Tinashe Sambiri|Teachers have flatly rejected a savings scheme for civil servants supposedly meant to enable government workers to get loans.

However, Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe has said the scheme will further plunge teachers into financial woes.

PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou, quoted by NewsDay dismissed the scheme:

“The government has been silent on monthly contributions from willing teachers at 2,5% of gross salary for three months, after which a member wishing to access loans must submit an application through the Primary and Secondary Education ministry. Above all, the submission of applications is no guarantee of getting a loan.

To make matters worse, the duration of repayment of the loan is not clear, except that the loan would attract an interest of between 10 and 15% per annum depending on how much one would have borrowed.

It is sad that instead of paying teachers a living wage or restoring their purchasing power in parity to pre-October 2018 levels, the government is busy planning to further impoverish teachers through indebtedness.”