Our Thoughts On Teachers' Strikes And A Lost Generation

The MKD Party and all progressive forces in Zimbabwe, has learnt with deep regret that the Zimbabwe Teachers Association (ZIMTA) has today called upon Teachers throughout the country to down tools as from Wednesday 2 September 2009.

This unfortunate development is a replay of what happened last year, when pupils wrote examinations yet the Teachers had taken a prolonged industrial action, leaving our children ill prepared for examinations. Their grievances are legitimate since last year. We sympathize with them.

There is no denying that in Zimbabwe Teachers have been abused by the system. When economic mismanagement reached fever pitch with the Reserve Bank going over-drive printing worthless notes, and lopping off zeros,Teachers and other civil servants could not access those useless trillions.. As a result, Teachers were depending on handouts from sympathetic parents. How degrading for a trained professional? But did the authorities care? Of course not?

Now there is an inclusive government but does anybody care? Even with the new kids on the block from the two MDC formations, the plight of civil servants is not even a source of concern to the inclusive government. All they do is fight over who must be given which post – provincial governor, ambassador, governor of the reserve bank or attorney general. Where are the masses in all this mudslinging? They have been forgotten. They are invisible.A whole generation is being destroyed while political leaders are bickering for positions.

The seriousness of this matter of a pending strike by the Teachers must permeate politics because children are the future of Zimbabwe. Each parent is concerned, and so does any right thinking person. It is immoral to sacrifice our children on the altar of political expediency.

Just last week-end Government Ministers, with their Permanent Secretaries, drivers, personal assistants, private secretaries and security details on tow, invaded a Nyanga Motel and gobbled thousands of US dollars ostensibly to review a 100 day programme which is a monumental failure. How much fuel was used on those sleek new fuel guzzlers.. Such money could have been used to pay Junior Doctors who were on strike. But the inclusive Government had a better solution – to fire the doctors who were demanding a living wage, while the Ministers were feasting on our money at Nyanga.

The poor teachers, who are demanding US$500 per month, will definitely be fired if they dare proceed with the strike.. The lingering question is what has really changed about the welfare of doctors, teachers, and the rest of the civil servants since the coming of the inclusive government? Besides the starving wages, teachers in rural areas are harassed by youth militia purporting to work for factions of this inclusive government.

As a party yearning for the dawn of a new era in Zimbabwe, we plead to NGOs, other co-operating partners and anybody who wishes Zimbabwe well, to come to our rescue and intervene now. The inclusive government needs at least US$180million to pay the teachers and avoid this crippling wildcat strike, that will definitely destroy the lives of our children and future generations. Surely that money can be mobilized from within and outside Zimbabwe.

It is one thing to punish Zanu PF officials with sanctions but if the strike by teachers goes ahead, the damage to our children is irreversible. Politicians come and go but denying children education will leave them permanently damaged, and creates the ideal breeding nest for immorality and crime.