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Zimbabwe delays opening of schools

HARARE, ZIMBABWE Jan 07 2009 14:36

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Zimbabwe has delayed the opening of schools by two weeks, state media reported on Wednesday, amid fears that teachers may not show up for classes due to the country's worsening humanitarian crisis.

Schools were set to open next Tuesday for the new academic year, but education secretary Stephen Mahere said in the government-mouthpiece Herald newspaper that classes would not resume until January 27 because last year's exams were not yet marked.

"This decision has been necessitated by the need to facilitate completion of the marking of 2008 public national examinations involving a significant number of teachers," he said.

The delay also gives the Education Ministry time to consider requests by schools to charge fees in foreign currency, the newspaper said.

Teachers went on strike several times last year over pay, as Zimbabwe's stunning hyperinflation reduced their salaries to a pittance.

This year, striking teachers warned they would not return to work if they were not paid in foreign currency. They are demanding a monthly salary of $2 200.

"The position is that if there are no salaries in US dollars, it will be a problem or difficult for teachers to return to work," said Oswald Madziva, the national coordinator of the Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ).

"Postponing the school calendar shows that government has admitted that things are not in order," he said.

Some teachers fled their classrooms amid the violence surrounding a presidential run-off election in June, while others stopped showing up as they resorted to selling goods on the streets in a desperate bid to survive.

CONTINUES BELOW

Inflation was last estimated in July at 231-million percent, but outside economists say it is now likely in the trillions.

The central bank prints ever larger banknotes, sometimes several times a month, but still cannot keep pace with soaring prices. Many shops now demand foreign currency for their goods, effectively shutting out ordinary Zimbabweans. -- Sapa-AFP

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Zimbabwe delays opening of schools

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