Schools,teachers need inspections

THE most important part of teaching and learning is the inspection system.
The inspectors and the inspection system must be very strict and tough to keep our teachers on their toes.
Students’ learning will be improved with best quality education.
In my schooling years in the 70s and 80s, I saw school inspectors making frequent visits to the schools I attended.
However, no inspector makes frequent inspection visits to our schools these days.
The teachers are free to do anything anytime.
There is a total lack of standards at all levels from elementary to secondary schools.
The teachers are using their paid time attending to trivial personal matters.
The head teachers drive the school trucks from the expenses of the school.
Teachers are on their own, no one monitors them.
They are sure inspectors will not come.
Students kill time on Facebook.
Through very strict and regular inspection visits, the performance of teachers can be boosted.
Without the inspection system that ensures check and balance, teachers performance drops together with students’ learning.
The standard of education is falling apart.
Despite schools not being inspected, teachers continue to get registered, promoted and salaries appraised.
Registration of teachers, promotion of teachers and salary adjustments can only be done after and through the inspection process but not these days.
Uninspected teachers are buying fake inspection reports from standard officers.
Inspection reports, letter of recommendations and promotions have become commodities for trade.
Without improvements in the inspection system, our schools will continue to deteriorate, and no proper teaching and learning will occur.
Our government must revamp the inspection system to achieve quality education for a better tomorrow.
These days, wrong people get registered, promoted and appointed to senior positions.
The provincial education officers choose who to promote and appoint and appraise salaries for them.
At least a thousand teachers are always put off the payroll nearly every year.
Graduate teachers enter the payroll system after two or three years of suffering without pay.
At least every year, some provinces do not pay their teachers’ leave fares on time while others are paid very late.
All these deliberate negative treatment of teachers are demoralising factors that affect students’ learning.
The Education Department needs to correct these faults through the inspection process so that we can achieve some positive outcomes.
How can you, the Education Minister, expect a healthy baby from a malnourished mother or harvest bounty crops from a barren desolate field?
All these experiences are from a serving teacher.
Do legislative changes in the education sector for your dusty overworked teachers to get the best out of them.
Make the teaching profession attractive, motivating, challenging and productive to meet the 21 Century standards.

Petroza Poko
Chalk dust for 28 years