08 MARCH 2024
PRESS RELEASE
Inspired Teachers Inspire Inclusion
#TEACHERSMATTER #WOMEN’S DAY
As ZIMTA celebrates, International Women’s Day today, under the global theme of Inspire Inclusion, we also recognize and hold in high esteem the fact that women teachers remain eager and are willing to be included in union activities, union advocacy and solidarity work. Indeed, this is a celebration of Inclusion.
For ZIMTA, the inclusion of women is an ongoing phenomenon which has been intentional and strategic because, we realize that women have the interest and potential that is needed to take the profession to higher levels. Inspiring inclusion may mean different things to different folks, but in ZIMTA, inspiring inclusion would mean that women are empowered, educated, involved, mentored and included in the trade union work.
Empowerment of women at all levels within the ZIMTA structures has resulted in having more women who are knowledgeable and able to articulate union issues in their communities and to fellow women who had been left behind. Women Teachers in ZIMTA want the employer to include them on the decision-making table as they decide their salary packs and other work-related benefits, so that they are not economically left behind, in a fast-changing economy and world driven by hyper -inflation and fast-moving exchange rates.
Better pay and wages, for women teachers is a form of inspiring inclusion and there is no better way of including women teachers in economic development which beats awarding them an economic empowerment in the form of a better salary. ZIMTA is calling for an increased salary for all teachers, thereby empowering 60% of the teaching fraternity who are women teachers EVERYDAY and today on 08 MARCH 2024.Having women leaders in strategic positions always assists to inspire confidence in fellow women teachers that they are able and fit to govern.
The theme Inspire Inclusion resonates well with ZIMTA because, the mentoring of women leaders is one of our core strategic pillars and we believe that the future belongs to empowered, motivated female unionists, who advocate and demand for their rights and interests of educationist without fear or favor, women who know that access to quality education is a human right for all. Inspired Women who know that for Zimbabwe to develop, access to public education is a Constitutional right for every Zimbabwean and that everyone must be included in ensuring that this Right is accessed by all. Inspiring Inclusion involves ensuring that young women teachers are mentored by the matured teachers within the profession.
Because ours is to inspire inclusion, we will continue to strive for gender mainstreaming at all levels of our union.
HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY
Dr Sifiso Ndlovu (PhD)
ZIMTA CEO
