NOEL IYOMBWA writes
@SunZambian
TEACHER unions have a role to play in ensuring that they sensitize recruits what is expected of them in the service, Secondary School Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ) general secretary Sitibekiso Wamuyuwa has said.
Mr Wamuyuma was commenting on media reports about a Kabwe based teacher who has worked for more than twenty years without being confirmed.
Mr. Wamuyuwa said it is the duty of the unions to sensitize the recruits on operational matters and the do’s and don’ts in the service because most of the teachers graduate from college with little or no knowledge of their rights and duties.
He said that even when there are confirmed, some teachers do not still fully understand certain things about their work vis a vis the forms.
All this information should be given by the union,” she said.
The general secretary observed that a teacher who serves for more than one year has a right to be confirmed by the employer, in this case the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), which he said was in the process trying to deal with the irregularities involving teachers.
He said that that cases of unconfirmed teachers had been on increase in the past but that the Commission was doing everything possible to deal with such issues.
The Commission recently investigated the issue about the unconfirmed Kabwe-based teacher and disclosed that the reason she had not been confirmed is because she is yet to clear all her courses.
“She has not bothered to go back to re-sit for the courses she did not clear ever since she left training,” TSC chairperson Stanley Mhango stated.
But Mr. Wamuyuwa advised the newly recruited teachers to consult head teachers and other officers on what they need to do in order to be confirmed as per procedure.
“Productivity can only be increased by confirming employees as it gives them the power to make sound decisions and be able to enjoy other benefits,” he said.
