Teachers urged to be role models

Teachers urged to be role models

Serenje, October 7, 2014….A senior government official in Serenje district has called on teachers to be life models to the youth  if the problem of early pregnancies and marriage was to be stopped.

ZANIS reports that Serenje District Commissioner Charles Mwelwa was speaking yesterday at Malcolm Moffat Teachers’ training College when he officiated at the World Teachers day held under the theme   “Unite for quality education, better education for a better world ‘’.

Mr Mwelwa said most girls dropping out of school have no models to look up to while others are forced in to early marriage by their parents.

" If teachers want to be the kind that is respected by society, let them be life models to the young if the problem of early pregnancies and marriages were to be stopped, "  Mr Mwelwa said.

Mr Mwelwa said the Ministry of Education last year recorded about 12,500 pregnancies and 4,492 readmissions at basic school level while at secondary school level about 2,428 pregnancies and 1,337 readmissions were recorded.

He said the figures show that there is a serious problem in the country which should be stopped regardless of whether it stems from a cultural or social perspective.

The District Commissioner also appealed to communities to support teachers in their effort to mould  academically successful and morally upright children.

And Serenje District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) Dominic Haakanene said in line with this year’s theme, teachers need to unite with stakeholders who include the communities they operate in if they were to succeed in offering quality education services.

Mr Haakanene also implored teachers to work hard to achieve unity of purpose and advised them to avoid involving themselves in examination malpractices.

Meanwhile, teachers’ union representative Jimmy Kapembwa has appealed to the government to increase funding to the education sector to enhance delivery of quality education.