Government says chasing away children of TAZARA workers from school due to nonpayment of school fees should stop with immediate effect.
District Administrative Officer (DAO), Jackson Mutale says this is because TAZARA workers have not been receiving their salaries for five months now.
Mr. Mutale said it will not suffice for the disadvantaged workers’ children to be excluded from learning on account of nonpayment of school fees.
ZANIS reports that DAO made the directive today when he addressed wives and family members of workers of TAZARA who marched to his office asking for government’s intervention in the matter.
The wives complained that government school managements in the district were excluding their children from learning due to nonpayment of school fees and failure to meet some school requirements such as shoes, uniforms and books.
They also thronged the District Administration Offices to complain over nonpayment of salaries to TAZARA workers for five months now.
“I’m calling on the office of the District Education Boards Secretary to take action and allow these children from TAZARA families to learn and write examinations because we all know that their parents have not been getting salaries for a long period of time,” Mr. Mutale said.
Mr. Mutale said it was against government policy to exclude a pupil from lessons on account of nonpayment of school fees.
“Nonpayment of school fees should not be a barrier to education any more especially that we are championing universal access to education for all in the country”, Mr. Mutale said.
Speaking on behalf of the women, Eunice Chalyafufu said TAZARA workers children risk being excluded from writing examinations due to nonpayment of fees at respective schools.
“Government should look at our plight our children are being sent away from school because we have not paid for them.
“This is getting very serious because most of them are also in examination classes we fear they will not be allowed to write the exams,” Ms. Chalyafufu said amid sobs.
Unionized workers of TAZARA in Kapiri Mposhi have been on strike for three days now pressing for payment of the salary arrears.
Government just pay your workers ,,,,, no need for desperate measures
I hope they don’t fire the DAO for giving that directive, I don’t think that’s Government policy. The man just wanted to calm them down.
Land of fo*olishness and disunity!
It is a big shame for Zambia that close to 50 years of independence people still don’t get paid for working. What is it that Zambia got independent for? For their citizens to suffer at hands of fellow indigenous people.
shame on us as a country.
Shemuna.
It’s a shame, instead of wasting so much money on a patient traveling around a with a private jet and helicopter to receive EXPENSIVE medical care around the world, these workers can be paid to provide for their families. Zambians do you remember earlier on in his presidency when he opted to use a minibus in Livingstone to save Tax payer’s money?? I just laughed while some of you screamed ‘man of the people’ and now you can’t even see him but just get 2 or 3 photos once in a while. king Sata the first