PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has said the Government has made strides to improve the education sector but admitted that there is still much to be done to meet the aspirations of the citizens. Among the strides made in the sector, President Banda cited the construction of more schools at basic and higher levels, rehabilitating the existing infrastructure, construction of more teachers house and introducing incentives to make the teaching profession attractive.
President Banda said this at State House on Tuesday when he swore in Andrew Phiri as the new Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary and Lucy Mungoma as Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary.
“The Ministry of Education is one of the most important ones but that does not mean that the others are less important. It is at this ministry that we plan the future of our children.
“As president, I am proud that we have built more schools than anybody else. We have built additional classrooms, teachers’ houses. Wherever we look we have schools,” Mr Banda said.
The achievements in education were made despite the effects of the global economic recession. The Government was doing much to improve the education sector.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us and now that theBudget has been released,” Mr Banda said.
With the vast experience that Mr Phiri has had in the civil service, President Banda said he was confident that the new appointee would deliver to the satisfaction of the citizenry.
On the appointment of Ms Mungoma, President Banda said the appointee had been in the civil service and foreign services for many years and was conversant with the operations of the Government.
President Banda said Ms Mungoma’s last appointment was in Rome, Italy.
“I had the privilege to meet you there and it was then that I knew you could serve the ministry.
“There are good reports from others that worked with you. This job at the ministry is one of the complex in the civil service,” President Banda said.
[Times of Zambia]