By Paidamoyo Chipunza and Praise Bvumbamera
The Zimbabwean and South African governments are working on measures to deal with unemployed but qualified teachers in Zimbabwe while at the same time addressing the needs gap in the "Rainbow Nation".
The process is expected to see Zimbabwean teachers in South African being registered and licensed.
The move comes against the backdrop of an unquantifiable number of qualified Zimbabwean teachers working in South Africa. Some of the teachers are not in the education sector and those in the education sector are employed mostly in private schools, where authorities cannot easily monitor their conditions of service.
Addressing a Press conference, flanked by South Africa's Basic Education Minister Angelina Motshekga, after a two-day conference on identifying possible areas of cooperation, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazaraus Dokora said issues of human resources, research, curriculum implementation and assessment are earmarked for collaboration.
"The way we have discussed this issue is to say that, when our teachers proceed to work in South Africa, we want to know where they are, how they are being deployed and we also safeguard their interests," said Minister Dokora.
Dr Dokora said the collaboration was meant to find a common ground with South Africa for the benefit of not only the two countries but also the teachers themselves. Minister Dokora said both countries also need to cooperate on curriculum implementation and assessment to modernise the two in line with the demands of the 20th century.
He also said that other areas included educational conferences to keep learning from each other and arts festivals.
Minister Motshekga said South Africa had always held Zimbabwe's education system in high esteem and therefore had a lot to learn for her northern neighbour.
She said one area her government was keen to learn from Zimbabwe was the area of public examinations from which, she said the country was way ahead compared to South Africa.
"Historically, South Africa looks forward to the education system of Zimbabwe and thus we never hesitated to take up your invitation to this meeting to see how best we can collaborate," she said.
Minister Motshekga said a series of meetings will follow the engagement with her Zimbabwean counterpart to start operationalising other areas that do not necessarily require a Memorandum of Understanding.
Both ministers, however, said they were looking forward to have an MOU in place before the end of the year.