The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) has appealed to the government to invest in the training of teachers in the use of various ICTs to deliver quality online education.
ZANEC Executive Director George Hamusunga says there is a need to ensure that teachers are trained to use various ICTs to deliver online learning in order to mitigate the crisis of limiting education to the physical presence of a teacher.
Mr Hamusunga stated that reshaping teaching methodologies is crucial in today’s digital era where learning should also be provided to out of school children.
According to a press statement issued to the media in Lusaka on Monday, Mr Hamusunga was speaking during the commemoration of the 2020 World Teachers Day under the theme “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future”, which falls on October 5.
Mr Hamusunga has since described teachers as the true Covid 19 heroes in the education sector.
“Among others, we have proved that removing teachers and replacing them by remote technology is not effective enough to bring about the learning that our children require. This has manifested itself in the low reach of the alternative modes of education designed to provide continuity of learning at home through television, radio and e-learning, hence the recent decision to just reopen schools,” said Mr Hamusunga.
He lamented that the prevailing high teacher – pupil ratio of 1 to 36.9 at secondary level and 1 to 61.9 at primary school level, is too high for teaching recommended under the Covid 19 pandemic.
Mr Hamusunga explained that such a scenario entails that teachers are being subjected to many shifts in order to observe the social distance among the learners in order to ensure the prevention of Covid 19.
“Investment in digital skills and equipment is therefore not an option but a must”, said Hamusungu.
He pointed out that ZANEC research has shown that remote learning initiatives that involved physical contact with children were more successful than others given the many ICT access challenges teachers and pupils face.
ZANEC has since called upon the government to urgently recruit 20,000 teachers in order to reduce the huge burden and workload that teachers are currently carrying as they deliver lessons amidst the Covid 19 pandemic.
The Coalition has since reminded all teachers in community schools, Early Childhood Education (ECE) centres, primary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions and Adult Literacy Instructors to continue being role models to learners.
Yes, move to digitalization, that is the future. I am fighting for digitalization for more than a decade already.
All paper documents can be in a digital form. Starting with the education is a great step.
And the next step: where do we use paper documents the most? And start there.
CSE in por no graphy, I can’t imagine what will happen when lessons are delivered digitally. And this guy is the defender of CSE
Look at this foolish old arse! He is now doing damage limitation after his stuoid ideas of teaching porn in schools boomeranged in his ugly face. We are not naive, we have nit and will never forget that foolishness of yours of teaching pusi and mbolo in schools. Mr Paedophile, please teach your children and leave ours.
In your foolish head, you think you can teach porn to our children online! No way foolish man, go away and no one wants you. Are not ashamed of yourself. Teach your daughters to be taking pills so that boys can feast on them mercilessly. Go away!!!