Parents urged to utilize PF government’s education police on education.

Parents urged to utilize PF government’s education police on education.

Choma, April 1, ZANIS – MANAGEMENT at Wonga Private School in Choma has urged parents to take advantage of government’s education policy and ensure their children get the best education.

 School director, Johnson Malupenga, says it is important for parents to seize this opportunity and ensure their children are afforded a firm foundation in their life through quality education.

 Mr. Malupenga says there is no substitute to hard work and children should be allowed to realise their full potential in academic excellence.

ZANIS reports that the School Director was speaking in Choma during the school’s parent teacher association annual general meeting, today.

He said due to the good policies, the private sector is able to spur innovation in schools, stimulate educational excellence, and help children from all walks of life, and economic levels to thrive.

Mr. Malupenga says teaching is one of the most demanding and rewarding callings and that his management is doing  a lot to support teachers, and has so far undertaken successful efforts and investments aimed at recruiting, strengthening, and retaining  teachers.

Mr. Malupenga says elementary education form very useful foundation for the future of children.

He says a solid foundation is required for a child to have the right start in life.

The PF policy manifestoe is in three categories mainly early education, primary and secondary level and finally , tertiary education.

In the Early education level, the PF government says it intends to "provide and facilitate early childhood education centers and teachers in all local government wards in Zambia".

The ruling party also promises to equip teachers with training at diploma and degree levels in early childhood education.

On the Primary and secondary, the PF manifesto has pledged to re-introduce “free and compulsory education for all (that is from grade one to grade twelve)”, accompanied by a new commitment to a twin track approach to education with students having the choice to pursue an “academic route” or “technical” path.

This is new and seeks to respond to concerns that the current approach is too focused on getting a job rather than entrepreneurship or other innovative practices.

Perhaps the most eye catching proposals relate to provisions to look after the teachers in rural areas. There are promises of increasing rural hardship allowance, providing new housing and government guaranteed mortgages or loans.

On Tertiary education, the PF government plans to increase the number of public universities by converting existing colleges into public universities. The focus is therefore on a public funded higher education system.

There’s also a proposal to introduce a new bursary scheme for tertiary education for all pupils who qualify to higher learning institutions. The beneficiaries would either repay the money or “work off” the benefit they have received.

The PF has in its manifestoe plans to create a new independent regulatory body to register and enforce education standards in public and private universities.