CATHOLIC PRIEST PLEADS FOR JOBLESS TEACHERS

By Ketra Kalunga GOVERNMENT should create employment for the many youths in Kapiri Mposhi who have graduated as teachers some of them as far back as 2015, a Catholic priest has said. Father, Patrick Mupula, said it was sad that teachers who had graduated five years ago were still unemployed, yet they spent a lot of money on training. Father Mupula also called on Government to empower youths and women in the area who were engaged in various trading activities. He said there were so many youths in the district who graduated as teachers, who were roaming the streets of Kapiri Mposhi due to lack ofemployment. He said sadly some of the young women had started engaging in prostitution due to lack of employment and empowerment programmesFather Mukuka was speaking yesterday in Kapiri Mposhi during mass at Saint Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish which was attendedmy Central Province minister, Sydney Mushanga. He said Government should prioritize youth empowerment in order to reduce the high levels of employment among the young people and women in the country. “We have so many youths in Kapiri who have graduated as teachers but are just rooming the streets, we appealed to you minister to help find employment for them and also empower the women who trade along the road,” he said. And Mr Mushanga urged the civil servants from the departments of community development social welfare, fisheries and livestock to ensure that the people accessed various Government empowerment programmes. The minister indicated that Government through the Citizen Economic andempowerment Commission (CEEC) has a number of empowerment programmes for the youth and women in the country. “District Commissioner, departments of community development, fisheries and livestock assist the people with empowerment programmes, help them accessed these services,” Mr Mushanga said. And the minister challenged youths to fix their own lives through working hard because no one would do it for them. “Don’t be cheated, fix your own life, no one will fix it for you, on social media many of you are saying so and so will fix, fix your own life by working hard,” he said. Mr Mushanga also donated a K5 000 to go towards painting of the church.