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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter 

GOVERNMENT has said locals must be prioritised in recruitment of teachers in different districts of the country.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema is expected to deliver a Ministerial Statement in Parliament stating how many teachers have been employed in the province of their origin.

The Minister said this during the National Assembly Question and Answer session last week.

This was after Nkayi South National Assembly member Cde Stars Mathe asked what was Government’s policy on recruitment of teachers. 

She said locals were overlooked in the recruitment processes.

Minister Mathema said while recruitment is done at national level, Government deliberately demands job seekers to apply for employment at district level. 

“Our laws and rules are very clear on the appointment of teachers, that indeed every region of Zimbabwe has to have teachers from their areas. 

“We are employing teachers from every district right across the country. When we hire teachers, we take into consideration teachers that are native speakers of all the different languages that we have. We consider where the person comes from and the language that they speak. We do so especially when we hire teachers for Early Childhood Development pupils,” he said.

 “The way we hire teachers comes from district level. Anyone who wants to be hired by Government to be a teacher, applications are done at district level and they are forwarded to Harare. We do not leave names that we get from districts. Anyone who applies to be a teacher has to apply through their district.”

Government’s policy is that ECD learners must be taught in their mother tongue.

Minister Mathema said Government does not segregate in the employment of teachers as its desire is to have all trained tutors employed.

Despite the Minister’s response, MPs continued to demand clarity on the employment policy with Gokwe-Chireya Constituency MP Cde Tonderai Moyo arguing that teachers are not being employed in districts they come from.

The Minister further responded: “ Indeed the policy of Government is that all teachers from every district in Zimbabwe and if vacancies are there, will be employed and indeed it is good that local teachers, especially for ECD children, must come from the local areas because young people are still at a formative age. They need to be taught or trained in their mother language. So that is what we are doing. For as long as vacancies are there in Zimbabwe, local teachers will be employed.” — @nqotshili