THE over 1,000 teachers who were found with forged qualifications in 2016 have all been fired, the Teaching Council of Zamia has said. TCZ registrar Kebby Mubanga said in an interview yesterday that the teachers were fired after investigations revealed that their academic and professional qualifications were forged. Dr Mubanga said the 1,000 teachers were discovered during a registration exercise conducted in 2016 at private and government schools. “All the 1,000 teachers who were found with forged academic and professional qualifications during the registration exercise in 2016 have been laid off.

“They could not continue practising because they did not meet the requirements we wanted. We do not expect to see them anywhere near schools or classrooms,” he said. Dr Mubanga said TCZ inspectors who will be conducting the teacher registration exercise this year will also ensure that none of the fired workers have been reemployed. He said schools that will be found accommodating teachers who have been dismissed will be dealt with accordingly.

Mr Mubanga said the council will work hard to promote professionalism and ensure that only qualified teachers remain in the service to avoid compromising the quality of education in the country. And Dr Mubanga said the council has registered 158,000 teachers countrywide since it started operating in 2015.

He said such teachers include those in government and private schools as well as those who are unemployed. Dr Mubanga said over 5,000 of the registered teachers have applied for employment and have been issued with practising licences. “We have 158,000 registered teachers countrywide. One third of these have been issued with practising licences, but this is not enough, we need to do more. Teachers should apply so that they are given a registration and practising certificate,” he said.

Dr Mubanga said it is a legal requirement for every teacher to have registration and practising certificates. He said teachers who will be found without the two certificates when inspectors start the registration exercise will not be allowed to continue practising