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Investigations by New Ziana yesterday revealed that Treasury was causing the confusion as it has been issuing conflicting instructions to the Education Ministry since schools opened two weeks ago. Initially, Treasury directed the Ministry to stop recruiting temporary teachers this term but cabinet later reversed the instruction.

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart said Cabinet had resolved that the Treasury directive did not apply to temporary teachers with running contracts.
Following the Cabinet decision, the Ministry of Education began recruiting the temporary teachers, but Treasury last Thursday again directed it to stop and withdraw services for those that had already been employed.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive Sifiso Ndlovu confirmed that the temporary reprieve to employ relief staff was reversed last week.
“There is chaos and confusion between Treasury and the Ministry of Education as to who should issue instructions to teachers,” he said.

Ndlovu said such discrepancies had an effect on the revival of the education sector.
“This is a disadvantage to students who are sitting for examinations this term,” he said, the confusion was happening at a time teachers were already stressed due to poor working conditions.

An official in the Ministry of Education’s human resources department confirmed receiving conflicting directives from Treasury on the employment of temporary teachers. “We received verbal approval from Treasury to engage temporary teachers and we went ahead to notify school heads,” he said. “Later on we received an instruction from the same office to stop the process and wait for written communication,” he said, adding the issue was, however, being sorted out.

Efforts to get comments from the Secretary for Finance Mr Willard Manungo were fruitless as his mobile phone went unanswered while Education Minister David Coltart and his permanent secretary Steven Mahere were locked in a meeting with their officials presumably to discuss the issue. Zimbabwe needs 120 000 teachers when the sector is operating at full capacity, but according to Zimta, there are currently 90 000 teachers including temporary staff. — New Ziana.