Teachers warned against absconding duty

Mzimba South district education manager (DEM) Funwel Chiwowa has bemoaned rampant abscondment of classes by teachers.

Chiwowa raised the concern at a graduation of 109 primary school teachers at Mzimba Dapp Teachers Training College.

He said he was aware that some teachers were going for furher studies without his knowledge.

Chiwowa said the development is negatively affecting learners in the district, which is currently rated as the poorest in Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) examinations performance.

“It is important to upgrade but proper people need to follow procedures. When government employs a teacher, he or she is required to work for four years before going for further studies,” he said.

Chiwowa  asked headteachers to report teachers who abscond classes, saying, that is punishing learners.

“When a teacher fails to report for work in five consecutive days without any valid reason, my office needs to know so that we can replace him or her,” he said.

The DEM commended Dapp for supporting government in promoting education through teacher training.

The college’s dean of education Joel Nyirenda urged students to work in private schools while awaiting government deployment. n