Govt warns randy teachers
Written by Millennium on July 17, 2019
SIMON MUNTEMBA writes
@SunZambian
GOVERNMENT has warned teachers involved in sexual relationships with school girls and boys that they will be punished severely.
Minister of General Education David Mabumba said teaching was a noble profession and did not have room for people who had ill motives towards pupils.
Mr Mabumba said this in Lusaka yesterday during the joint press briefing with the Ministry of Higher Education.
He was reacting to a case involving a 50-year-old head teacher of Myooye Secondary School who is alleged to have raped a grade 10 pupil of the same school.
The head teacher identified as Christopher Habasune is alleged to have raped the girl last week on Monday around 15:00 hours within the school premises as punishment for reporting late.
“Once he is found wanting he will be punished severely to set an example to would-be offenders,” Mr Mabumba said.
He was flanked by his Higher Education counterpart Nkandu Luo during the press briefing.
Mr Mabumba advised learners not to be lured into relationships by their teachers to get favours such as being helped to pass examinations.
And the two ministries yesterday issued a joint communique outlining the national education transformation agenda.
The agenda emanated from the national education conference hosted in Lusaka in January 2019 under the theme ‘The Education We Want’.
Prof Luo said the major focus of the transformation agenda was quality focusing on curriculum review and teaching training.
She said Government planned to restructure the examination and assessment systems and s change the admission structures for colleges and universities.
Prof Luo said Government was developing and promoting a multi-stakeholder partnership model for financing education, which includes Government, parents, traditional leaders and private sector.
She said education finance would be through the introduction of a human development levy through taxing alcohol, roads and cigarettes and other innovative financing strategies such as tree-based financing for education and PPPs.
Because of the comprehensive nature of the recommendation from the conference, the two ministries would set up a delivery unit to spearhead the development plan.
Prof Luo said the plan would be implemented in phases.
