Education Ministry Requires 40 000 More Teachers
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education requires at least 40 000 more teachers to address the critical manpower deficit in the education sector.
This was said by deputy education minister Edgar Moyo during a recent interview with State media.
Over the past few years, the government had frozen the recruitment of teachers citing budgetary constraints and the problem of a shortage of teachers in schools has been exacerbated by the need to run smaller classes because of COVID-19.
Moyo revealed that Public Service Commission (PSC) recruited more than 12 000 teachers in the last two years in order to address manpower shortages in schools. Moyo said:
With the current enrolment rate, we need more teachers to address the issue of the deficit. We have employed about 12 000 teachers over the last two years, and now we are talking of 40 000 more that we require.
This number has been revised upwards as a result of the need for social distancing in schools hence lower numbers in class and more teachers to take care of all pupils.
The recruitment of teachers so that we have sufficient establishment is an ongoing exercise.
Moyo said the education ministry has since made a request to the Treasury for the recruitment of teachers.
He, however, said the number of teachers to be recruited would depend on the availability of resources.
