ZANEC

Author: ZANEC

  • OPENING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MR TWAAMBO ELVIS MUTINTA, MP, AT THE PRE-BUDGET DIALOGUE FORUM HELD ON WEDNESDAY 15TH JUNE, 2022 AT THE TAJ PAMODZI HOTEL, LUSAKA

    OPENING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MR TWAAMBO ELVIS MUTINTA, MP, AT THE PRE-BUDGET DIALOGUE FORUM HELD ON WEDNESDAY 15TH JUNE, 2022 AT THE TAJ PAMODZI HOTEL, LUSAKA

    HONOURABLE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

    MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OFFICIALS

    MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND NATIONAL PLANNING OFFICIALS

    REPRESENTATIVES OF THE COOPERATING PARTNERS

    CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS PRESENT

    ZANEC BOARD MEMBERS

    MEMBERS OF THE PRESS

    LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

    MAY I SIMPLY SAY ALL PROTOCOLS OBSERVED

    GOOD MORNING

    I AM DELIGHTED TO GIVE THE OPENING REMARKS AT THIS IMPORTANT PRE- BUDGET DIALOGUE FORUM THIS MORNING.

    AS MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, WE ARE ALWAYS HAPPY TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH IMPORTANT CONSULTATIVE MEETINGS THAT ARE PROGRESSIVE IN ENSURING THAT THE FUNDING TO THE EDUCATION SECTOR IS IMPROVED.

    LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT   PLAY A CARDINAL ROLE IN THE NATIONAL BUDGET PROCESS, AND, THEREFORE, ATTENDING SUCH MEETINGS HELPS THEM IN GETTING THE VIEWS OF THE VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR. THE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE ROLE THAT CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS PLAY IN THE GOVERNANCE OF THIS COUNTRY.

    FELLOW PARTICIPANTS, THE EDUCATION SECTOR IS THE LIFELINE OF ANY COUNTRY AND HENCE THE IMPORTANCE THAT IT HAS IN OUR COUNTRY CANNOT BE OVER-EMPHASISED. IN THIS REGARD, MATTERS BORDERING ON FUNDING TO THE EDUCATION SECTOR AND HOW THE FUNDING IS   USED ARE VITAL NOT ONLY TO THE GOVERNMENT BUT TO ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN THE SECTOR.

    LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AS THE COMMITTEES ON EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; AND PLANNING AND BUDGETING, WE PLEDGE TO WORK WITH ALL OF YOU STAKEHOLDERS IN ENSURING THAT WE FIND SOLUTIONS TO THE MANY PROBLEMS AFFECTING OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM, SUCH AS OVERCROWDING IN CLASSROOMS, LACK OF ACCOMMODATION FOR TEACHERS, EARLY MARRIAGES, TEENAGE PREGNANCIES, AND INADEQUATE BOARDING FACILITIES IN RURAL AREAS.

    LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AS WE ATTEND THIS DIALOGUE FORUM, I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO PARTICIPATE FREELY. LET ME ALSO BE QUICK TO MENTION THAT AS MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, WE PLEDGE TO TAKE ON BOARD THE PROPOSALS THAT WILL BE MADE HERE AND TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE DELIBERATED ON DURING THE DEBATE ON THE NATIONAL BUDGET.

    AS I CONCLUDE, LET ME TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO APPRECIATE ZANEC, ACTIONAID AND NATIONAL ACTION FOR QUALITY EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA FOR FACILITATING THIS ONE-DAY MEETING, WHERE ALL KEY PARTNERS AND STAKEHOLDERS IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR CAN HAVE A PLATFORM TO DISCUSS THE FINANCING FOR THE SECTOR IN THE 2023 NATIONAL BUDGET.

    I THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL

  • WELCOMING REMARKS BY THE ZANEC BOARD CHAIRPERSON AT THE PRE-BUDGET DIALOGUE FORUM HELD ON WEDNESDAY 15TH JUNE, 2022 AT THE TAJ PAMODZI HOTEL

    WELCOMING REMARKS BY THE ZANEC BOARD CHAIRPERSON AT THE PRE-BUDGET DIALOGUE FORUM HELD ON WEDNESDAY 15TH JUNE, 2022 AT THE TAJ PAMODZI HOTEL

    HONORABLE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

    MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OFFICIALS PRESENT

    MINISTRY OF FINANCE OFFICIALS PRESENT

    COOPERATING PARTNERS PRESENT

    CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS PRESENT

    MEMBERS OF THE PRESS

    MAY I SIMPLY SAY ALL PROTOCOLS OBSERVED

     

    LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I AM DELIGHTED TO DELIVER THE WELCOME REMARKS THIS MORNING AT THIS VERY IMPORTANT MEETING.

    EVERY YEAR, THE ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT, THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE CALLS UPON THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO MAKE SUBMISSIONS FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE NEXT NATIONAL BUDGET. THIS YEAR, THE CALL WAS MADE ON TUESDAY 24TH MAY 2022, WITH A DEADLINE OF 30TH JUNE FOR SUBMISSIONS.

    LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BEING A SIGNATORY TO BOTH THE CAIRO AND THE SADC PROTOCOLS, ZAMBIA HAS COMMITTED TO ALLOCATE AT LEAST 20% OF ITS TOTAL NATIONAL BUDGET TO THE EDUCATION SECTOR. HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN NOTED THAT ALLOCATION TO THE EDUCATION SECTOR HAS GRADUALLY BEEN REDUCING IN THE LAST SIX YEARS FROM 20.2% IN 2015 TO 10.4% IN 2022, A FURTHER REDUCTION FROM LAST YEAR’S 11.5%. THIS REPRESENTS A TOTAL OF 51.4% REDUCTION IN THE LAST SIX YEARS. THIS IS ALARMING, CONSIDERING THAT THE QUALITY OF SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR HAS BARELY IMPROVED IN THE LAST SIX YEARS.

    WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE EDUCATION FOR ALL POLICY AT THE SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT FUNDING TOWARDS THE EDUCATION SECTOR IS INCREASED. THIS IS BECAUSE THE HIGH ENROLLMENT LEVELS IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR CALL FOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN MOST SCHOOLS IF CHALLENGES SUCH AS THE HIGH TEACHER-PUPIL RATIOS WHICH HAVE RESULTED IN SCHOOLS FAILING TO ADHERE TO SOME OF THE COVID-19 HEALTH GUIDELINES SUCH AS SOCIAL DISTANCING ARE TO BE MITIGATED.

    LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT ZANEC IN COLLABORATION WITH ACTIONAID UNDER ITS TAX AND EDUCATION ALLIANCE, AND GEAR ALLIANCE UNDER THE NATIONAL ACTION FOR QUALITY EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA (NAQEZ). AND THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION (GPE) UNDER ITS EDUCATION OUTLOUD CAMPAIGN IS CONDUCTING THIS STAKEHOLDERS’ PRE-BUDGET FORUM TO DISCUSS FUTURE FINANCING TO THE SECTOR.

    I THEREFORE WELCOME YOU ALL TO THIS IMPORTANT EVENT AND URGE YOU TO PARTICIPATE SO THAT OUR GOAL FOR THIS MEETING IS ACTUALISED.

    THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND WELCOME!!!

  • ZANEC’S PRESS STATEMENT ON THE DIRECTIVE FROM THE SOUTHERN PROVINCE MINISTER TO RESTART THE TEACHER RECRUITMENT EXERCISE.

    ZANEC’S PRESS STATEMENT ON THE DIRECTIVE FROM THE SOUTHERN PROVINCE MINISTER TO RESTART THE TEACHER RECRUITMENT EXERCISE.

    The Zambia National Education Coalition wishes to add its voice to the ongoing debate concerning the directive from the Southern Province Minister to withdraw the list of newly recruited teachers and restart the process in Southern Province.

    It is our view that this situation is unfortunate as it discredits and undermines not only the Teaching Service Commission’s mandate to appoint teachers as articulated under the Constitution (Amendment) Act No.2 of 2016 and other mechanisms that were put in place to ensure that there is transparency in the recruitment process. Restarting the process also risks opening up a pandora’s box on the credibility of the entire recruitment process and at the same time, makes the process an expensive undertaking for the government as those involved will still need to be paid for their work.

    As ZANEC, we are against restarting the process of selection not only because of the anxiety it will cause among the applicants but also on all the other issues that will be brought to the fore such as suspisions of corruption.

    In his ministerial statement to parliament in April this year, the Minister of Education, Honourable Douglas Syakalima gave a clear roadmap for the recruitment process. This was done to ensure that there was transparency as well as reduced chances of corruption. Therefore, Honourable Mweetwa’s sentiments are detrimental to the image of the Teaching Service Commission as well as the Ministry of Education.

    We, therefore, call upon all well-meaning Zambians to speak against external and political interference in the recruitment process in order to ensure credibility in the recruitment process.

     

    For/ZANEC

     

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • PRESS STATEMENT ON THE DISQUALIFICATION OF TEACHERS WHO ARE ABOVE 45 YEARS FROM THE ONGONIG TEACHER RECRUITMENT

    PRESS STATEMENT ON THE DISQUALIFICATION OF TEACHERS WHO ARE ABOVE 45 YEARS FROM THE ONGONIG TEACHER RECRUITMENT

     

    The Teaching Service Commission in today’s daily mail is quoted as having stated that trained teachers who are above 45 years are not eligible for consideration in the ongoing teacher recruitment. As ZANEC it is our view that this decision, although legally binding, is unfair because there has been no mass teacher recruitment in the country since the year 2012. Therefore, the number of teachers being recruited annually has been reducing over the years, with the last recruitment exercise having employed only about 2000 teachers based on their year of completion. This means that there are some teachers that were disqualified in previous years for having completed their tertiary education late and the same teachers are now being disqualified for being above the recruitment age.

    Moreover, the government has been encouraging adult literacy and education programmes in the country. In our view, the discrimination against those who are above 45 years has the potential to discourage those who are currently enrolled in adult literacy classes.  Some of the teachers who have been disqualified are individuals that once belonged to the adult literacy classes. We therefore recommend that the government through the Ministry of Education rescinds this decision and perhaps considers recruiting such teachers on contract basis.

    For/ZANEC

    George Hamusunga

    Executive Director

  • ZANEC Terms of Reference for Student Researches

    ZANEC Terms of Reference for Student Researches

    ZANEC Terms of Reference Student Researches

     

     

     

  • ZANEC Press Statement on World Press Freedom Day

    ZANEC Press Statement on World Press Freedom Day

    The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) is pleased to join the media practitioners in commemorating the 2022 World Press Freedom Day.   This day is special to us because the press has been fundamental in ZANEC’s advocacy work of promoting quality Education for All in our country.  As ZANEC we believe that the press is key in fostering national development because it is responsible for educating and informing the general public. We also want to take this opportunity to appreciate the media for effectively reporting on education matters even amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. It is for this reason that ZANEC has been holding the Education Media Awards since 2015 and will continue to do so in order to encourage and promote reporting on education related issues as well as to motivate our key allies, the journalists.

    The theme for this year’s World Press Freedom day is “Journalism under Digital Siege” This theme is timely as the use of digital platforms is now the most effective and modern way of communicating and disseminating information. However, it is unfortunate that a few of our online media platforms do not conform to journalism ethics and sometimes disseminate false information that is detrimental to press freedoms and also journalism as a whole. It is for this reason that we support the need to finalise legislation designed to empower the media to self-regulate as they are better placed to tame the few that try to tarnish the image of this important profession. Therefore, we need to be deliberate as a nation in protecting the integrity of the media even amidst the inevitability of digitalisation.

    Despite the many challenges the media is facing in this era, we wish to add our voice in wishing the media a happy and successful commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day even as we continue lobbying government for the enactment of the Freedom of Information Bill hopefully before the end of this year.

    I thank you all.

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • ZANEC Press Statement on the 2022 Global Action Week for Education (GAWE)

    ZANEC Press Statement on the 2022 Global Action Week for Education (GAWE)

    Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) is pleased to join the rest of the World in commemorating the Global Action Week for Education (GAWE) from Monday, 25th to Friday, 29th April 2022. GAWE is one of the major campaigns for the education movement. The Global Action Week is an important event to all stakeholders in education including government, cooperating partners, civil society organisations and the general public as it presents an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in the provision of quality education for all. The event is also aimed at raising awareness and promoting action toward the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal number 4 by 2030.

    The theme for this year’s GAWE is “Protect Education in Emergencies Now”. Therefore, this year’s commemoration emphasizes the importance of protecting and safeguarding education at all times, particularly in emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic which has hit the world and has unimaginably affected the education sector. Evidence from the surveys conducted in 2020 and 2021 by ZANEC, UNICEF and Ministry of Education on the continuity of learning during the COVID 19 pandemic revealed that learners from rural areas and poor households as well as those with special education needs faced a lot of challenges in accessing Alternative Modes of Education Provision (AMEP). It is a fact that the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic has worsened the already existing inequalities in the education sector. Therefore, more needs to be done to mitigate against these inequalities so that no one is left behind in our country regardless of their social or economic status. It cannot be over-emphasised that education is a basic human right which should be accessed by everyone even during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

    We, therefore call upon the government through the Ministry of Education and education cooperating partners to urgently:

    1. Protect and guarantee the fulfilment of the right to public quality education for all amidst COVID 19, by providing empowering, safe, respectful, inclusive and accessible learning environments for all learners, regardless of their legal status, age, gender, disability, socio-economic status, ethnicity, race or any other form of discrimination and exclusion.
    2. Develop and implement crisis-sensitive national education plans and budgets, integrating emergency preparedness measures into the education sector planning to ensure the fulfilment of the right to quality education for all.
    3. Listen to the voices of the people affected and the local actors (including local civil society, teacher organizations, children and youth groups, parents and communities), while acknowledging their crucial role in the response.
    4. Ensure sufficient, sustainable and predictable funding for education amidst the COVID 19 pandemic, by allocating at least 10% of the education budget towards mitigating the impact of covid 19, including fully supporting the Global Partnership for Education’s (GPE) Education Cannot Wait (ECW) replenishment process.
    5. Ensure that girls and women have equal opportunities to fulfil their right to education in emergency contexts and apply a gender perspective in the planning, budgeting and implementation of emergency response plans.
    6. Ensure that learners with disabilities have equal opportunities to fulfil their right to education in emergency contexts and apply an inclusive education perspective in the planning, budgeting, and implementation of emergency response plans;
    7. Ensure the availability of adequately trained teachers in emergency contexts, by improving their remuneration, incentives and support.
    8. Endorse and implement the safe school’s declaration and ensure that all learners and educators can learn and teach in safety.

    Finally, ZANEC would also like to take this opportunity to inform the general public that during the commemoration of the GAWE, we will be hosting some talk shows on some community radio stations countrywide as well as  on ZNBC radio 2, to discuss various issues affecting education amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. Therefore, we would like to encourage all our stakeholders to take time to tune in and take part in the ongoing campaign for this year’s  GAWE.

    We wish everyone God’s blessing as we commemorate the 2022 GAWE.

     

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • SPEECH READ BY THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, HONOURABLE DOUGLAS SYAKALIMA, MP, DURING THE LAUNCH OF THE GLOBAL ACTION WEEK FOR EDUCATION (GAWE)

    SPEECH READ BY THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, HONOURABLE DOUGLAS SYAKALIMA, MP, DURING THE LAUNCH OF THE GLOBAL ACTION WEEK FOR EDUCATION (GAWE)

    DEAR COUNTRY MEN AND WOMEN, YOUTH AND CHILDREN

    IT IS A PRIVILEGE AND AN HONOUR TO LAUNCH THE 2022 GLOBAL ACTION WEEK FOR EDUCATION (GAWE).

    THE GLOBAL ACTION WEEK FOR EDUCATION (GAWE) IS AN EVENT COORDINATED BY THE GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR EDUCATION (GCE) TO ENCOURAGE MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD TO ORGANIZE ACTIVITIES IN THEIR COUNTRIES TO REFLECT ON THE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE TOWARDS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS IN EDUCATION SUCH AS THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL NUMBER 4 (SDG4). GAWE IS, THEREFORE, ONE OF THE MAJOR CAMPAIGNS FOR THE EDUCATION MOVEMENT.

     

    THE 2022 GLOBAL ACTION WEEK FOR EDUCATION IS BEING COMMEMORATED UNDER THE THEME “PROTECT EDUCATION IN EMERGENCIES NOW!”.  INDEED, IT IS IMPORTANT TO PROTECT AND SAFE GUARD EDUCATION AT ALL TIMES, INCLUDING IN EMERGENCIES SUCH AS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WHICH HAS HIT THE WORLD AND HAS AFFECTED THE EDUCATION SECTOR IN AN UNMAGINABLE WAY. THIS IS BECAUSE LEARNING IS NO LONGER TAKING PLACE IN THE SAME WAY IT USED TO .

    MY GOVERNMENT IS VERY MUCH AWARE THAT EDUCATION IS A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT WHICH SHOULD BE ACCESSED BY EVERYONE EVEN DURING EMERGENCIES SUCH AS THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC. AS A MINISTRY, WE ARE COGNISANT OF THE FACT THAT THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC HAS WORSENED THE ALREADY EXISTING INEQUALITIES IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR.  THEREFORE, THE MINISTRY IS DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO  MITIGATE THESE INEQUALITIES SO THAT NO ONE IS LEFT BEHIND.

    COUNTRY MEN, WOMEN, YOUTH AND CHILDREN,

    THE VISION OF MY GOVERNMENT IS TO ENSURE THAT EVERY CHILD IS PROVIDED WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACCESS EDUCATION FROM EARLY CHILDHOOD TO TERTIARY. THE ONSET OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WAS AN EYE OPENER TO THE WORLD THAT INVESTMENT IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR IS A PRIORITY. THAT IS WHY MY GOVERNMENT IS DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ENSURE THAT THE ENVIRONMENT IN OUR SCHOOLS IS SAFE AND HEALTH FOR BOTH OUR LEARNERS AND TEACHERS.

     

     

    COUNTRY MEN, WOMEN, YOUTH AND CHILDREN,

    IN ORDER TO IMPROVE ACCESS AND FOSTER EQUALITY IN THE ACCESS TO EDUCATION, THE NEW DAWN GOVERNMENT INTRODUCED FREE EDUCATION FROM EARLY CHILDHOOD TO SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL. FURTHERMORE, EQUITY IN THE ACCESS TO EDUCATION IS BEING FOSTERED THROUGH THE PROVISION OF BURSARIES UNDER THE CONSTITUENCY DEVELOPMENT FUND (CDF).  AS A GOVERNMENT, IT IS OUR DESIRE THAT THERE IS CONTINUITY OF LEARNING EVEN AMIDIST EMERGENCIES.

    COUNTRY MEN, WOMEN, YOUTHS AND CHILDREN,

    IT IS IMPORTANT TO MENTION THAT THE GLOBAL CAMPAIGN FOR EDUCATION (GCE) MOVEMENT HAS JOINTLY DEVELOPED POLICY REQUESTS FOR THE CAMPAIGN DURING THIS YEAR’S GAWE. THE FOLLOWING ARE THE DEMANDS WHICH MY GOVERNMENT PLEDGES TO ADDRESS.

    1. PROTECT AND GUARANTEE THE FULFILLMENT OF THE RIGHT TO PUBLIC QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL IN-AMIDST COVID 19, BY PROVIDING EMPOWERING, SAFE, RESPECTFUL, INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR ALL LEARNERS, REGARDLESS OF THEIR LEGAL STATUS, AGE, GENDER, DISABILITY, SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, ETHNICITY, RACE OR ANY OTHER FORM OF DISCRIMINATION AND EXCLUSION.
    2. DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT CRISIS-SENSITIVE NATIONAL EDUCATION PLANS AND BUDGETS, INTEGRATING EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS MEASURES INTO THE EDUCATION SECTOR PLANNING TO ENSURE THE FULFILLMENT OF THE RIGHT TO QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL.
    3. LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE AFFECTED AND THE LOCAL ACTORS (INCLUDING LOCAL CIVIL SOCIETY, TEACHER ORGANIZATIONS, CHILDREN AND YOUTH GROUPS, PARENTS AND COMMUNITIES), WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE RESPONSE
    4. ENSURE SUFFICIENT, SUSTAINABLE AND PREDICTABLE FUNDING FOR EDUCATION AMIDST THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC, BY ALLOCATING AT LEAST 10% OF THE EDUCATION BUDGET TOWARDS MITIGATING THE IMPACT OF COVID 19, INCLUDING FULLY SUPPORTING THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION’S (GPE) EDUCATION CANNOT WAIT (ECW) REPLENISHMENT PROCESS
    5. ENSURE THAT GIRLS AND WOMEN HAVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES TO FULFILL THEIR RIGHT TO EDUCATION IN EMERGENCY CONTEXTS AND APPLY A GENDER PERSPECTIVE IN THE PLANNING, BUDGETING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS.
    6. ENSURE THAT LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES HAVE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES TO FULFILL THEIR RIGHT TO EDUCATION IN EMERGENCY CONTEXTS AND APPLY AN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PERSPECTIVE IN THE PLANNING, BUDGETING, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS;
    7. ENSURE THE AVAILABILITY OF ADEQUATELY TRAINED TEACHERS IN EMERGENCY CONTEXTS, BY IMPROVING THEIR REMUNERATION, INCENTIVES AND SUPPORT.
    8. ENDORSE AND IMPLEMENT THE SAFE SCHOOLS DECLARATION AND ENSURE THAT ALL LEARNERS AND EDUCATORS CAN LEARN AND TEACH IN SAFETY.

     

    COUNTRY MEN, WOMEN, YOUTHS AND CHILDREN,

    TAKING COGNISANCE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION IN ANY SOCIETY, ZAMBIA, THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP OF HIS EXCELLENCY MR HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, HAS SHOWN COMMITMENT TO PROMOTING EDUCATION AS A KEY SECTOR FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. THIS IS BECAUSE EDUCATION IS KEY IN PROVIDING PRODUCTIVE HUMAN CAPITAL THAT CONTRIBUTES SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE COUNTRY’S GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP).

    MY GOVERNMENT IS, HOWEVER, AWARE THAT THERE ARE STILL SOME CHALLENGES BEING FACED IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR. THESE INCLUDE INADEQUATE LEARNING AND TEACHING MATERIALS ESPECIALLY FOR LEARNERS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS AND INADEQUATE CLASSROOM SPACE, DESKS, AND BOARDING FACILITIES FOR OUR LEARNERS, ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AREAS. WORSE STILL, THE ADVENT OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC HAS ALSO ADDED MORE CHALLENGES TO THE SECTOR ESPECIALLY WITH REGARDS TO ACCESS TO ALTERNATIVE MODES OF EDUCATION PROVISION.

    COUNTRY MEN, WOMEN, YOUTH AND CHILDREN,

    IN ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES THAT THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION IS FACING, THE NEW DAWN GOVERNMENT HAS DECENTRALISED ACCESS TO CDF AND FURTHER INCREASED IT FROM 1.6 MILLION TO 25.7 MILLION.  THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALSO GIVEN THE MANDATE TO COMMUNITIES TO MAKE DECISIONS ON DEVELOPMENTAL AGENDAS SUCH AS THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS THEY WANT TO CONSTRUCT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, AMONG OTHER THINGS.

    FURTHERMORE, THE GOVERNMENT HAS SCALED UP THE PROCUREMENT OF TEACHING AND LEARNING MATERIALS, EXPANSION OF SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE AND FORMULATION OF PROGRESSIVE POLICIES THAT FAVOUR ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL.  THE MINISTRY ALSO ENSURED THAT THE SCHOOL GRANTS WERE RECEIVED ON TIME IN OUR SCHOOLS TO FACILITATE FOR THE SMOOTH OPERATIONALISATION OF THE FREE EDUCATION POLICY AND THE PURCHASE OF COVID 19 PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENTS.

    COUNTRY MEN, WOMEN, YOUTH AND CHILDREN,

    DESPITE THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF   THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC ON THE EDUCATION SECTOR, MY GOVERNMENT HAS COMMITTED TO ENSURING THAT LEARNING CONTINUES IN SCHOOLS. THIS HAS BEEN DONE BY ENCOURAGING OUR TEACHERS AND LEARNERS TO DILIGENTLY OBSERVE ALL THE COVID 19 PREVENTION PROTOCOLS INCLUDING TAKING UP THE VACCINES.

    IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT, ZAMBIA IS ONE OF THE COUNTRIES THAT HAS MANAGED TO MAINTAIN THE SCHOOL CALENDAR INSPITE OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC. THIS IS BECAUSE AS GOVERNMENT, WE ARE AWARE THAT INDEED EDUCATION SHOULD CONTINUE EVEN AMIDST CALAMITIES. THE GOVERNMENT IS ALSO WORKING TOWARDS ENSURING THAT THE ALTERNATIVE MODES OF LEARNING ARE BEING ACCESSED BY EVERYONE ESPECIALLY FOR LEARNERS IN THE RURAL AREAS AND THOSE WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS.

    COUNTRY MEN, WOMEN, YOUTH AND CHILDREN,

    THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION IS PLEASED TO NOTE THAT IN ZAMBIA, THE ZAMBIA NATIONAL EDUCATION COALITION (ZANEC) TAKES THE LEAD TO COORDINATE THIS ANNUAL EVENT. THE COMMITMENT SHOWN BY ZANEC IN COORDINATING THIS GLOBAL EVENT WHILE WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE MINISTRY, DEPICTS A TRUE REFLECTION OF THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS BETWEEN CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS AND THE GOVERNMENT TOWARDS THE PROMOTION OF QUALITY EDUCATION FOR EVERY ZAMBIAN.

    WE ARE GRATEFUL TO ALL OUR COOPERATING PARTNERS AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS SUCH AS THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION (GPE), DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (DFID), GIZ, IRISH AID, JICA, UNICEF, SAVE THE CHILDREN, WORLD BANK AND ZANEC TO NAME BUT A FEW, WHO ARE WORKING WITH THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION IN THE PROVISION AND PROMOTION OF QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL ZAMBIANS.

    FINALLY, I URGE YOU ALL TO TAKE KEEN INTEREST AND PARTICIPATE IN THE VARIOUS MEDIA PROGRAMMES THAT WILL BE RUNNING DURING THE WEEK.

    I HEREBY OFFICIALLY LAUNCH THE 2022 GLOBAL ACTION WEEK FOR EDUCATION, WHICH RUNS FROM MONDAY 25TH APRIL TO FRIDAY 29TH APIRL, 2022.

    MAY GOD BLESS OUR BELOVED COUNTRY ZAMBIA.

    I THANK YOU.

  • ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON THE RECRUITMENT OF 30,000 TEACHERS

    ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON THE RECRUITMENT OF 30,000 TEACHERS

    The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) appreciates the progress that government, through the Teaching Service Commission, has made towards the recruitment of the 30,000 teachers provided for in the 2022 education budget. More important, the announcement by government that the recruitment process will be decentralized gives us confidence that the process will be completed in good time. As ZANEC, our view is that decentralized recruitment of teachers is the hallmark of teacher retention in our schools. Our belief is that teachers must be recruited and deployed to schools that are as close to their place of residency as possible to mitigate against the prevailing housing crisis for teachers which encourages the migration of teachers deployed in rural areas back to urban areas. In other words, good practice requires that teachers are deployed to teach within the community they live in. As a result, in some countries teachers are recruited at school level. If a teacher attends interview at a school, the chances that they will stay at the school for a long time are high.

    Furthermore, what has excited us the most are the measures that government has put in place to ensure that the recruitment process is transparent and free of corruption. We have learnt from the ministerial statement made today in Parliament by the Minister of Education Douglas Syakalima that apart from using Post Office Services for receiving applications, officers from Zambia Police, Anti-Corruption Commission and Drug Enforcement Commission will also be deployed to provide oversight in the recruitment process. This to us is very important because previous efforts to decentralize the teacher recruitment exercise to district level have been unsuccessful. The unfortunate trend has been that although the districts were able to do a good job in selecting the candidates, almost the entire proposed lists of teachers selected from the districts were replaced at national level.

    ZANEC would like the deserving teachers to be recruited regardless of their status or where they are based.  Specifically, we would like the Teaching Service Commission to consider the following when recruiting the 30,000 teachers.

    1. The need to bridge the current huge gap for Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers which is affecting performance in these subjects as evidenced from the 2021 grade 12 results.
    2. The need to allocate at least 10% of the teachers to early childhood education in order to scale up the annexing of ECE centers to existing primary schools.
    3. The need to ensure equitable distribution of teachers to understaffed schools in rural areas to ensure that priority is given to underserved schools.
    4. The need to give priority to qualified teachers who are already volunteering in respective schools as a way of appreciating the sacrifices they have been making and the experience they have acquired in the process.

    I thank you and God bless you.

    For/ZANEC

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON AWARDING OF STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

    ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON AWARDING OF STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

    The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) would like to express its profound gratitude to Government through the Higher Education Loans and Scholarship Board on the awarding of additional 2,780 student loan scholarships to University of Zambia (UNZA) first year students for the 2021/2022 academic year. We would like to specifically thank the Minister of Education Honourable Douglas Syakalima for securing this additional funding from the Ministry of Finance and National Planning.  This positive development means that over 5000 first year students at UNZA have so far been granted loan scholarships, the highest number recorded since the operationalisation of the scheme.

    Further, we note that the Board has followed the affirmative action for prioritising rural and female applicants who have received 30% of the scholarships each. It is also gratifying that all applicants with disabilities were awarded scholarships in the first selection. This will go a long way in promoting equity at tertiary education level, in line with the nation’s aspirations of leaving no one behind.  As ZANEC, we look forward to a situation where there will be an equal share of the available resources allocated to both males and female applicants between the eligible rural and urban applicants.  The distribution of the recently awarded scholarships in which 45% of rural and 55% of urban applicants received scholarships, representing 63% males and 37% females is positive as it shows that the gender gap is slowly closing up.

    ZANEC is very hopeful that government will continue to prioritize investment in all the levels of education in order to accord every eligible learner an opportunity to access quality higher education. Finally, we call upon loan beneficiaries who have completed school and are now earning an income to begin paying back their loans so that more students can benefit.

    For/ZANEC

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR