Eastern teachers owed K42 million

The Ministry of Education owes K42 million in outstanding allowances to teachers in Eastern Province.

Provincial Education Officer, Thomas Mwanza, said the outstanding allowances include rural hardship, retirement allowances and settling-in allowances among others.

Mr Mwanza was speaking at Kasenengwa Boarding School when he addressed teachers.

However, Mr Mwanza said government is working hard to ensure that the money is released to the province so that the teachers can be paid.

And Mr Mwanza assured teachers at Kasenengwa Boarding Secondary School that the institution will soon be gazetted to allow teachers to be enrolled on the institution’s payroll.

He noted that most new schools in the province have not been gazetted, a situation which inconveniences most teachers as they get paid from different schools not where they are teaching from.

And Mr Mwanza urged teachers in the province not to worry about materials for the new curriculum as government is looking at ways in which the materials can be distributed at the school.

He said the materials for the new curriculum are being distributed in schools, adding that teachers are also being sensitized.

Meanwhile, Chief Madzimawe of the Ngoni people of Chipata has appealed to government to construct a university in the province.

Chief Madzimawe noted that though government is currently constructing universities in other parts of the country to improve access to education, there is need to build one in the province.