HEAD-TEACHERS DEMANDING MONEY FROM VOLUNTEER TEACHERS

By Daily News Reporter

The Zambia Open Community Schools (ZOCS) has warned all head teachers across the country to desist from extorting volunteer teachers, and some administrators are taking advantage of volunteer teachers in community schools by taking away their one-off incentive that the organisation and ZANEC is currently disbursing in some districts of Zambia.

Speaking to Daily News in Lusaka ZOCS Executive Director Mrs. Cleopatra Muma said that some schools administrators are demanding a portion of the little money that the government is giving to the volunteer teachers as token of appreciation,

“This money was meant for the volunteers not the head teachers who are on salary,” Muma said.

She also said that it’s illegal and unprofessional for those in higher authority in schools tom demand money from volunteer teachers.

Mrs. Muma noted that it has been that the majority of these teachers are not on salary and only get appreciated by the communities through gifts in kind such as a bag of maize, a chicken, and sometimes cash as low as K150.00.

She further urged the volunteer teachers to stay alert to these fraudulent moves by administrators in schools and report to nearest police station, DEBS or ministry of education offices.

Mrs. Muma has called on the Ministry of Education to start considering by allocating some funds from the National Budget a three million kwacha to support the payment of the volunteer teachers.

Also the Ministry of education through the teaching Service Commission to start also to consider the volunteer teachers with qualifications in recruiting process.