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The Movement for the Restoration of Teachers Affairs (MORETA) Zambia has blamed the Examination Council of Zambia (ECZ) for negligence following the alleged theft of K713,600 at Matero Boys Secondary School.
On March 12, 2025, police revealed a corruption scandal at the school involving the disappearance of K713,600, reportedly stolen by School Headteacher Reverend Elifas Banda.
The money was believed to belong to the ECZ.
Coincidentally, the same day, ECZ Director Dr. Michael Chilala announced an increase in allowances for item setters and proofreaders, leaving out invigilators and guidance teachers.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Tuesday, MORETA Zambia Deputy Executive Director for Administration, Pythias Chita, criticized the ECZ for allowing a non-employee or contractor to handle such a large sum of money.
“Much as our organization does not support what Rev. Banda has done, we acknowledge that it was very difficult for him to resist the temptation of running away with the said money,” Chita said.
He added that teachers managing examinations at the grassroots level perform invigilation and supervision duties without any economic benefit, tasks that fall outside their official job descriptions.
“As MORETA Zambia, we call on the ECZ to create district offices and employ professional accounting staff and data entry officers to manage GCE and Grade 9 external examination entries,” Chita suggested.
Read More: Matero boys teacher, cleric on the run over K700,000 examination fees theft
He stressed that this approach would minimise the risk of future scandals like the one at Matero Boys and a similar incident last year at Masansa in Mkushi.
“Secondly, ECZ should consider introducing allowances for invigilators and supervisors to curb the examination malpractices we experience every year,” Chita said.
He also urged teacher unions to be proactive in addressing issues related to teachers’ relations with the ECZ rather than waiting for incidents to escalate into criminal offenses.
“ECZ should be mindful that guidance teachers who handle payments, invigilators, and supervisors do equally important — if not riskier — work compared to item setters and proofreaders,” Chita stated.
MORETA’s call for reforms follows growing concerns over examination malpractice and the integrity of the education system in Zambia.
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