Shortage of trained teachers hurts in Zimbabwe

A recent government directive in Zimbabwe forbidding unqualified teachers -- estimated to comprise as much as 60% of the staff at rural schools -- is causing severe disruptions to education.

"It is surprising that the government has chosen to stop temporary teachers from resuming duty this [third] term, when it is well known that they form the bulk of teaching staff in rural areas," said Janet Chikawa, a teacher at a secondary school in Seke district, about 50 kilometers south of the capital, Harare.

"At my school 10 untrained teachers did not come back, and as a result, six subjects are not being taught. Students spend most of their time doing nothing," she told IRIN. Raymond Majongwe, secretary general of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, said the government directive was "a complete disaster." The Zimbabwe Teachers Association estimates a ratio of about 40 pupils to one teacher. Read more at IRIN News online.