FC PRESIDENT HARRY KALABA PRAISES TEACHERS

 Teachers are the backbone of any nation’s future, yet in Zambia too many are being asked to carry impossible burdens. Across the country, qualified teachers remain unemployed for years, while those already in service face growing pressure with little support.

Many teachers are deployed far from their families, sometimes separated from spouses for years, with no relocation support and no salary adjustment. Others are sent to rural areas without adequate housing, transport, or incentives, despite the higher cost and hardship of serving in those communities. These sacrifices are real, but they are not being matched with fair compensation or improved working conditions.

In many public schools, class sizes now exceed what any teacher can reasonably manage, with some handling over 100 pupils in a single classroom. In these conditions, meaningful learning becomes impossible. Yet teachers in overcrowded or rural schools receive the same pay and benefits as those with far smaller classes in more conducive environments. This situation stems from a rushed approach to fulfilling so called ‘promises’ without proper planning to protect education quality.

The CF believes this can be fixed with practical, targeted reforms. Employment of teachers must be planned alongside classroom demand, so trained teachers are absorbed where shortages exist, reducing class sizes and improving education quality. Deployment policies must prioritise family stability, with transparent placement systems and support for teachers assigned to hardship areas. Rural service should come with clear incentives, including housing support and structured allowances.

Classroom realities must also be recognised. Managing large student numbers is not the same workload as teaching smaller classes. Fair workload recognition, support staff where needed, and better resource allocation will allow teachers to focus on teaching and not survival.

Investing in our teachers is not a charity case, it’s securing our children’s education. A country that values it’s teachers invests directly in its own future.

Harry Kalaba,

Citizens First