will, therefore, be no examinations, without consideration of our health, safety and welfare. The sooner this sinks in Zimsec, Ministry of Education and PSC officials, the better.
The time for teachers to sharpen their instruments of combat in defence of their health, safety and welfare is now. Our unity in pursuit of our right to life, and fair treatment by gvt will see us through. We must reject the diet of starvation that gvt has constantly given us, let alone treatment in a servitude, degrading and callous manner. We are orbiters of a nation’s destiny that deserve better treatment.
Enough is enough!
Let’s organize and not agonize!
We have nothing to fear except covid 19 and starvation.
Venceremos
Dr Takavafira M. Zhou (Ptuz President)
Comments
About Author
