The Zambia Mission Fund Canada (ZMFC), operating under the auspices of the Church of Christ, has appealed to the government to deploy more teachers at the newly upgraded grant-aided Nalubumba Secondary School in Kalomo District, Southern Province.
ZMFC Community Development Coordinator, Ruhtt Mbumwae, highlighted the urgent need for additional government teachers at the institution, revealing that only four teachers are currently on the government payroll, while the remaining 14 are being paid by the Mission Fund. She expressed concern that this situation does not align with the public-private partnership concept.
Speaking during the handing-over ceremony of a newly constructed 1×3 classroom block funded by ZMFC, Mrs. Mbumwae emphasized the necessity of increased government support.
“This school started in 1998 as a community institution, but now that it has been upgraded to a secondary school due to the increasing number of learners, we are appealing for more government teachers. We further urge the government to absorb some grant-paid teachers into the public system,” she stated.
Meanwhile, the school’s Head Teacher, Chifuwe Jaani, has requested connectivity to the national electricity grid, noting that the school relies on solar power to run its computers, which poses limitations to its operations.
Officiating at the handing-over ceremony, Kalomo District Commissioner, Joshua Sikaduli, acknowledged the challenges faced by the school. He assured stakeholders that his office would engage the relevant authorities to address some of the operational hurdles affecting the learning institution.
The Zambia Mission Fund Canada operates several schools in Kalomo District, including Butale Primary School, in an effort to complement the government’s provision of free education. Other key stakeholders in the district’s education sector include Response Network, which has successfully established 29 community schools, all of which have since been integrated into the government education system.
The call for additional teachers and improved infrastructure at Nalubumba Secondary School underscores the need for continued collaboration between the government and private stakeholders in enhancing access to quality education in rural Zambia.