Fri, 16 Jun 2017 09:51:08 +0000
By ANNIE ZULU
PARLIAMENT heard yesterday that there are over 2,000 teachers being sponsored by government in various upgrading programmes under the Fast Track Teacher Education Programme (FTTEP).
Minister of General Education Dennis Wanchinga said there were 400 teachers upgrading in Science and Mathematics at the University of Zambia (UNZA) and 1,600 teachers in various subjects including science and Mathematics at DMI St Eugene University.
Dr Wanchinga said this in a ministerial statement.
The distance education programme started with 600 teachers in 2012 with the aim of increasing the number of highly qualified teachers offering mathematics, science and technological subjects in rural areas.
The programme enables teachers to attend residential school during holidays, while during the normal term period, teachers are at their schools practicing the skills they attain on the programme.
“Quality education is the cornerstone of any meaningful development and this can only be attained with special attention being given to quality infrastructure, relevant teaching and learning materials and appropriate quality staffing.
“These are fundamental areas my Ministry has resolved to pay attention to in order to achieve e desired results at every strata of the Zambian education system,” Dr Wanchinga said.
He said the programme has not only helped to upgrade the qualifications and competences of teachers, but it had improved teacher performance which in the long run should impact learning outcomes.
Dr Wanchinga said teachers who have undergone the programme are now able to teach ICT and use ICT devises.
And Dr Wanchinga has charged that some teachers are not employed by government because they opt to go to cheaper colleges that admit them without full grade twelve certificates in the hope that they will obtain while studying for their diplomas.
“They come with diplomas without Five O levels. But the ministry requires five O levels to enrolled,” he said.
Dr Wanchinga was responding to a question by Msanzala Member of parliament Peter Daka who wanted to know what happens to the backlog of teachers who graduated earlier yet they are not employed.
