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The National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) has expressed disappointed with the Ministry of Education over its continued delay in releasing the names of teachers recruited under the replacement mode.
On March, 19 2025, the Minister of Education, Douglas Syakalima, assured the nation that his Ministry would publish the list of over 2,000 new teachers within two weeks.
NAQEZ Executive Director, Dr, Aaron Chansa, in a statement issued in Lusaka on Sunday stated that shockingly, almost four months have elapsed since the Minister’s announcement and that the list remained unpublished.
Chansa said at a time when Zambia’s public education system was grappling with an acute shortage of over 80,000 teachers and losing more than 6,000 teachers every year, the delay was not only unjustifiable, but it was also unacceptable.
He stated that teacher recruitment was not a favour to the nation but it was an administrative and moral obligation that must be treated with the highest priority.
“Moreover, with only four years left before all UN member states report on the progress made towards Sustainable Development Goal No. 4 (Quality Education), Zambia cannot afford to fumble on such a critical matter as timely teacher recruitment,” Chansa said.
He added that any further delay in the pending replacement of teachers would worsen the already unacceptable teacher-learner ratios in public schools.
Chansa said as the clock ticked down on the 2030 SDG deadline, Zambia’s inaction on teacher replacement was a ticking time bomb for the education system.
“For the sake of transparency, accountability and the right of learners to quality education, NAQEZ appeals to the Ministry of Education and the Teaching Service Commission to immediately publish the long-awaited list of new teachers. Delayed fulfilment of commitment damages public trust,” he said.
Chansa argued that when education waits, national development stalls and that Zambia should not mortgage its future through administrative inertia.
He recommended that all teacher recruitment exercises be strictly time-bound and monitored by an independent oversight body comprising education stakeholders, civil society and Parliament.
“Transparent digital platforms should also be used to update the public on recruitment progress in real time,” Chansa stated.
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