RB secures $475,000 for Senior Chipolopolo’s preps

Just where are Zambia's development priorities? Soccer always seems to take centre stage and every programme is thrown to the gutters on a mere mention of the word "soccer". From time immemorial, successive Zambian governments have treated the lack of funds to support soccer as an emergency and have thus gone all-out to source funds to support soccer and it's no-good players. When one looks back, one cannot remember if there was a time when the national team ever brought glory to the country even after spending vast sums of hard earned dollars and tax payers monies. When it comes to soccer, it's a no-brainer for the leadership and no much thought is put to it to determine the relevance and significance of the sport to the economy. If, for once, all the tax-payers monies spent on soccer could be directed at improving our "slap-stick" infrastructure more would be achieved over time. This brings to mind the endless and heartbreaking plight of Zambian teachers who struggle on daily basis to survive on their meagre salaries. These teachers are much more deserving and important than those knuckle-heads playing soccer for the Zambia National Team, includng their FAZ officials. Our currently demotivated  teachers would be better motivated to teach our children if they were to be well remunerated. One wonders why the Zambian leadership has failed to appreciate the importance of a teacher in our society. 

While the importance of sports to societal development cannot be negated, it is vital to appreciate the role teachers have consistently played in all our lives. I cannot imagine how some of those leaders that can hardly speak english coherently would have been if we didn't have teachers that still remain committed to their calling and ideals inspite of the unappreciative government. WIthout teachers, most people would not be able to read and write. If anything, the majority of the Zambian soccer players are miserable elementary and high school drop-outs that don't deserve to be paid more than our teachers. The current scenario makes it easy to understand why our educational standard in Zambia is currently lower than it was 20--40 years ago. It is common knowledge that poor teacher conditions obtaiining in the nation have condemned the teachers to a life of perpetually spending most of their time seeking survival alternatives to suplement their meagre incomes.

As a country, we must come up with policies that will enhance our educational standards through better teachers salaries and conditions of service. Among these policies would be one that would structure teachers salaries to levels above the country's poverty datum line, whatever it is. These teachers must receive a salary that would present them with opportunites save a portion of their salaries on monthly basis and also afford them a decent lifestyle.