THE new administration should consider a minimum of 20 percent allocation to the education sector in the 2022 national budget to address various challenges the sector is facing including teacher unemployment.
Basic Education Teacher’s Union of Zambia (BETUZ) Secretary General Henry Sinkala has said it was important for the new administration to consider addressing teacher unemployment.
He said there are over 50, 000 unemployed teachers roaming the streets.
Mr Sinkala said ETUZ expects the new administration to meet the minimum threshold of 20 percent.
He said the teacher-pupil ratio was still high and allocating more funds to the sector would help address some of the challenges it was facing.
And Mr Sinkala urged Government to engage nnions on how best the debt swap can be operationalised.
“The previous government partially implemented a debt swap but there is need for the new administration to engage the labour movement on how best it can be operationalised,” Mr Sinkala said.
He said in as much the debt swap was politicised, it will go a long way in providing relief to highly indebted civil servants.
Mr Sinkala said there was need for the government to find a solution to the high indebtedness of public service workers.
“It is also our expectation from the new government to see the country united unlike the past few years,” he said.
Mr Sinkala said Government should address hate and tribal talk which almost left the country divided.
He said it was in public domain that the UPND has inherited a problematic economy that would not be addressed in a short time.
Meanwhile, Mr Sinkala has welcomed President-elect Hakainde Hichilema’s statement that the civil service would be allowed to operate independently under his administration.
By PETER SICHALI
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