Tinotenda Hove – Zimbabwean teachers will resume classes for the third term on Tuesday, September 9, with no pay hike in sight, prolonging months of financial strain for the profession.

Despite persistent appeals from educators, salaries remain stagnant at roughly US$270 plus a local currency component, far short of the cost of living. Calls for the restoration of the pre-2018 wage benchmark of US$540 have repeatedly been ignored.

In Parliament this week, Labour and Public Service Minister Edgar Moyo insisted that the government is “continuously reviewing” civil servants’ pay and conditions under the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC). He added that the state was exploring “innovative ways” of cushioning teachers, including community-supported incentives, but gave no assurances of an immediate salary adjustment.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, speaking as Leader of Government Business, also brushed off pressure for an urgent cost-of-living review. He argued that economic fundamentals did not justify a wage increase at this stage.

“There has not been a general increase in prices in this country,” Ziyambi told the House. “Statistics that we have on inflation do not indicate that. Even our currency is very stable, and the prices have largely not risen to levels that we can say indicate that we need a cost-of-living adjustment.”

With schools reopening next week, teachers face yet another term of strained survival, caught between stagnant pay and rising expenses.