By BRIAN HATYOKA –
TEACHERS have been urged to embrace an entrepreneurship spirit outside their profession to enable them sustain their livelihoods.
Ministry of Education Science, Vocational Training and Early Education Deputy Permanent Secretary Christine Mayondi urged teachers to embrace a culture of entrepreneurship by using their talents outside teaching to sustain their livelihoods.
Ms Mayondi noted that most teachers had closed themselves in classrooms and forgot they had other talents within themselves which could sustain their lives.
She was speaking in Livingstone at Fairmount Hotel at the weekend when she officiated at the just ended 10th Basic Education Teachers Union of Zambia (BETUZ) Annual General Conference.
The conference, which was attended by delegates from all 10 provinces of Zambia and other countries in Southern Africa, was held under the theme ‘advocating for increased education financing to enhance equity for effective teaching and learning for the primary sector’.
Ms Mayondi made her remarks after she was impressed with the singing by the David Livingstone College of Education (DALICE) students choir during the gathering.
“I have appreciated and loved the singing which DALICE choir subjected us to as it was awesome.
“That is a talent which God has given you and when you graduate, remember that you have a talent that you can fall back on to earn extra money. To that talent of singing, add an entrepreneurial skill,” Ms Mayondi said.
She also said this year’s theme was in line with Government programme of ensuring that free quality universal education was realised.
“The Patriotic Front (PF) Government attaches great importance to universal free education as it is a foundation to social economic development of the country.
“To realise this aspiration, the PF Government is currently building more schools as well as teachers’ houses, roads and other infrastructure to make life more bearable to teachers and learners,” she said.
Speaking earlier, BETUZ president Cosmas Mukuka bemoaned inadequate funding to primary sector.
Mr Mukuka also called for the separation of Ministry of Education from Science, Vocational Training and Early to enhance efficiency.