By A Correspondent
The Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA), the country’s oldest and once most influential teachers’ union, is facing growing dissatisfaction from educators who accuse it of being aligned with the ruling regime and failing to champion their plight.
Across the education sector, many teachers are reportedly cutting ties with the union, citing its perceived failure to fight for fair salaries and better working conditions, despite consistently deducting monthly union dues from their salaries.
Educators argue that ZIMTA has grown increasingly detached from the realities faced by its members, accusing its leadership of living comfortably off union subscriptions while ordinary teachers remain trapped in poverty.
The growing sentiment is that the union has lost its independence and is no longer a credible voice for the teaching profession.
Many teachers are now encouraging one another to terminate their membership and halt salary deductions to the union, using publicly available links shared via social media platforms to opt out.
They say it’s no longer viable to continue funding an organisation they believe has become ineffective and compromised.
“We’re tired of feeding a system that doesn’t serve us,” said one teacher who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We are better off using that money to buy basics rather than funding leaders who are silent while we starve.”
While ZIMTA has publicly denied the allegations of being captured or losing members en masse, insisting that any claims of mass resignations are driven by social media misinformation, the mood among teachers tells a different story.
Educators are also expressing mounting frustration over their stagnant salaries, which remain far below the pre-2018 levels when they were earning around US$540 per month. With current earnings severely eroded by inflation and the depreciating local currency, many teachers now say industrial action is inevitable.
Plans for a large-scale strike are reportedly gaining traction, with teachers threatening to paralyse the education sector until their demands are addressed.
“If nothing changes soon, we are ready to shut down schools. This is no longer just about salaries—it’s about restoring dignity to the teaching profession,” said another teacher.
Should the planned job action proceed, it could cause major disruptions to the school calendar and negatively affect student performance and national exam pass rates, further deepening the crisis in Zimbabwe’s education system.