More than 2,400 teachers recruited in go 2025 under the replacement category are appealing to the government for urgent intervention after months of waiting to be placed on the payroll despite possessing genuine appointment letters.
One of the affected teachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, narrated the ordeal faced by the group:
“We were officially recruited this year as replacement teachers. We reported to our provinces, completed all the required paperwork, and submitted every document requested by the District Education Board Secretaries (DEBS). We were then instructed to return home and wait for our first salary before resuming duties.
“Months have now passed and nothing has happened. Many of us travelled from far districts to Lusaka for verification and processing, borrowing money for transport, accommodation, and other expenses. That debt is piling up with interest while we remain jobless and hopeless.”
The teachers allege that when some of them followed up at the Lusaka DEBS office, they were informed by Human Resource personnel that there are currently no vacancies because the Ministry is waiting for serving teachers to retire or pass away before new ones can be placed on the payroll.
This has raised serious questions among the recruits:
How were we issued genuine appointment letters and recruited if no vacancies existed in the first place?
Why have teachers recruited under the same replacement category in other districts already been placed on the payroll while those in Lusaka and several other areas remain unpaid?
How long are we expected to wait for vacancies to be “created” through retirement or death?
“We borrowed money believing we had secured employment. Some of us resigned from private schools and other jobs because the appointment letters were official. Now we are stranded, stressed, and sinking deeper into debt,” the teacher lamented.The affected teachers are pleading with the Ministry of Education- Zambia, the Teaching Service Commission, and the government (President Hakainde Hichilema ) at large to urgently resolve the matter and communicate clearly on the way forward.“We just want to know the truth and be treated fairly. If there are no vacancies, why raise our hopes with recruitment and genuine letters? If there is a delay, tell us officially so we can plan our lives,” they appealed.
As of now, the Ministry of Education has not issued an official statement regarding the delay in placing the 2025 replacement teachers on the payroll.
The teachers have called on authorities to expedite the process and honour the appointments that were duly offered, saying the current situation has caused untold emotional and financial hardship.