Zambia: Western Province Education Officer, Peggy Chilema has called for the formation of Community Action Groups (CAGs). The education stakeholders believe that they will help in monitoring the school activities of the participating students.
Further, the Community Action Groups will be accountable for the learning of their children. The administration has been recording a poor academic result during the previous year
Chilema said that she made the call after she saw the poor pupil performance in last year’s grade twelve examinations. The education officer further noted that the region recorded the poorest results in the Western Province.
The situation is worrisome for both the parents and teachers of the region, which is why they are invited to be a part of the CAGs. The Western Province Education Officer believes that the situation will improve with the creation of the groups.
She said that communities are better placed to hold and make head teachers and teachers accountable for their jobs. She further added that the provincial and district education officials would not always be in schools.
Chilema observed that a head teacher is the only standards officer who is at a school level. If that particular head teacher was usually out of the station, there would be a problem in supervising the teachers.
Hence the formation of community action groups would help in curbing the lack of supervision, even in the absence of head teachers.
“The PEO and the DEBS will not be in every school, the only standards officer who is at a school level is the head teacher, now if the head teacher is always out, he is in town, then who supervises the teachers?” she questioned.
Peggy Chilema said that the community action groups should comprise people from various sectors. The groups may include the traditional leadership and the church.
She said they would be informing her office if the affairs of the school were not being run well.
She said that the provincial education office would therefore, not relent upon receiving information from the community action groups that things were not moving well at a particular school, but quickly move in and address the situation.