Teacher Professionalism in Zambia: Reality or Pipe-Dream?

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue XI, November 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Teacher Professionalism in Zambia: Reality or Pipe-Dream?

Simuyaba Eunifridah
Department of Education Administration and Policy Studies, The University of Zambia

Abstract: This article highlights the strategies that the newly established Teaching Council has put in place in its quest to professionalise teaching in Zambia. Since Zambia attained her political independence in October, 1964, there has been a great desire to ensure that teachers acquire professional status which would translate into an occupational status symbol. Against this background, the Government of the Republic of Zambia in conjunction with other stakeholders in the education sector has made strides in the direction of professionalising the teaching occupation. In this regard, the enactment of the Teaching Profession Act no.5 of 2013 and the development of a Code of Ethics and Conduct to regulate teachers’ practice and professional conduct in government and private schools are some of the major milestones in trying to regulate the teaching profession. Despite having made tremendous strides in this direction, many structural and operational challenges have since made it difficult to actualise this status. It is for this reason that the paper discusses some structural and operational challenges associated with teacher professionalism in Zambia which make teacher professionalism a pipe-dream. The paper concludes by highlighting some prospects in Teacher professionalism in the post 2015 era.

Key words: Teacher Professionalism, Strategies, Challenges, Prospects, Reality, Pipe Dream.

I. INTRODUCTION

The teaching profession in Zambia, like many other countries in the region, has been under constant pressure from stakeholders calling for a more effective and responsive education system to the many needs of the nation. This pressure has been in existence for a long time and has thus necessitated the development of an Act of Parliament in 2013 which was meant to improve the teaching profession in general and in particular enhance the quality of educational services. The development of the Act of Parliament followed the actual enactment of the Teaching Profession Act No. 5 of 2013 on 21st March, 2013 by the Zambian Parliament. This Act, among other things, provides for the establishment of the Teaching Council of Zambia (TCZ). The Act is primarily intended to provide for the regulation of teachers, their practice and professional conduct. It also provides for the accreditation and regulation of Colleges of Education through approval of teacher training programmes. From the year 2013 onwards, critical activities leading to teacher registration, certification and accreditation of Colleges of Education have been spearheaded by the Teaching Council of Zambia.

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