TEACHERS at a remote school outside Marondera are livid after an district education officer (DEO) allegedly stormed the school and ordered every teacher to stop their lessons and pick up litter around the school yard.
"We were shocked when the education officer asked us to pick papers or he would beat us up," a source at Numwa Secondary School, about 15-km outside Marondera towards Wedza, said.
The source said the education officer was apparently reeking of alcohol as he made a big scene at the school, accusing the teachers of not sweeping the school grounds.
When he was told to talk to the headmaster, he went besek shouting, "Headmaster chiii kwandiri? Zvekuti aenda ku funeral zvene basa rei? Pane asingafirwe? Today I'm going to beat you up!" [there headmaster is nothing to me, a funeral is nothing special].
The source said teachers were angered by the actions of the DEO, which they described as uncouth and barbaric.
"Are we here to sweep the grounds and sweep them with what? What kind of embarrassment is this?" asked a teacher who claimed he wanted to beat the lights out of the DEO but had to be restrained.
"He came here to humiliate us in front of the pupils. Its not right. Because when its break-time pupils mess up with sweets but we always keep this school clean, even with no cent from the Ministry. He must not come and insult us when he knows we are not even paid a domestic worker's wage."
Apparently, the school receives no support in the form of equipment to use for extra-curricular activities from the Ministry of Education and has had to cope with hot-seating as the number of pupils has swelled in recent years.
The DEO who was supposed to be inspecting schools is said to have spent the vast majority of his time at a nearby bottle store before surfacing at the school just after mid-day.
"We were shocked when the education officer asked us to pick papers or he would beat us up," a source at Numwa Secondary School, about 15-km outside Marondera towards Wedza, said.
The source said the education officer was apparently reeking of alcohol as he made a big scene at the school, accusing the teachers of not sweeping the school grounds.
When he was told to talk to the headmaster, he went besek shouting, "Headmaster chiii kwandiri? Zvekuti aenda ku funeral zvene basa rei? Pane asingafirwe? Today I'm going to beat you up!" [there headmaster is nothing to me, a funeral is nothing special].
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| PANDA XCLUSIVE: DEO threatens to beat up teachers, orders them to pick up litter |
"Are we here to sweep the grounds and sweep them with what? What kind of embarrassment is this?" asked a teacher who claimed he wanted to beat the lights out of the DEO but had to be restrained.
"He came here to humiliate us in front of the pupils. Its not right. Because when its break-time pupils mess up with sweets but we always keep this school clean, even with no cent from the Ministry. He must not come and insult us when he knows we are not even paid a domestic worker's wage."
Apparently, the school receives no support in the form of equipment to use for extra-curricular activities from the Ministry of Education and has had to cope with hot-seating as the number of pupils has swelled in recent years.
The DEO who was supposed to be inspecting schools is said to have spent the vast majority of his time at a nearby bottle store before surfacing at the school just after mid-day.
