VOA标准英语 Teachers' Strike Threat Next Week Seen as Blow to Zi
时间:2018-12-08 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2009年(四月)
Zimbabwe's teachers say they will go on strike when the next semester opens next week after the inclusvie government said it has no money to increase their salaries. The teachers' return to school after the unity 1 government was formed February was the first success of the new administration.
The three Zimbabwe teachers unions have vowed 2 not to return to school for the second semester next week saying the unity government has failed to fulfill 3 its pledge to increase the monthy wage beyond $100 a month.
The largest union, the Zimbabwe Teachers Assocation, which for years would not confront the Zanu PF government of President Robert Mugabe, says there has been no "concrete response to address the issue of teachers salaries."
Teachers quit their jobs in droves in the last two years and by the end of last year few government schools were operating. In 2008 children had little formal schooling 4, in a country which at one time had the best educational results and literacy in Africa.
The unity government has little income and says it can not attract donors 5 to provide any extra cash for teachers until all conditions of the political agreement, which led to the unity government, are met.
Education minister David Coltart, a senator from the Movement for Democratic Change party, said Wednesday that he was sympathetic to the teachers' call as he recognizes that it is impossible to live on 100 dollars a month. He said the goverment is in a dire 6 situation and his "hands are tied."
Coltart said he has one last meeting with the unions Thursday, and he hoped the acting 7 finance and public service ministers would attend and explain the difficulties facing the inclusive governemnt.
He also said the return of teachers to work in February was the first sign that the inclusive government might be able to turn Zimbabwe around.
If the teachers went on strike next week, he conceded, it would be a serious blow to the stability of the government.
There are about 7,000 schools in Zimbabwe, most of them for primary education.
At full strength there should be 140,000 teachers. About 90 000 were paid at the end of January, and Coltart said he is not sure yet whether all of those who were paid were legitimate 8 teachers.
He said a survey was not yet complete of 120 schools comparing the paperwork and documentation at his ministry 9 with teachers who are actually at the schools.
Tendai Chikowore, president of the 45,000 strong Zimbabwe Teachers Association, said his members could not meet their basic needs and that in the absence of a pay increase, the government should waive 10 school fees for teachers' children.
A few teachers who did not want to be named, or the schools where they teach identified, said not all of them wanted to go on strike.
Two teachers interviewed by VOA this week said they believed the strike would not achieve anything except to undermine the Movement for Democratic Change party as they knew there was no money to pay them more until Zimbabwe's economy revived.
Another teacher said he believed the teachers had been misled by promises of better pay and that they had gone back to work in February under false pretences
- When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结,并非一团和气。
- We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前,我们必须加强团结。
- He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
- I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。
- If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了,你就要履行你的诺言。
- This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。
- A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
- Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。
- Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去,请给我们发电子邮件。
- About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
- We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了,但是我们渡过了困难。
- Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
- During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
- Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
- That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。