As Zimbabwean students and parents prepared Monday for what they hoped would be the start of a new school term on Tuesday, teachers were threatening not to go
back to work until unless they were paid in hard currency.
Many parents were unsure whether schools would be opening on Tuesday as the government earlier announced, or whether the start of the new term was being put off until Feb. 17 as some news outlets have reported without official confirmation.
Some schools have applied to the government for permission
to charge fees in hard currency, but the cabinet has not decided whether to allow this.
Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe General Secretary Raymond Majongwe told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that teachers will only go back to work when the government agrees to a base salary of US2,200 a month.
More reports from VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe...