A strike by thousands of primary and secondary school teachers across Zimbabwe continued Tuesday with students idling as teachers remained in staff rooms.
The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe said its 17,000 members and many other teachers belonging to a rival union refused to teach. Union officials estimated that three-quarters of the schools in the country were effectively shut down.
Union representative Brightmore Mbanjwa in Bulawayo said the strike was successful in all schools in Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Bulawayo itself.
PTUZ General Secretary Raymond Majongwe told Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the government has been trying to intimidate striking teachers by demanding that they fill in forms stating whether or not they are working.
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