Government to stop paying teachers at private schools

The government will stop paying teachers at private and trust schools because it is unfair to use public funds to pay teachers at institutions that are run on a commercial basis, Public Service Minister Prisca Mupfumira said.

The salaries and allowances to these teachers are costing the government $72 million a year.

“The position is that this is an unfair charge to public funds and these institutions are run on a commercial basis and should cater for their employment costs,” Mupfumira told The Herald.

Teachers at private schools were getting a government salary as well as a top-up from their institutions.

Mupfumira also said the government will cut by more than half allowances paid to student teachers on teaching practice from $329 to $157 a month.

“It is almost a full-time employee’s salary and not viable but there will be need to consider bush allowances for those in rural areas,” she said.

The government is trying to gradually reduce its wage bill which consumes more than 80 percent of the budget to less than 40 percent.

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