VOA标准英语 Teachers' Strike Threat Next Week Seen as Blow to Zi

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 unity¹ government was formed February was the first success of the new administration.

The three Zimbabwe teachers unions have vowed² not to return to school for the second semester next week saying the unity government has failed to fulfill³ 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 schooling⁴, 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 donors⁵ 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 dire⁶ situation and his "hands are tied."

Coltart said he has one last meeting with the unions Thursday, and he hoped the acting⁷ 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 legitimate⁸ teachers.

He said a survey was not yet complete of 120 schools comparing the paperwork and documentation at his ministry⁹ 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 waive¹⁰ 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

1 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• 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。

2 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• 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。

3 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• 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。

4 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• 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。

5 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• 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》

6 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• 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。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• 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。

8 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• 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。

9 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

10 waive   

vt.放弃，不坚持(规定、要求、权力等)

参考例句：

• I'll record to our habitat office waive our claim immediately.我立即写信给咱们的总公司提出放弃索赔。
• In view of the unusual circumstances,they agree to waive their requirement.鉴于特殊情况，他们同意放弃他们的要求。