By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Teachers Association has urged the government to consider postponing the June and November Examination until the threat from the deadly Coronavirus has passed.

ZIMTA issued a statement after the Zimbabwe Examination Council said the exams are going despite the Coronavirus threat.

Said ZIMTA, “If Zimbabwe is in Lock- Down, then the rules that apply to all Zimbabweans should surely also apply to ZIMSEC. Clearly Teachers are not ready to risk lives because ZIMSEC chooses not to abide by the rules. But why have one institution putting teachers’ lives under risk?”

Read their full statement below:

1. The Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA), applauds the President of Zimbabwe, the Government of Zimbabwe and all Zimbabweans, for heeding to the Lockdown call and all current efforts from various stakeholders that are aimed at stopping the spread of COVID -19 amongst ordinary Zimbabweans.

2. We are confident that the current efforts of stopping further infections of COVID 19 will not go to waste. However, there is an observation that there seems to be some Government departments which seem to be flouting , the Lockdown regulations with impunity, and this has become a cause for concern for members of the Teaching fraternity.

3. During this time of LockDown, the Association has documented all sorts of complaints against, the ZIMSEC administration, whose directives to Teachers seem to work against the rules of the current lockdown which Zimbabwe is in. Some teachers are currently in a dilemma over following the rules of Zimbabwe’s lockdown or ZIMSEC directives, which for example require that teachers travel to their nearest centers to administer registering processes for June exams as soon as they can. In some cases Heads of Schools are also calling teachers to travel to School offices to attend to frivolous charges and disciplinary hearings? ( all this happening during the Lock-Down period ?)

4. Furthermore, Educators just like the rest of Zimbabweans are under distress from the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic. Learners have had to adjust to long-distance learning. Just as it is uncertain of what the effects of COVID 19 will be on Zimbabweans, so it is also for Educators who are being hurried to register students for June exams by ZIMSEC, by all means necessary.

5. In reference to the above therefore, ZIMTA is calling on the government of  Zimbabwe to consider postponing the sitting of June and November examinations until a well informed analysis of the impact of COVID 19 has been done.

6. In the advent of long distance learning, which some schools have adopted, we call upon government to ensure that Teachers’ Jobs continue to be protected during and after the COVID 19 pandemic. It is critical for government to provide and protect Qualified Teachers who will remain key ingredients to the provision of quality public education in Zimbabwe.

7. Critical to attaining quality Public Education, is the Learners’ welfare. In light of this observation, the Association is calling on the responsible authorities to ensure, that as schools re-open, COVID -19 Testing kits are provided and mandatory in ALL schools, for use by government trained teachers who shall work alongside health-care givers to curtail the spread and re-infections of the virus at source.

8. As Educators, we stand ready to work with the government of Zimbabwe in combating and eradicating the COVID 19 Pandemic, amongst Educators, Learners and Parents. Educators look forward to the government’s support in achieving this vital goal.