Zimbabwe teachers reject government's proposal to reopen schools for examination

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has said that teachers have rejected the government's proposal to reopen schools for examination classes, according to a news report by Xinhua Net.

Zimbabwe's Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa has said during a post-cabinet press briefing that the government will proceed with its preparation to reopen schools for final examination classes.

In response, ARTUZ said in a statement that many students were not prepared to sit for the examinations due to the short studying time they have had this year.

ARTUZ said the November examinations should be moved to May 2021 to give learners enough time to prepare.

"Examination candidates have lost five solid months of learning time in the critical final year of their studies. They are likely to lose more," said the statement.

"It is practically impossible to frog-march these ill-prepared learners into the examination room and expects them to cough out good results. Apart from the minority elite learners, the rest will fail," the statement added.

While some students have continued classes through e-learning during the lockdown, the vast majority of students in rural areas have been disadvantaged due to a lack of access to the internet.

ARTUZ said learners have also suffered psychological trauma as a result of the COVID-19 movement restrictions.

"Learners have been confined to their homes since 31 March to date. The confinement is highly traumatic and triggers mental health problems. It will be cruel to force such learners into an examination room without providing therapy for the learners," read parts of the statement.