About 120 teachers who are accused of gross misconduct will face sanctions including dismissal, according to the Ministry of Education. The ministry said on Thursday that the decision is informed by the findings from the third phase of the Quality Education Enhancement Awareness Campaign carried out last month. It said in a report, which was released Thursday, that some teachers frequently skipped work, taught for less hours, while others did not have the scheme of work to show how they would dispense courses. Some 22 teachers will be dismissed, 31 suspended for three months, 13 reprimanded, 48 will receive warning letters, while four will have their horizontal promotion delayed, according to the report. The punishments will take effect from January next year when the new academic year starts. Isaac Munyakazi, the State Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, said; “There are categories of sanctions we need to take and follow up on their implementation, we should also end the culture of impunity, and we don’t want to keep talking without taking action.” The ministry also proposed that teachers should face dismissal if they spend 15 consecutive days without appearing at work. Among other forms of misconduct among teachers include excessive drinking of alcohol, and theft of school computers and other school properties. Ministry officials pointed that there is high rate of school dropout because teachers are not working properly. Munyakazi also said that there are plans to ensure that teachers’ welfare is improved through various incentives but challenged them to always do all they can to improve quality education. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
