By KEVIN MUDENDA –
THE Secondary School Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ) has expressed mixed feelings over the pronouncements made by the Teaching Service Commission of Zambia to introduce breathalysers in schools.
SESTUZ general secretary Wamuyuwa Sitibekiso said the development seemed oppressive and might receive resistance from the teachers, and that service delivery would be negatively affected because teachers would be working under protest.
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Mr Sitibekiso said there was need for the Commission to engage various stakeholders before implementing the exercise.
“The levels of drunkenness in the education sector have not reached alarming stages. What we find difficult to appreciate is what justification is there by the Teaching Commission to introduce these gadgets in schools for our teachers.
“Have we carried out enough research to establish that the levels of drunkenness in our education system has reached a level where it has become a national danger?,” Mr Sitibekiso said.
He urged the commission to initiate programmes that were going to uplift the wellbeing of teachers in the country.
“If nurses, Police officers are not subjected to breathalysers, why should you target teachers only, because there is no justification. Teachers in our view do not pose such a big threat to human life like other public officers who have even been captured by you the media,” he said.
The SESTUZ general secretary said teacher unions across the country had taken it upon themselves in ensuring that teachers conducted themselves in a professional manner.
“The whole exercise for introducing breathalysers in schools will be a very costly venture because we have over 7000 primary schools and over 1000 secondary schools scattered all over the country and if you are saying every school should have one or two breathalyzers, at what cost?
“The money meant for purchasing of breathalysers should be channeled towards learning materials and improving the welfare of the teachers especially those in rural areas,” he said.
