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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT has said there is a critical shortage of Early Childhood Development (ECD) and indigenous languages teachers while the entire education sector has a deficit of 25 000 teachers.

Early Childhood Development

The Public Service Commission has employed more than 50 percent of 10  000 teachers that were requested by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.

Despite the recruitment made so far, Government has said there is a deficit of 14 527 teachers at infant level, 6 527 teachers at junior school, 3 170 teachers at secondary level and 1 107 advanced level teachers.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu said the shortage of educators was affecting the teacher: pupil ratio with most of the shortages recorded at infant levels in rural areas.

Dr Ndlovu said Government was prioritising areas with critical skills shortage in deployment of teachers.

“Under this system, teachers within the critical skills area get deployed earlier than others with more readily available qualifications.

“The critical skills shortage areas are ECD, sciences, technical and vocational and indigenous languages and special needs areas,” said Dr Ndlovu.

The minister called on legislators to encourage communities to take up teaching of indigenous languages as they are key in addressing the zero pass pates problem.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has adopted a policy to address zero pass rate in schools as part of the inclusive education approach. – @nqotshili.