The Zambia Teachers Forum (ZTF) in Muchinga Province is not satisfied with the Government’s decision to reduce all practicing teaching certificate fees by 15%.
Minister of Education Douglas Siakalima says the reduction follows numerous submissions from teachers requesting that the prescribed fees for the issuance practice be reviewed downwards.
Mr. Siakalima made the announcement in Lusaka during a press briefing held over the weekend.
Meanwhile, in a media statement, Zambia Teachers Forum (ZTF) in Muchinga Province Director Bennacio Chishatama said teachers wanted a 50 percent reduction.
Mr. Chishatama charged that fees for obtaining a practicing teaching certificate were still high.
“Zambia Teachers Forum (ZTF) in Muchinga Province has received the announcement of the Teaching Council of Zambia reducing the fees by 15% with serious mixed feelings. Government could have done better than this. The Minister of Education announced on 25th February 2022 that the TCZ has reduced fees, as an organization we feel that the current exorbitant fees charges by the council are more chocking to teachers and unjustifiable thereby calling for a 50% reduction, this move if done will cheer policy implementers in the Education sector who in this case are teachers dotted in all corners of Zambia to ensure government policies are implemented under difficult times. The high chargers are still not convincing,” Chishatama said.
He claimed that the Teaching Council of Zambia must not exploit teachers but should focus on enhancing teacher professionalism and provision of quality education.
“Teaching Council of Zambia being a statutory body established under the teaching professional act No. 5 of 2013 with a mandate to regulate all teachers, their conduct and to accredit colleges of Education, Indeed it was not meant to exploit teachers but to enhance teacher professionalism, quality education, to protect the learners and general public from unsound practices among teachers which TCZ is not doing on the ground but the council is busy exploiting already exploited teachers with unjustifiable fees,” Mr. Chishatama said.
He also called for the harmonizing of teaching certificate fees saying a primary school should not be charged the same registration fees with officials like Provincial Education Officers.
“The organization is of the view that TCZ quickly through Parliament harmonise and reduce the fees, there is no way a senior teacher of a primary school be charged the same as PEO for Registration and Certification of practicing license. There are a lot of lacunas in the manner that TCZ is operating on which must be revisited as soon as possible.ZTF in Muchinga Province is humbly calling for the New Dawn Government through the President Mr Hakainde Hichilema to intervene more on TCZ fees. Teachers are not happy on the ground and please listen to the cry of the teachers. Let’s help the teachers; those fees are too high to be justified,” Mr. Chishatama said.
He concluded his statement by challenging the Teaching Council of Zambia to explain how it has been using money collected as fees from teachers.
“Lastly, the organization is requesting the TCZ to explain and convince teachers and the public on how these monies they have been collecting since inception are used in regulating the teaching professional, how the council arrived at mandatory 3 years payment for practicing license Instead of annually and why there is delay in delivery of practicing license,” Mr. Chishatama said.
When announcing the reduction, Mr. Siakalima stated that the Teaching Council of Zambia will work out modalities for implementing the reduced fees.
“Government through my office received a recommendation from the teaching council of Zambia (TCZ) council board on the need to review the teacher practicing certificate (license) fees for all categories of teachers in Zambia, pursuant to section 18 (a) of the teaching profession act no. 5 of 2013,” he said.
The minister urged that the reduction should now facilitate easy renewal of teacher practicing certificates or licenses for the next cycle from 2022 to 2024.
What are the fees? I can’t see the figures in this report.
You are being played. If you were paying K2,000 the reduction will only be K150. Still a lot of money to pay.
ZAMBIAN CULTURE FROM BIRTH
ITS NOW INBREED
GIVE ME GIVE ME !!
Ati we voted change. They gave you beans ya mabisi kikiki
Mr. Chishatama, instead of playing to the gallery why don’t you engage the Ministry of Education to have the 50% reduction you want. You want to get sympathy from the public? What for? Besides show appreciation for the gesture from the Ministry because you never complained during pf rule of This
Even lucky to get this reduction. Other fees have not been so lucky. Be grateful for even this at least.
A 15% reduction is a good discount to have. Why do people always think they should always get more. Be appreciative. There are others in the education sector who also need to get a piece of the pie.
What about the children? They are the priority not you, plus you will also be getting a salary.
BEANS ARE STLL BETTER THAN WHAT PF GAVE US
VIVA BEANS !!!!
Current Minister of Education was a Trade Union Leader at Unza who never made it to get a PhD. He made lots of noise being critical of Unza administration and Govt then. As Education Minister he has failed to run public universities in that he has no clue on the structures of a University. Zambia only has Unza, CBU and Mulungushi as fully established universities with Chancellors and Councils in place. University infrastrucures built at Chinsali, Nkrumah, Chalimbana and Mukuba have not been fully established to true University status. HH must split the Ministry of Education and re-established the Ministry of Higher Education to be headed by a Minister who understands structures and functions of a University.
Ofcourse you ll always complain even if the reduction was 90%. The best was for government to reduce these fees at all, cos it doesn’t make sense that you increase their salaries and reduce their due fees – shooting your self in the foot. You can’t give them both. In PF they never even used to get paid in full, let alone paid on time.
Either your increase these salaries and they keep on paying what they owe accordingly-you can play nice guy, now look, their demands are only growing higher and higher. Those incentives can only work in first world countries who understand a piece of something is a building block to better things and not poking holes in the very building block given to you.