during the Commemoration of the world teacher’s day.
The Teaching Service Commission says it is very much alarmed with the increased number of teachers leaving rural districts on unregulated transfers.
Teaching Service Commission Chairperson Stanley Mhango said that the commission is doing its best to ensure that such actions become a thing of the past.
ZANIS reports that Mr Mhango said this when he led a delegation of Commissioners to pay a courtesy call on Mambwe District Education Board Secretary and the District Commissioner.
Mr Mhango pointed out that teachers who are posted to rural districts must not use rural areas as an employment entry point and then later want to intimidate the DEBS to transfer them back to urban areas.
The Chairperson urged the DEBS not to be intimidated by people who call her from the Ministry in Lusaka demanding that certain people should be transferred from Mambwe district to urban areas as government does not act on verbal instructions.
Mr Mhango further said that any person who seeks to be transferred must have their Payroll Management Establishment Control (PMEC) identity on where they intend to go as the commission will not allow any person to be transferred and still continue to get a salary from a district the person is not serving from.
And he further pointed out that government is working hard to improve conditions of service for teachers so that learners can also benefit, adding that if the conditions of service for teachers are not conducive, they will not be motivated to work hard and in the process the learners will suffer academically.
Mr Mhango further called on all teachers to follow the codes of ethics and not take part in partisan politics as is the case in the district.
The Chairperson said this in response to some of the challenges raised by the DEBS and the District Commissioner, such as inadequate teaching staff, unregulated transfers and shortage of desks for pupils among others.
Mambwe District Education Board Secretary Theresa Ngoma revealed that the District has a shortage of teaching staff due to unregulated transfers.
Ms Ngoma disclosed that so far, 54 teachers have left the district shortly after being posted.
The DEBS also said that schools in the district also record a number of absenteeism cases among pupils during the rainy season, alluding to the fact that learners live in places where the road network is bad and becomes impassable hence the need for government to create more boarding schools in the district.
She further added that the reading levels among pupils is also not good as there is lack of material to implement the revised curriculum.
Ms Ngoma however acknowledged the good academic performance that the district keeps recording due to hardworking teachers.
Meanwhile, Mambwe District Commissioner Caroline Mwanza observed that some teachers in the district have developed a trend of taking part in partisan politics instead of sticking to their teaching professional agenda.
how long do you want teachers to be in a place? every one needs a change of place. transfers should be ther
Those places you call town were once bushes but the white man changed them into what they’re today. A Zambian would rather commute to lufwanyama from Kitwe daily in spite of the good houses at Lufwanyama.