By Sarah Gwetsani
There is growing anger amongst teachers that went for promotion aptitude test interviews in November, 2022 at Bwaila Secondary School in Lilongwe Urban to grades K, J and I in the civil service that the results are not transparent enough claiming that those that have been promoted are not the deserving ones.
Reports have been circulating amongst teachers that Government will not promote all that attended aptitude test interviews for promotion at one goal but in turns starting with those who have worked for long to be the priority thereafter, the other groups.
The news was greeted with a sigh of relief that Government has heard the cries of those teachers that have worked for long and have not been promoted making some of them to retire in the public service at Grade L in the teaching profession.
It has been established that the office of the Human Resources Management and Development [HRMD] in District Education Managers [DEMs] Lilongwe Urban is phoning individual teachers with the advice that when coming to the office one should bring with him or her a pen and a piece of paper for filling forms.
The teachers have argued that in the past, offices of the District Education Managers used to stamp names of successful candidates on the notice board for all to see that even those who fail to make it to the office to access the results, were informed by the colleagues in their respective schools.
They have also argued that others who have been promoted have not stayed at one grade for over four years and that others are those who qualified under MIITEP cohort 8 a development which has demoralized many especially those that have worked for over 10-15 years without getting promotion.
It has also been established that at one school in Lilongwe City a MIITEP Cohort 8 teacher who was promoted in 2013 to Grade J has again been promoted to Grade I in what many are describing it as having connections above.
The teachers are suspecting corruption, nepotism and favoritism to have taken centre stage in the teachers promotion demanding officials of the Local Government Service Commission to give a clarification on whether the system of releasing results for interviews have changed or not.
When contacted, Local Government Service Commission Executive Secretary Berlings Kumpata, said the Commission follows all the protocols observed for releasing results of interviews held to the District Commissioners across the country.
Kumpata said the Local Government Service Commission releases results of the interviews held through minutes to the District Commissioners and upon receiving those minutes, they communicate to District Education Managers [DEMs].
He said District Education Managers [DEMs] issue letters of accepting offer of appointment to the successful teachers by contacting those teachers that have become successful to come to the office to collect offer of appointment letters and sign on it that they have accepted the offer of appointment.
….’’Signed letters of accepting offer of appointments are sent to the Local Government Service Commission for letters of promotion through their respective councils,’’….said Kumpata.
However, Kumpata has appealed to all teachers who have complaints with the results of the interviews held to contact his office assuring them that the office will review the complaints and do the necessary actions.
