The National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) has appealed to the Ministry of General Education to consider shifting the date of closing schools in term two from 13th to 6th August, 2021 before August 12th, the day for the 2021 general elections.
NAQEZ Executive Director Aaron Chansa said closing schools a day after voting in a general election would not be ideal for teachers and learners, especially for those pupils in boarding schools.
Mr. Chansa said it will be very difficult for learners in boarding schools to travel back home immediately after an election on 12th August 2021.
He said in a statement to ZANIS in Lusaka today that it is in public domain that most teachers in Zambia play a role in the electoral process before, during and after voting.
He added that schools are also used as polling centres hence the environment will be unfriendly for learning a few days before and after the polls.
“NAQEZ is still waiting for the General Education Ministry to call for a stakeholders’ indaba to deal with the nature of 2021 national examinations, considering the fact that learners in examination classes did not complete the academic work for 2020,” he said.
Mr. Chansa explained that this indaba should also deal with educational fundamentals such as the more than 60,000 unemployed teachers and the lack of guidance and counselling services in schools, the state of newly upgraded secondary schools, relying too much on academics at the expense of vocational skills, state of early childhood education (ECE) and other matters currently affecting teachers and learners.
