Milenge DAO Recounts 19 Years of Being a Rural Teacher

By Linda Mupemo

Godfrey Chikonde

After spending many years in school, most young graduates envision themselves working or doing business and settling down somewhere in an urban area.

But as fate would have it, some end up in the remotest parts of the country. This is the reality Godfrey Chikonde was slapped with in 1999.  He was then a  fresh graduate from Mansa College of Education, having obtained his certificate in Primary Education.

 Mr. Chikonde was also thriving in his football career and at the time, he played for Mansa Wanderers as a defender, on number four.

"I was born and bred in Mansa district. I had never imagined myself working, let alone settling in a remote area," he states.

 "My football team members were not ready to lose me. They actually attempted to push for a transfer for me before I even reported for work," he chuckles. 

Mr. Chikonde did not know what opportunities and challenges were ahead of him, but he decided to take up his first appointment in the public service and went to Milenge District, in Luapula Province. 

He says rural communities are closely knit and very supportive, which made it easy for him to fit in.

He recalls how few civil servants were in the district back in the days especially teachers. He says they were treated with so much respect.

Mr. Chikonde says sometimes community members gave him food such as sweet potatoes, cassava and pumpkins for free. 

"At times, they would bring bush meat for sale and would give me the whole portion of meat even if I did not have money at the time. All they said was, 'Tapali abakushita bambi, mukatupela nga mwafola ba sir (there is no one else who can afford this. You will give me the money when you get paid sir)" he recalls.

The United Church of Zambia congregant was not spared from the infamous witchcraft attacks when he was new in the area.

"There were mornings I found my body tattooed. At some point it became so serious that we had to ask the late Chieftainess Sokontwe to warn the community members against such practices," he recalls, adding that he was then teaching at Butimbwe Primary School.

He says there are still isolated cases of witchcraft in the district but  he is not fazed by the acts.

 "Witchcraft is everywhere, we all just live by the grace of God," he notes.

Undoubtedly one of the longest serving teachers in Milenge, Mr. Chikonde has taught at two primary schools (Butimbwe and Mashika) and at Lwela and Milenge secondary schools.

He says he taught all subjects at primary level while he specialised in Mathematics and Physical Education at Secondary level. 

Mr. Chikonde says during his teaching career,  low progression rates among rural pupils has been the greatest concern. He  adds that most pupils discontinue with their education, especially after their  grade seven, as their parents cannot afford to finance their studies.   

He, however, reveals that some pupils drop out of school due to their parents' negligence as they usher them into early marriages.

He says it is disheartening as a teacher to see a pupil with so much potential loom in the village corners due to lack of finances or has been forced into an early marriage.

Mr. Chikonde observes that it is now that rural communities are beginning to attach importance to education. 

"In the past, early marriages were rampant. At times, parents would go with their children for months in fishing camps and to catch ifinkubala (caterpillar)," he says. 

The acting Milenge District Administrative Officer (DAO) with a smile on his face says it takes a dedicated person to survive the rural working conditions.

He says he has to travel over 200 kilometers to access his salary in Mansa district as there are no banking services in Milenge.

The father of four children, the oldest son being 18 years old and the youngest three, adds that he has to buy his groceries from Mansa even today. The shops in Milenge do not stock all the necessities, he notes.

"The road network was poor when I came here. Milenge-Kasanka Road had many pot holes. It is better now that it has been spot graveled. However, transport is still a challenge as few vehicles come here," he adds.

Mr. Chikonde explains that it is a challenge for rural schools to keep up with changes in the education sector and technological advancements as they have limited resources.

He cites Computer Studies as one subject which rural teachers struggle to teach as most schools lack computers.

He states that the unavailability of such essential resources and inadequate classroom space shared among many pupils negatively affects the performance of rural pupils.

"The teacher-pupil ratio is relatively low. As a rural teacher, you have many pupils in one class room and many classes to teach," he states.

Mr. Chikonde says the passion he has to inculcate knowledge in others has made him stay in Milenge for 19 years despite the difficulties he encounters.

"My passion to teach is not restricted to a particular geographical area. As long as my services are needed here, I will stay," he states, adding that he has never asked to be transferred since he reported in 1999.

He says he still does the things he loves in Milenge, his love for football has not withered as he now coaches school teams. 

He encourages other rural teachers to take their minds off the challenges and look at the bigger picture of offering education to all, regardless of their location.

"If we do not educate our rural communities, no one else will do it for us," he says.

Mr. Chikonde cites the time he and a few other officers were selected to represent Luapula Province at the Ministry of Education Joint Annual Review Meeting in 2007 in Lusaka as one of his memorable moments in his professional life.

He says it made him realise he could achieve anything and progress in his career despite being based in a rural area.

He says he has held many administrative positions such as Zone in Service Coordinator, Expressive Arts Head of Department, and Deputy Head Teacher among others.

Mr. Chikonde says he was appointed as Chembe Secondary School deputy head teacher (in Chembe District) but has been acting as Milenge DAO since November, 2017 as the school is still under construction.  

He says being in a rural area has not stopped him from attaining personal development.

Mr. Chikonde did a Diploma in teaching at Nkrumah University. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Zambia and he just completed his masters degree at the same institution. 

Educating rural communities indeed plays a vital role in developing them, it is hoped that more people take up the challenge in order to achieve equitable development in the country.