Namatama Basic School in Livingstone is faced with a number of challenges that have negatively affected the performance of the pupils at the learning institution.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS in Livingstone yesterday Head teacher Grace Sipobole said the school lacked basic necessities to enable management run it effectively hence affecting the performance of both the teachers and pupils.
Mrs. Sipobole explained that the resources to meet the day to day running affairs of the school were meagre and cannot sustain school operations.
She complained that the school lacked learning materials which makes it hard for the teachers to execute their duties adding that lack of classrooms has also resulted in other pupils to learn under a tree.
Mrs. Sipobole disclosed that the Home Economics room at the school has been turned into a classroom disadvantaging other pupils due to the one by three classroom block which was abandoned at slab level.
She said the situation has caused store rooms to be turned into home economics and staff rooms respectively.
Mrs. Sipobole said the school also lacked a computer and science laboratory and a proper teacher’s staff room.
She mentioned that water and sanitation has been a big problem at the school as it is becoming a danger for both teachers and pupils to use the ablutions.
Mrs. Sipobole said despite the lack of resources, the school has embarked on the completion of a one by two classroom block to cater for the pre-school section which is projected to be opened to the public by the end of February.
She added that MTN Zambia had pledged to help the school to procure a water tank to cushion the water crisis the school was currently faced with.
She has however appealed to the government through the Ministry of Education, well-wishers and the community members to come on board and support the school.
SISTER SIPOBOLE, IT IS NOT ONLY NAMATAMA BASIC SCHOOL WHICH HAS NO TEACHING AND LEARNING MATERIALS, IT IS VIRTUALLY ALL SCHOOLS IN ZAMBIA. EDUCATION IS SUPPOSED TO BE A PRIORITY BY EVERY DECENT AND HONEST GOVERNMENT. PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT WITHIN MoE SHOULD ENSURE THAT ALL KEY STUDENT TEXT BOOKS ARE ACQUIRED AND SUPPLIED IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITIES TO ALL SCHOOLS. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF GOVERNMENT, AND NOT PARENTS, TO ENSURE EVERY STUDENT OR PUPIL HAS A TEXT BOOK FOR THE SUBJECT IN THE CURRICULUM. WHAT IS THE DUTY OF GOVERNMENT IF IT CAN’T EVEN SUPPLY TEXT BOOKS FOR OUR CHILDREN? LUNGU WAKE UP AND START WORKING!
Good observation! Zambia’s story is a sad indeed. The government needs to come out from celebratory mood and honeymooning to work for its citizens. Zambia is not a new country for any president to spend so much time introducing the country to the rest of the world, as Lungu is doing. Those foreign relations should not rank very high, such that they are attended to in the first month of presidency, NO!
I am sorry to say indigenous Zambians have failed to manage education as its quality has kept deteriorating! I suggest for once we come to terms that the desire for education is not part of the mental composition as proven by Zambians who have been tasked over the years with education matters. Its time we probably tasked Asian-Zambians or other naturalized citizens to run our educational affairs, we may see some improvement.