FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lusaka, 21st March 2025 – The Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD) commends the Teaching Service Commission and the Ministry of Education for their inclusive recruitment of 4,200 teachers for the 2024 intake.
Notably, 202 individuals with disabilities from our database of 285 have been successfully recruited, a significant milestone toward equitable employment.
We congratulate these 202 recruits as they join the civil service and urge them to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct in their roles.
This recruitment underscores the government’s commitment to inclusive employment and social security for graduates with disabilities. We applaud this effort and encourage its continuation.
However, we stress the urgent need for higher learning institutions to provide reasonable accommodations, including Sign Language interpreters, note-takers, Braille equipment, and accessible physical environments. These resources are crucial for students with disabilities pursuing STEM, Business Studies, and Expressive Arts courses.
With the 2023 revised education curriculum prioritizing these fields, equal access is essential for independent living and job placement.
Students with disabilities must not be confined to social sciences—they deserve equal opportunities to excel in all disciplines. By ensuring individualized accommodations, institutions can empower them to compete fairly in future recruitment processes.
Additionally, we call on the Civil Service Commission and the Local Government Service Commission to adopt the Teaching Service Commission’s inclusive recruitment approach.
We urge them to uphold the government’s commitment to reserving job opportunities for persons with disabilities in upcoming recruitments.
Furthermore, we emphasize the need for future teacher recruitment processes to be disaggregated by disability type.
This will enhance transparency, integrity and credibility of recruitment process devoid of mistrust among applicants with Disabilities.
Data will also help government to put in place intervention that aims at removing barriers in recruitment process for persons with disabilities.
Issued by:
Frankson Musukwa
Director General
Zambia Agency for Persons with Disabilities (ZAPD)