Zimbabwe teachers earn ZW$39 636 (US$33)
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Loading... - Kariuki Mbogo
- 04 Apr 2023
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The impoverishment of professionals by the government has reached heart-rending levels, but those who dare complain are often victimised, leaving public sector workers feeling helpless in the face of a double whammy of economic suffering and political intimidation.
The NewsHawks has seen the payslip of an experienced rural teacher which shows a shockingly paltry salary, which explains why the educators describe it as a slave wage.
The current payslip shows a salary of ZW$39 636 (about US$30 on the prevailing parallel market rate), while the rural allowance is ZW$1 982 (US$1.30) and the housing allowance is ZW$7 508 (US$5).
After deductions for funeral cover, medical aid, National Social Security payment, among others, the teacher's net salary is ZW$24 172.94 (US$19).
The teacher can derive cold comfort from a US$125 cushioning allowance and a US$75 Covid-19 allowance which can be cut off anytime as it was awarded at the sole discretion of the government at the height of the pandemic which has since been contained.
At Independence, educators not only earned respect across all social classes but also made enough money to either build a modest house or service a home mortgage. For the older generation of teachers who have since retired, the Zimbabwe/Rhodesia era remains a cherished one.
The vintage Peugeot 404 was then known as a car for headmasters or senior educationists. But today paying bus fare daily is now a tall order and relations between the employer and the employee have turned frosty.
The shockingly paltry income earned by the profession which is the backbone of all professions has become a source of resentment. Any attempt to send this message to government has often been met with police brutality, arrests and intimidation. Read More…
