Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has called on the government to enact legislation that will ensure unlimited paid maternity leave for female teachers.
This comes after a female teacher was arrested recently and charged with misconduct for bringing her baby to school with her during learning.
The teacher, Mercy Kagone of Mudzimu High School allegedly brought her baby with her to school as she could not afford a domestic worker.
She was also charged with absenteeism at work and failure to invigilate the 2021 Zimbabwe Education Council (ZIMSEC) Ordinary level examinations twice.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education described the teacher’s actions as “unbecoming or indecorous behaviour”.
In a statement on Wednesday, ARTUZ accused authorities of prosecuting the teacher, saying her salary is too little for her to afford a babysitter. ARTUZ said:
We demand fully paid and unlimited maternity leave for workers. Ahead of the 16 days of activism, we believe administrative injustice like limited maternity leave should end.
We are outraged because a woman is being persecuted for playing the dual roles of being a professional teacher and a caregiver.
No woman should be subjected to this. The teacher cannot afford a childminder because of underpayment.
The Director of Communications and Advocacy in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Taungana Ndoro responded: “Has anyone ever brought a child to work?”
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