INFORMATION and Media Minister Chushi Kasanda says Zambians are now seeing the change they wanted when they voted for UPND, despite some people doubting the 30,000 teacher recruitment promise.

In a statement, Friday, Kasanda said it was unprecedented in the history of the country that over 30, 000 teachers could be recruited in a single year.

“Government wishes to commend technocrats and other stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, from the national to the district level, that took part in the teacher recruitment process, for executing the task professionally and transparently. Yesterday, the Government, through the Ministry of Education, announced the recruitment of 30, 496 teachers, a landmark development in the country’s education system. The recruitment is a fulfillment of one of the major pronouncements to transform the country that President Hakainde Hichilema made soon after coming into office 11 months ago. It is unprecedented in the history of the country that over 30, 000 teachers can be recruited in a single year,” she said.

“Zambians will recall that in ten years, between 2011 and 2021, only 11, 441 teachers were recruited compared to 30, 496 teachers that have been recruited in 11 months that this Government has been in office. This is a demonstration of the importance that the New Dawn Government has placed on education as a critical ingredient in the development of the country. There may have been some of our citizens that doubted the Government’s commitment to deliver on its promise to recruit this big number of teachers. Their doubts were understandable as this had never happened before. Government is, therefore, happy that contrary to such doubts, Zambians are now seeing the change they wanted when they put this Government in office not only in the education sector, but the entire social and economic landscape of the country.”

She added that the recruitment of teachers was an ongoing process in order to attain the required teacher-pupil ratio.

“Zambians have high expectations of the newly recruited teachers to deliver to the best of their abilities when they finally enter the classrooms to teach. The teachers are, therefore, expected to take their work seriously in imparting knowledge in the young people who are the future leaders of the country. Government also calls on school managers to orient the newly recruited teachers in the relevant processes and procedures to enable them settle down quickly in their work. Government is aware that there is still a huge backlog of trained teachers that are not yet employed. The recruitment of teachers is, therefore, an ongoing process in order to attain the required teacher-pupil ratio,” said Kasanda.