As Teachers will be celebrating their heroic achievements as well as lamenting their stunted economic status tomorrow, National Action for Quality Education in Zambia ( NAQEZ) is calling for a fresh start for teachers in Zambia,NAQEZ director Aaron Chansa has said.
Mr. Chansa lamented that While everyone in Zambia agrees that teachers are the most important human resource, many surprisingly don’t support the view that teachers should be paid above the rest .
He said that with such a societal attitude, the country will have a lowly regarded Teaching profession which is sad for the Country.
He observes that there are thousands of teachers living in substandard houses , because their housing allowance is too small for decent accommodation.
Mr Chansa noted that more than 90 per cent of Zambian teachers are heavily indebted, mostly because of economic pressures they face every day.
“Even when they further their education at great personal cost, they are not upgraded in correct salary scales.
“NAQEZ is aware that thousands of teachers in Zambia are highly demotivated because they have been acting in positions for years, especially in upgraded schools, without being confirmed.Where exactly is the problem that even confirmations cannot be done for years” he questioned.
“For private school teachers, the situation is worse .Their conditions of work are pathetic and the Ministry of Labour has never been interested in their plight.We truly sympathise with most Private school teachers in the country. We fervently pray and hope that the new Minister of Labour will take special interest in the industrial anarchy that obtains in most Private schools ,”he said.
He called for a fresh start for teachers in Zambia rather than having traditional speeches and marches adding that the Government should share a clear road map on how issues affecting public and private school teachers will be overcome.
