By Wendy Mkandawire
Minister of Education Bright Msaka has said the government is committed to recruiting 1,000 secondary school teachers to address teacher shortages and reduce unemployment.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, Msaka said K7 billion has been allocated in the national budget for the recruitment exercise. He said the recruitment is part of government’s efforts to expand access to education, which has increased demand for more teachers.
The Minister noted that the removal of some payments in primary schools has led to a rise in enrollment, creating an urgent need for more teachers.
“Due to the removal of payments that were previously made in primary schools, many more children are now attending school. This also demands the recruitment of new teachers,” Msaka said.
He revealed that teachers under IPTE 18 will soon be considered for employment, but priority in this phase will be given to secondary school teachers.
Msaka added that it is government’s goal to maintain a teacher-to-student ratio of 1 to 4 in order to reduce the workload on teachers.
He said that Coming to primary schools, they certainly need to increase the number of teachers. With increased enrollment, more teachers are needed.
On foundation learning, Msaka said the government is focusing on the early years to ensure quality education.
“In Standards 1 to 4, we want to make sure children have sufficient teachers so that their foundation is sound. Our target is that by the age of 10, every child should be able to read, write and do arithmetic,” he said.
The Minister further assured that IPTE 18 graduates and all other unemployed primary school teachers will be employed.
Commenting on the matter Education expert Island N. Mtambo has commended the Ministry of Education for the initiative, but has urged government, through the Minister of Education, to make it a routine exercise.
He said government should recruit 1,000 teachers every year to help close the teacher shortage gap in secondary schools.
Mtambo further noted that the shortage of teachers is most severe in rural areas. He added that recruiting 1,000 teachers also indicates the financial commitment the government will have to make in terms of teacher salaries.
