Teachers at state schools in Zimbabwe can’t afford to return to work, three days before classes are set to resume.
The Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association declared “a state of incapacitation” for its 43 000 members, citing inadequate pay and the high costs of transport and school fees.
“Without a meaningful salary increase, educators have no way of going back to assume their duties,” Richard Gundane, the association’s president said Friday in an emailed statement.
Zimbabwe has one of the world’s highest inflation rates, driven by a collapse in the value of the nation’s currency. Prices rose almost 61% in January from a year ago.