• Decentralization of teacher recruitment will help address the challenge of teachers running away from rural districts.

• Old centralized system caused the district to lose so many teachers in the past who would be recruited from Lusaka and then fail to work in rural areas.

• The district is happy with government for allocating 419 teachers to be recruited in the district.

Chipangali District Council says Government must be eulogized by all well-meaning stakeholders for decentralizing the ongoing recruitment of teachers.
Council Chairperson Maxson Nkhoma told Money FM News that the decentralization of Teacher recruitment will help address the challenge of teachers running away from rural districts such as Chipangali soon after they have been put on a government pay roll system in preference for urban Districts.
Mr. Nkhoma stated that the old centralized system caused Chipangali District to lose so many teachers in the past who would be recruited from Lusaka and then fail to work in the District there by requesting to be transferred to urban areas without any replaced of such teachers.
“I am optimistic that the district recruitment committees that have been established by the Ministry of Education will work above board and ensure that local people are prioritized in the recruitment process especially those teachers who have been working as volunteer teachers for many years in most government schools of District,” he said.
Mr. Nkhoma said the district is happy that the government has given an allocation of 419 teachers to be recruited in the current ongoing recruitment exercise which will go a long way in addressing the high pupil -teacher ratio in the District.
He explained that with the recruitment of 419 teachers in Chipangali there is certainty that academic performance of pupils is going to improve drastically.
“I want to further urge our Chiefs in Chipangali District to help in sensitizing our communities to receive the 419 teachers well in their communities once the recruitment is done and guard them against any possible threats of witchcraft which some teachers fear,” he added.
Mr. Nkhoma also appealed to all civic leaders in the district to ensure that people are sensitized on the importance of the wellbeing of teachers both in school premises and in communities where they leave.