HUNDREDS of teachers in Luapula Province have been drawing illegal allowances from the Government in excess of K3 million, a senior Ministry of Education official has said.
The Government has since announced its intention to recover the funds through deductions from salaries.
Luapula Province Provincial Education Officer Smith Bweupe said the illegally paid out funds had been in form of double class allowances while some teachers had been drawing rural hardship allowances while stationed in urban schools.
This came to light during a gathering to commemorate World Teachers Day in Mansa.
And Deputy Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya has commended teacher for their commitment, dedication and passion to the profession under difficult economic and social conditions.
Dr Chilufya reiterated the Patriotic Front (PF) Government’s commitment to address staffing challenges being faced by teachers by deploying five thousand new teachers to mitigate the shortage in schools this year.
Government was also constructing several schools and upgrading many primary schools into secondary schools while the establishment of the Teaching council would bring professionalism to the teaching profession.
Mr Bweupe commended Government for facilitating the establishment of universities throughout the country which had enabled teachers and other professionals to upgrade and be empowered academically.
He also praised the revised school curriculum to make education be responsive to societal needs. He further warned teachers who were involved in examination malpractices to desist as the law would visit them.
Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) representative Samuel Nyirenda lauded Government’s decision to split the Ministry of Education into two, so as to improve efficient delivery of education to the country.
He further pledged to work closely with Government to improve teachers working conditions of service to realise Government’s long term goals of education to the majority of our population.
It can only be in Liverpool, ma Lazo bantu aba!
Fipuba. Arrest them. You plunder government and get pissed when they don’t have money.
PEO says hundreds of teachers have been stealing government money. Minister Chitalu pats the back of the same thieves as being passionate with their jobs. Did the minister hear anything that the PEO said?
Am sure it is not only in Luapula, stealing is everywhere.
Comment:but how is it teachers’ fault? Are teachers the ones who prepare their own salaries???
Dishonesty reigns in our ‘Christian’ Nation. I am of the view that stealing is a vice. But then our so-called Christian values are anti biblical.
Not that number. Rember the issue of PEO being a ghost worker. In Zambia you may wonder if Human resource and acounts officers had value to civil service. Most of these pipo have been transferred and the PEO is not sure if they deserve such allowances where they have gone or not. PEO do your job well. That number is not correct