TEACHERS who marked the 2020 Grade Seven examinations say they have not been paid, almost four weeks after they completed the job.
The year’s Grade Seven examinations were written in December due to the changes brought by the Covid-19 outbreak.
Marking of the examinations started soon after Christmas and ended in mid-January.
Markers who spoke to NewZimbabwe.com said the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council (Zimsec) had promised to pay the educators as soon as they finished marking.
According to the educators, each teacher was supposed to be paid $10 RTGS for Paper One while the price for marking Paper Two was pegged at $15 RTGS per script.
Approximately, each person was supposed to mark about 500 scripts.
The affected teachers said they have been visiting Zimsec Bulawayo provincial offices almost on daily basis following up on their dues but without any success.
“Before we commenced the marking of the examinations, we were promised that payment will be deposited in our accounts on the day of completion of the marking exercise.
“Since we completed marking the examinations, our supervisors have been making enquiries at the Zimsec offices, but nobody has given us satisfactory explanations.
“Some of us borrowed money to travel to marking centres, hoping that our payment will be released on time,” said a teacher who refused to be named for fear of victimisation.
Another marker who also refused to be named on similar reasons accused Zimsec of engaging in unfair labour practices.
“Zimsec has apparently breached the payment contract. We were supposed to have been paid upon our completion of marking.
“The money which we are being paid is very little and on top of that, they are failing to pay us those peanuts.
“We worked under very difficult conditions and some of us sacrificed our lives by accepting to mark the examinations during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the teacher.
Repeated efforts to get comment from Zimsec spokesperson Nicky Dlamini were all in vain as her mobile number went unanswered.