Some teachers have been identified to have incited pupils at Kawambwa and Mwense Boys’ secondary schools to riot against their administrations last week.
Luapula Province Education Officer (PEO) Florence Kanchebele disclosed this in Mansa
yesterday.
Ms. Kanchebele said it is embarrassing to note that teachers spearheaded the riots
and stimulated pupils to demonstrate against administration instead of them
(teachers) instilling morals and good conduct in the pupils.
”We have some names of teachers in connection with last week’s riots at Kawambwa
and Mwense secondary schools. We will take a disciplinary decision against them
soon”, Ms. Kanchebele said.
She said this in a speech read for her by Provincial Education Standards Officer
(PESO) Paul Kafwanka at this year’s World Teachers’ Day commemoration dubbed
”Quality Teachers for Quality Education” in Mansa yesterday.
Last week pupils at both Kawambwa and Mwense Boys’ secondary schools went on rapage, destroying property and infrastructure worth millions of kwacha which resulted in the immediate closure of Mwense secondary school.
Meanwhile Ms. Kanchebele said qualaity education is attainable only when teachers
ensure professionalism and moral uprightness amongst themselves.
Ms. Kanchebele disclosed that the Teaching Service Team which toured the province
recently attended to 1,295 indiscipline cases amongst teachers this year alone.
She has since challenged the three teacher unions to initiate deliberate programs to
educate teachers on the terms and conditions of services if cases of indiscipline
were to be curbed.
”This shows that we have a lot of indisciplined teacher fraternity. We need to
change if we are to be accredited as professionals. I’m calling on the teachers’
unions to look into addressing some of these attitudes by teachers”, Ms.
Kanchebele said.
And Mansa District Eduction Boards Secretary (DEBS) Robert Zimba has advised
teachers to refrain from immorality and beer drinking with their pupils.
Mr. Simba noted that the increased number of cases involving teachers defiling
pupils were as a result of teachers’ failure to uphold their professionalism.
He said some teachers have failed to keep a social distance with their pupils as
they even engage in drinking sprees with pupils.
”Teachers, you are washing down our education standards. The pupils can not
respect you at all. Let’s change for the better”, Mr. Zimba said.
He said his office will severely punish all teachers involved in immoral conduct and
absconding from duties.
And Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) Provincial Secretary, Robbie Mambwe
said the Unions noted with great disappointment that government has failed to honour
cruicial clauses in the last signed collective agreements.
”Collective agreements on car loans, house loans, double and outstanding housing
allowances have not been honoured. We need to be paid to deliver quality education
to meet the Millennium Developmen Goals on education,” Mr. Mambwe said.
He urged government to be committed and honuor the collective agrement to avoid
unnecessary disruptions of the school calendar.
Mr. Mambwe said quality education for all can be attained if government honoured its
commitments to fully remunerate teachers and invest in the sector.
