Government in Kalumbila has warned teachers in the district against aligning themselves to politics. Kalumbila District Commissioner Robinson Kalota sounded the warning through district administrative officer Frank Siatwinda in Kalumbila during the district selection meeting for pupils going into grade eight and 10 yesterday.
Mr. Kalota said he is aware that the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) has had a lot of challenges transferring some teachers because they have aligned themselves to politics.
He said he will not allow any teacher to decline a transfer or threaten officers that are supposed to do their job.
“On staffing levels, I understand that government over time may not have employed a lot of teachers…when you are given a transfer you have to go that is the way it works. People have come to our office to complain against the transfers but no one should refuse a transfer,” he said.
Mr. Kalota said the act of declining transfers has created artificial staff shortage in some schools.
“Because of declining transfers, we have created artificial shortages of teachers in schools. As district administration we will not tolerate interference at DEBS office and no one should intimidate the DEBS and the team,” he said.
Mr. Kalota further observed that there were schools that had many teachers while others had few.
He said transfers are done in order to balance staffing levels in schools.
He also bemoaned the high levels of absenteeism among teachers and learners in the district.
“The high level of absenteeism among teachers and learners must come to an end. I want to encourage the DEBS to monitor some of these things. You have schools where you open today and for one week there is nobody at the school,” he said.
Mr. Kalota further urged teachers to ensure that the performance of pupils improves.
“Kalumbila district in the province has been ranked seventh this year just like last year, we need to improve… our performance is not very good as Kalumbila. Let us make sure that the teaching and learning is taking place,” he said.
And Kalumbila DEBS, Mutinta Mubanga has implored schools administrators to be skillful.
“If there is a time that we need to apply ourselves as school administrators more than we have done in the past is now because we have so many competing issues and demands…issues demanding our skillfulness as administrators,” she said.
Ms. Mubanga urged school administrators to be flexible in their operations.
“Be an administrator who is flexible, who is ready to get guidance and instructions. Absenteeism is the beginning of a breakdown of a system. I just want to encourage everyone to live above reproach so that we do what we are supposed to do and soar high,” she said.
Ms. Mubanga has meanwhile expressed confidence that through working together and sharing challenges encountered in the line of work, the academic performance of Kalumbila can improve.
Arrogance under politics most of the time hides incompetence. Wait until power changes hands. The mills of justice will activate. Why can’t we learn to separate politics from actual delivery? After all, politics wants the same thing you want except it runs its mouth and then expects you to turn their rhetoric into action. Mwe fipuba mwe!
It is mostly upnd infested teachers who behave that way. Pupils feel free to beat any teacher found politicking when they should be teaching you.
bye bye KZ AND BYE BYE PF