Teaching Service Commission embarks on qualification audit for all teacher

he Teaching Service Commission has embarked on a qualification audit for all teachers in all schools across the country  beginning with Lusaka Province ahead of the planned placement of teachers according to their qualifications.

And the Teaching Service Commission Chairperson Daphine Chimuka has disclosed that Lusaka district is over staffed by 937 teachers who need to be moved to other schools in the Province which are facing a critical shortage of teachers.

The Teaching Service Commission Chairperson, accompanied by 3 commissioners and the Commission  Secretary, Lynette Walubita, said this when she paid a courtesy call on Lusaka Province Permanent Secretary Robert Kamalata at his office today.

Ms. Chimuka said a number of teachers in various schools  have been misplaced with secondary school teachers finding themselves in primary schools while those who are supposed to teach in primary schools, are teaching in secondary schools.

She said her Commission will from tomorrow July 28, embark on a country-wide qualification audit starting with the Zambia Institute of Special Education (ZAMISE)  in lusaka.

Ms. Chimuka said all officers involved in the qualification audit exercise will be available at (ZAMISE) so that everyone is familiar with the process and what is required to be done before it is rolled out to the rest of the country.

“We are commencing the qualification audit for all teachers in the country and we are starting this exercise with Lusaka Province tomorrow,” said Ms. Chimuka.

Ms. Chimuka said that after this qualification audit exercise is over, the next move would be to place each teacher according to the qualification.

She said over time, there has been an increase in teachers placed in various positions that are not in line with their qualifications.

The Teaching Service Commission Chairperson, further, said that her Commission is in the process of gazetting some schools established in the recent past so that they have their right establishments.

Meanwhile, the Teaching Service Commission Chairperson  says  there is an urgent need to  build teacher’s houses in various schools across the country especially in rural areas.

She said that with the massive recruitment of the teachers last year, the biggest challenge being faced in most of the schools now is lack of accommodation.

Ms. Chimuka said teachers can only be encouraged and motivated to serve  in rural areas if there is good and decent accommodation for them.

“We have employed many teachers in most of the rural areas in the country but the biggest problem we have now is lack of accommodation for these teachers,” said Ms. Chimuka.

And Ms Chimuka says recruitment of the planned  4,500 teachers will be done before the end of this year.

She said the commission will engage provincial offices and ensure that they are involved in the recruitment exercise.

“We are involving the provincial administration in the forth coming recruitment of 4,500 New teachers,” said Ms. Chimuka.

And Lusaka Permanent Secretary, Robert Kamalata, said the recruitment of teachers was very low in lusaka during the last recruitment exercise.

He said the lusaka province had only 800 teachers out of over Thirty thousand recruited teachers last year.

Permanent secretary added that rural areas are still experiencing a shortage of teachers in several schools.

Mr Kamalata appealed to the Teaching Service Commission to involve the provincial administration  in the recruitment of teachers so that they can present the needed numbers of new teachers and where such teachers should be posted.

Mr. Kamalata also appealed to the Teaching Service Commission to ensure serving teachers are upgraded in both status and salaries.

” The cries of most of our teachers especially in rural areas is the need to upgrade them both in status and salaries,” said Mr Kamalata.

He also appealed to the teachers to seriously consider  upgrading their qualifications as it will enable them to reach greater heights.

And Mr. Kamalata says there is huge demand to construct more class rooms following the introduction of free education that has seen an increase in school enrolment in various schools.

“For Lusaka district we are trying to propose if the K1 million per constituency allocated towards the construction of Chief’s palaces, could be channeled towards the construction of class room blocks since we are not constructing any palace in any of the 7 constituencies in Lusaka district,” said Mr. Kamalata.

Commissioners who accompanied the Teaching Service Commission Chairperson included Regina Musokotwane, Fridah Lukwesa and Clement Sinyinda.