By JANE MWANSA –
THE Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has reiterated calls on the teaching fraternity in the country to support the government in power and stay away from active politics to help improve education standards in the country.
ZCTU secretary general Cosmas Mukuka said the teaching profession had a countrywide population of around 80,000 and that if one teacher dented the profession by taking part in active politics or illicit behavior such as having carnal knowledge of a pupil, then the entire profession would be failing in its duties.
Speaking during the Secondary Schools Teachers Union (SESTUZ) women workshop in Kitwe yesterday, Mr Mukuka called for the participation of women in governance issues of the union.
He said the workshop was meant to expose and equip teachers mainly female ones with the necessary skills that would allow them to execute their duties professionally.
“The teaching profession should distance itself from politics, but they should support the government of the day and not frustrate the Government programmes, I also want to urge SESTUZ to take the issue of gender mainstreaming very seriously because the Government has set a good precedence,” he said.
Meanwhile SESTUZ general secretary Sitibekiso Wamuyuma said female teachers should be supported because they were the majority in the labour movement.
Mr Wamuyuma also said the union would thrive to create good relations between management, teachers and pupils in order to improve education standards on the Copperbelt and in other provinces.