By Lloyd Mupfudze- Government has called for the reopening of schools in phases after six months of a complete shut down due to the COVID -19 pandemic lock down restrictions.
The fact that teachers have withdrawn their labour at a time when it is highly required in order to compensate for lost educational time and when they are also expected to be in schools ensuring that pupils adhere to COVID -19 prevention measures is a cause for serious concern.
Examination grades have already re-opened and teachers are expected to be teaching and also monitoring and supervising students to ensure strict adherence to COVID -19 prevention measures. The reopening of schools at a time teacher have embarked on an industrial action really exposes pupils to the dangers of contracting the deadly virus.
Schools and pupils have been abandoned by teachers who have decided to withdraw their labour citing poor working conditions especially poor remuneration. In most schools throughout the country pupils are on their own. Only school heads are at the stations with limited human capacity to monitor and ensure that pupils adhere and comply with COVID -19 prevention measures.
The measures are temperature tests, proper wearing of masks, maintaining social distance, sanitization and regular washing of hands. All these measures meant to curb the spread of the pandemic require teachers to strictly monitor the pupils to ensure compliance.
Therefore, in the absence of teachers who are mainly responsible for classroom management and administration compliance by pupils is next to zero. As such the reopening of schools when the country is still grappling to control the spread of the COVID- 19 pandemic and when teachers are on strike is dangerous as it seriously exposes the pupils to the disease.
Government must urgently address the teachers and the rest of civil servants’concerns. The authorities should understand that COVID -19 have also increased the teachers’ workload apart from them being exposed as well.
Teachers are professional and important in the social, economic and political development of the country. The future of any country that neglect the welfare needs of its teachers is doomed.
The so-called threats to dismiss teachers who have embarked on the industrial action is unhelpful. Intimidation and victimization of teachers who are genuinely expressing their grievances will not work.
Even those 10 000 qualified teachers who are currently out of employment will not accept to leave a pauper’s life. That the government have the audacity and temerity to threaten teachers with dismissals without at least acknowledging their grievances clearly points to the unresponsive nature of an uncaring regime.