Blind Teacher Proud of His Record
Published: August 23, 2005
“CONDITIONS here at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation are not suitable for you to serve this institution.”
This was the response that Mr Abbiot Moyo, a visually impaired teacher for 17 years, got when he applied for employment as a radio announcer in 1981.
The response, coupled with the zeal to prove that it was wrong to stereotype handicapped people, propelled him to become a teacher.
“It was at that time when the public’s perception of blind people was that they could do nothing other than beg. I remember an education officer then telling me in my face that it would not be a good idea for a blind person to become a teacher as it would be like throwing him/her into a den of lions.
“I had to prove him wrong. I wanted to show him I could even get better results than the sighted colleagues. That, coupled with ZBC’s response, inspired me,” said Mr Moyo.
Born blind and the second child in a family of seven in Chief Maranda’s area in Mwenezi, the affable Mr Moyo has become the darling of students at Highfield High School in Harare where he teaches Literature in English and History.
He went to school at Mnene School in Mberengwa, Gokomere and Mzilikazi high schools before he studied for a Bachelor’s degree in Education (Literature in English and History). He has maintained a 100 percent pass rate in Literature in English since 1996 and has been asked by the school to take up another subject he is passionate about, History. He said when he started teaching History at Advanced Level two years ago, he had a 74 percent pass rate which rose to 94 percent last year.
“This year, I am aiming at 100 percent,” he said with a chuckle.
“I taught the likes of Sandra Nyaira (prominent journalist), Tafadzwa Sikwila (radio DJ) and a host of other successful media people. They were allowed to work at media houses and yet their teacher was barred from doing so,” he said with notable irritation and despair.
He said he could have attained any professional qualification but because of his desire to prove the education officer wrong, he decided to be a teacher.
“I had a passion for the arts and to become a teacher would help me to fulfil my desires. A teacher instills values. A teacher teaches pupils that people are equal despite their physical appearance.
“A teacher teaches that disability is only functional and doesn’t change the mind capability. I wanted to help destroy misconceptions surrounding disabled people, that they were not special but needed equal opportunities. That disability is not infectious,” said Mr Moyo.
Having started his teaching career at Glen Norah High School, Mr Moyo moved to Highfield High School in 1996.
“Glen Norah High was not offering Literature in English and Highfield was. Besides, Highfield was offering me to teach at Advanced Level, which I found to be challenging,” he said.
On the pupils’ attitude towards him, he was quick to say: “Young people are not prejudiced. Young people are only curious.
“At first, their only worry is whether I can deliver. Once rapport has been established and you have convinced them that you can deliver, it’s all over. Students want to know and they hate imposed ideas.
“My relationship with current and past students has been great. Sometimes we agree to disagree,” he said.
One of his current Upper Sixth students, Finest Nyakata, said when she first encountered Mr Moyo, her fears were whether he would be able to deliver. She said she worried on how he would mark essays but her fears were quickly put to rest.
“He would invite us individually to his office where we would read our essays. He would verbally point out corrections and give instructions on how to proceed.
“My colleagues and I found that to be very helpful. Since then, we have never had problems. Now we don’t have to read our essays to him. He has an assistant. He is helpful and open,” she said.
Tichaona Chirera, another History student, described Mr Moyo as an intelligent teacher with a sharp memory.
“We introduced ourselves on our first day and we have never had to re-introduce ourselves to him. He remembered everyone of us,” said Tichaona.
Mr Moyo has personally employed an assistant, Arthur Chaitezvi, his former student. But he expressed disappointment with the Public Service Commission for dragging its feet in paying assistants to visually impaired teachers.
“That visually impaired teachers’ assistants should be paid by Government was agreed on two or so years back and we were told Treasury approved that.
“We are told the Public Service Commissioners keep saying they have not yet signed whatever needs to be signed and this perturbs us,” said Mr Moyo.
He said Government was too slow to respond to disabled people’s needs. It was all talk and no action, he said.
“Conditions at workplaces should be made right. Why should the editor of your paper resign if he suddenly were to become blind? Capable people should get jobs not because they are able-bodied,” said Mr Moyo.
The Sunday Mail could not establish last week why the PSC was taking its time to pay assistants to the more than 100 blind teachers throughout the country.
“I nearly had a sad encounter with the parent of one assistant that I had recommended for a visually impaired teacher at Ellis Robins High School. Her parents were demanding to know why she was not being paid.
“We are forced to pay these assistants from our own pockets,” said Mr Moyo.
The father of two children - Musawenkosi (12) and Sean-Noel (5) - said he relied on the South African Library for the Blind, the local Dorothy Duncan Library and the British Royal National Institute for the Blind for teaching material.
Ironically the National Braille Library won’t give him material for they say they only cater for blind students.
“Why they think the blind students can be taught by their blind teacher even if they don’t provide material beats me,” said Mr Moyo.
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