Shortage of qualified teachers compromising the quality of education in most rural schools.

Government through the Ministry of Education owes teachers in Chipata district over 20 billion kwacha in unpaid allowances.
This came to light during a joint statement by the Zambia National Union Teachers, ZNUT, the Professional Teachers Union of Zambia, PTUZ, and the Basic Education Teachers Union held in Chipata.
The three teacher unions have, therefore, called on government to expedite the payment of various allowances owed to teachers.
And the unions observed that pupils in rural areas are denied quality education due to the shortage of qualified teachers.
They explained that most schools in rural areas are run by only a few teachers.
The unions thanked government for the teacher’s deployment exercises it has started, saying this will reduce the shortage.
However, the unions explained that most teachers shun working in rural schools due to challenges they face in getting their rural hardship allowances.