Education Minister Announces Teacher Recruitment Results

Hon. Douglas Syakalima, Minister of Education, has confirmed that the 2024 Teacher Recruitment Exercise is now complete. The names of 4,200 successful applicants will be published tomorrow, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in both print and electronic media.

Speaking today (March 19, 2025), Minister Syakalima also revealed that the government is currently hiring an additional 2,400 teachers as replacements. This separate recruitment process will be completed within two weeks, and these names will not be published alongside the main recruitment list.

The 4,200 newly recruited teachers include:

• 424 early childhood educators
• 1,136 primary school teachers
• 2,640 secondary school teachers

While 10% of positions (420) were reserved for teachers with disabilities following government policy, only 202 such teachers were recruited. Minister Syakalima explained this was due to subject requirements under the new curriculum implemented in February, which prioritized STEM subjects, practical arts, and business studies.

The Minister highlighted government efforts to improve education standards, including:

• Free education policy
• Distribution of desks across schools
• Building new school infrastructure
• Reintroduction of meal allowances
• Increased student loans

He emphasized that these improvements would be ineffective without enough qualified teachers. The government aims to reduce the current teacher-pupil ratios, which average 1:58 in primary schools and 1:38 in secondary schools.

Syakalima also noted that in 2023, the government originally planned to hire 4,500 teachers but received 78,000 applications. This led to the recruitment of 7,222 teachers, exceeding the initial target but still leaving over 70,000 applicants unsuccessful.

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