Monday, December 23, 2024

Western PS dispels allegations of importing teachers from other provinces to work in Barotseland

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Western Province Permanent Secretary Mwangala Liomba has dispelled assertions that Government has imported teachers from other provinces to serve in Barotseland at the expense of the locals.

 Mr. Liomba held a closed door meeting with some teacher union representatives at his office today to clarify the assertions.

 He described as misleading social media reports indicating that teachers who hail from Western Province were left-out and replaced by those from other regions in the 2017 teacher recruitment exercise.  

 The PS said it was not true that all the newly recruited teachers in the province were chosen based on tribal lines as was being assumed in some quarters of society.

 Mr. Liomba clarified that some applicants from Mitete, Lukulu and Kalabo districts could not be recruited because they were not trained from recognised colleges and universities according to the Ministry of General Education standards.

 He said contrary to the assertions that 80 percent of the newly recruited teachers were from other provinces, Government had even increased the number for those to be enrolled in the Teaching Service from the initial 200 to 439.

 The PS said this was in order to allow for more slots for qualified individuals in the province to apply and be included. 

 Mr. Liomba challenged teacher unions in the region to always verify facts with concerned authorities before making accusations on matters of public interest adding that such a trend was likely to cause unnecessary suspicions.

 He said under the One Zambia One Nation motto everyone was free to work anywhere in Zambia without fear or intimidation as long as they were competent enough to deliver the required services. 

 And Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia Director of Administration Fitzio Mwauluka thanked the provincial administration for holding a fruitful meeting.

 Mr. Mwauluka, however, appealed to the Teaching Council of Zambia to ensure that a list of recognised public and private colleges was published for scrutiny for those wishing to undertake teacher education training.

 And one of the newly recruited teachers, Angela Simunza thanked Government for according her chance to serve in the Civil Service and wished those that were not picked to wait for God’s time.

14 COMMENTS

  1. Seriously I also have problems with the kind of criteria that was used in selecting teachers. Many with degrees from the Unza were left out and then u wonder why?

    Secondly, the ministry of education should start putting up school vacancies, advertisements, according to the needs of each school so that each school can get what it deserves.

    For example, they are schools with no English or Mathematics teachers. So such kind of schools should put up an advertisement looking for needed teachers. U cannot keep on bringing Bemba teachers all the time at our school.

    Finally, Applications should not be submitted to Deps offices. All the current teachers who were recruited in zambia are sons, daughters, nephews and cousins of the Deps. And this is nepotism at its best. Please call us…

    • I think u have misunderstood me fellow country men and women. I used the example of Bemba techers because I wanted to explain a situation where you find 2 teachers both specialised in teaching Bemba working at a particular school but no English or MATHEMATICS teachers and the government still sends another Bemba teacher. In this regard it is important that the school governing board should be given a chance to propose to the department of education on what kind of teachers they are looking for so that when the government is recruiting, they know the vacancies that are there and what kind of teachers each school is looking for? In other words, what subjects the new techer is coming to teach.

      Secondly, teachers should be given names of schools where there are shortages of teachers so…

    • Ba kasonde even in mporokoso people were protesting over the same issue of importing teachers, it now a must that lower grades at primary should be taught in their mother tongue, and the education curriculum at lower level does not support one Zambia, one nation,because kasonde should be conversant in the local language of that particular area.

  2. So what if they have correct academic papers? Are all teachers not being recruited here in Lusaka? This is Zambia any one can work from anywhere, remember ONE ZAMBIA ONE NATION MOTTO so stop this segregation you tribe-lists, how many Lozi’s are out there working in other provinces? What a bunch of fools, no wonder your place is undeveloped. Your thinking capacity is stagnant no new ideas.

  3. I agree with you DJ7 in totality. The recruitment of teacher this year was not done properly.
    Most of the teachers, if not all, who have been recruited are sons, daughters and nephews of these so
    DEBS. I have a son who has distinctions in mathematics and English at grade 12. He graduated with a merit
    from one of the government teachers colleges. I was shocked when I heard that he was left out. Surely I equally don’t understand the criteria that they were using. Its really sad for our mother Zambia.

  4. Tribalism is a virtue that should be natured and guided. Nothing wrong with tribalism, per se. Those who challenge it are just ‘ostriches’ who are fighting God’s creativity of variety and and diversity. It should be deliberate and necessary to have different tribes. Let us just learn how to manage tribalisn and promote its virtues. Tribes are governance units. they are building blocks for the national governance system, which syructure starts from the village Indunas, Sub-chiefs, Chiefs, Senior Chiefs, Paramount Chiefs, and Kings, such as the Litunga of Barotseland. So, what is wrong with having such leadership in our governance system?

    • Mmmm…..somebody doesnt even know the definition of the word ‘tribalism’! Tribalism, by its very nature and practice, will never be good…for it is a practice and belief that one’s tribe is better and superior to other tribes. It has nothing to do with tribal diversity! Let us make sure we do due research before posting here, bane!

  5. Comment:only 167 lozi names out of 427.But I have not seen more than 5 lozi names in provinces such as northern and eastern.

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