SESTUZ warns teachers

By NATION REPORTER THE Secondary School Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ) has warned teachers to stop abusing alcohol and engaging in sexual relationships with pupils.

SESTUZ general secretary Sitibekiso Wamuyuwa said in Kitwe yesterday that some teachers were bringing shame to the profession through gross misconduct.

He said some teachers engaged in illicit activities such as reporting for work drunk and indulging in inappropriate relationships with pupils.

He was speaking at a SESTUZ provincial election conference in Kitwe yesterday.

Mr Wamuyuwa said teachers’ involvement in examination malpractices and any form of misconduct in the profession deteriorated the quality of education in the country.

Teachers, he said, must stop denting the image of the profession through misconduct.

"We cannot blame the media, the media is a mirror which highlights what is happening in society. If you stand in front of the mirror and you do not like what you see, you need to change," he said.

Mr Wamuyuwa said there must be true democracy in the union through elections, which made any movement stronger.

He said union elections were democratic and all contestants must accept the results adding that such a spirit must be shared across the country.

Mr Wumuyuwa urged delegates to come out stronger after an election as it was a representation of different people's opinion and not an individual.

He was impressed that there was an increase in women and youths participation in unions, who must be allotted a slot in decision-making positions.

Mr Wamuyuwa said the new SESTUZ constitution demanded equal participation of women and youth in decision-making as they had been marginalised in the past.

And Provincial Education Officer Dominic Nyembe also warned teachers against active participation in politics as well as reporting late for work especially those in rural areas.

Mr Nyembe said teachers must conduct themselves in a professional manner because they were the producers of different professions across the country. He said there were a lot of uneducated people in the country and people must start going back to school.

He added that it was the responsibility of teachers to fight illiteracy so that by 2021 most children would be able to read and write.