Govt recruits 2 300 teachers
THE Government has recruited 2 300 teachers who are expected to start work on Tuesday when schools open for the final term of the year.
Primary and Secondary Education Permanent Secretary Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango told Sunday News that priority was given to unemployed teachers who graduated between 2013 and 2015.
Dr Utete-Masango said the teachers that were selected can go to the ministry’s offices in their respective districts to confirm their names before reporting for duty on Tuesday.
She said out of the total 2 300, 1 300 are Early Childhood Development (ECD) A teachers, 500 junior school teachers while the other 500 are secondary school teachers.
“We have a database of teachers, at provinces, who graduated but are unemployed. It is that database that we used for recruitment according to how we had allocated posts at each level and to each province. We had to consider, especially in primary schools, the gaps that were there in the respective schools in terms of major subjects. The lists are already with the districts and they (teachers) need to check their names before assuming duty,” she said.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education was given the green light by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to start processing the appointments of the teachers on 30 August this year.
“Please be advised that, acting in terms of Section 8 (1) of the Public Service Act (Chapter 16:04) the Public Service Commission hereby appoints 2 300 teachers with effect from date of assumption of duty.
“Please process the appointments and copy the Commission,” reads the memo in part signed by CSC secretary Mrs Pretty Sanguro.
The teachers will serve a probationary period of not less than one year before they are confirmed members of the civil service.
Last year, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education requested 7 000 teachers to be recruited to enable full implementation of the new education curriculum.
The ministry needed more teachers to enable implementation of the new education curriculum that was introduced at the beginning of this year.
Teachers’ unions have been on record applauding the Government to heeding the call to recruit more teachers.
The teachers’ unions have argued that the shortage of teachers was compromising the quality of education as the few teachers taking charge of classes were being overworked.
Thousands of teachers who graduated from various teacher training institutions are jobless after the Government halted recruitment of civil servants as it seeks to cut a huge wage bill.