The Primary Education Teachers Union of Zambia (PETUZ) has praised the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education for taking over some community schools and converting them into government owned institutions.
PETUZ president Vincent Mwitumwa said the move was welcome because it will improve children’s access to sustainable education especially in rural areas.
Mr. Mwitumwa disclosed this to the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS) in Lusaka yesterday.
He stated that government should also consider turning the remaining community schools into government institutions.
Mr. Mwitumwa said some community schools in rural areas were deplorable due to lack of capacity by those who run them.
And Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) General Secretary Newman Bubala also commended the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education for deciding to convert community schools into government ones.
Mr. Bubala said this will improve education standards in areas where such schools are situated.
He however urged government to recruit more teachers to work in converted schools.
He said without deployed enough qualified teachers to those schools, it would be meaningless to turn community schools into government owned.
Mr. Bubala also called on government to improve infrastructure in community schools which it has taken over in order to make the learning environment conducive.
The best govt should have done is to work with the community by constructing better structures and employing some teachers who have sacrifice their time in helping the children,govt should learn to partner with the people by giving them more powers to decide their destiny.that’s what we call democracy.