Incapacitated But Bricolising: The Ambivalence Of The Teaching Profession In Times Of Crisis In Zimbabwe

This research paper investigated the survival strategies of some teachers in Zimbabwe in the context of incapacitation. For many years, teachers in Zimbabwe have lamented their low salaries and poor working conditions and, recently, the lack of personal protective clothing. They have declared themselves incapacitated and unable to render teaching and learning services. The paper is couched in bricolage, a theory that recommends that people use the resources that are available to address prevailing trajectories. The study used a qualitative research design to gather data from 12 participants: 10 teachers and two headmasters. Focus group discussions were centred on two questions: What survival strategies do teachers employ? and, How can teachers’ professionalism be restored in the context of a crisis? The study found that teachers have bricolised the teaching profession in a quest for survival – some even engage in illegal mining activities for survival, others buy and sell goods –consequently, they pay little attention to teaching and learning. The argument of the paper is that education in Zimbabwe is on the verge of collapse. Government’s approach to the crisis, which involves denying that it exists,incapacitates learners further and will produce an illiterate society. Dialogue based on justice and care is required to reinvent quality education in Zimbabwe.