Parents demand removal of 3 teachers at Sampofu School

By Mary Mashete

A group of concerned parents and school board members of Alufea Sampofu Combined School held a peaceful demonstration on Thursday morning, calling for the immediate removal of three teachers accused of unprofessional conduct and poor performance.

The protest march , held at the school premises in Nova Location, was organized with the assistance of local police who escorted the group to ensure safety and order. The demonstrators marched to the school with a unified goal to hand over a petition to the Regional Director of Education demanding swift action.

According to the petition, the group has lost confidence in three teachers who, they allege, have consistently failed to uphold their professional responsibilities, negatively impacting the education and future of the learners.

Allegations Raised Against the Teachers

Caprivi Vision has established names of the accused teachers , but  were withheld due to the matter of allegations, the first teacher, qualified to teach Life Science and Agriculture for Grade 8 and 9, was reportedly absent from duty since January 9 to June 17, 2025 for  a period of over five months. The petition describes this prolonged absenteeism as “unacceptable” and a serious disruption to learners’ academic progress.

The second teacher, responsible for teaching Mathematics in Grade 8 and 9, faces accusations of insubordination, including disrespecting and insulting the school principal, refusing to submit leave forms unless pressured, and contributing to a hostile school environment.

Whilst the third teacher, who teaches History and Geography in grade 8 and 9 is described in the petition as “always present but with no output.” The parents further allege that the teacher has a drinking problem, stating that he is often under the influence of alcohol even during school hours.

The protestors outlined six demands in their petition, key among them being the immediate transfer of the three teachers from Alufea Sampofu Combined School to other institutions.

“We, the parents of Alufea Sampofu C.S., no longer want our children to be taught by individuals who are merely earning a salary at the expense of our children’s education and future,” the petition reads.

The group emphasized that they want to see the school rise to become one of the top-performing institutions in the region. Despite repeated efforts by the school board to counsel and guide the teachers in question, no improvements have been observed, prompting the parents to take decisive action.

“This is our final petition,” the group warned. “If these teachers continue teaching at Alufea Sampofu C.S., we will take further action to ensure our children receive the quality education they deserve.”

The petition also calls for the appointment of new, committed teachers to take over the affected classes and restore the school’s academic integrity.

The petition was given to the Katima Circuit Education Inspector , Mr Rosco Lukubwe to hand it over to the Regional Director of Education.

Parents have made it clear that their ultimate goal is to ensure that their children succeed academically and are well-prepared to reach Grade 12 and beyond.

Mr. Vincent Mwemba, Chairperson of the School Board told Caprivi Vision that they had held several meetings addressing the same matter, and that the school board had tried to advise the three teachers to change , but all to no avail.

He mentioned that last year 2024, it had become a problem and that they conducted an investigation by checking the learners’ books, which revealed that some teachers were fulfilling their work duties while the accused teachers were not.

He added that this was how they had involved the parents.

According to the Public Service Staff Rules (2006) on the Misconduct and Disciplinary Action maintains that being under the influence of alcohol and drugs while on duty is a serious offence which leads to charges of misconduct and written warning.

Public Service Act 13 of 1995 (1995) stipulates and take actions against a public servant who make themselves guilty of misconduct for using intoxicating liquor excessively or uses stupefying drugs during the prescribed official hours of attendance without a prescription of a medical practitioner.

However, Zambezi Education Director, Mr. Alex Sikume confirmed on Friday that he received the petition and still need time to study their demands.

“I haven’t read the petition yet, so I’m not fully aware of the exact demands being made. I only saw coverage on the news, but the petition itself wasn’t read publicly. I officially received the petition this morning and I’m currently reviewing it. Once I understand the content and assess the seriousness of the matter, we’ll determine the appropriate course of action based on the gravity and the time it may take to resolve.” explained Mr. Sikume, Director of Education.

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