By Monica Kayombo/Zambia, Lusaka,
AS teachers around the world mark World Teachers’ Day, Mr Kenneh Muleya is reflecting on 31 years in Zambia’s teaching profession with a message to young educators: teaching should be embraced as a lifelong calling, not treated merely as a job.
Muleya’s career has taken him from the classroom to district, provincial and national assignments, giving him wide experience across Zambia’s education sector.
He has also served as Deputy Chief Branch Manager of HWP- G08 Zambia and been recognised as a distinguished global Peace Messenger.
After more than three decades in public service, Mr Muleya says he is no longer pursuing positions. Instead, he is focused on inspiring the next generation of educators to dedicate themselves fully to teaching.
“Teaching is not a job you do. It is a life you lose yourself in,” he says in his 2026 World Teachers’ Day message.
He is calling especially on young and newly recruited teachers to commit themselves to the profession and become a lasting light in their learners’ lives.
“I no longer aspire, but inspire others to lose themselves to the teaching profession, and be light that shines in the minds of learners forever.”
His message to young teachers
Mr Muleya says a teacher’s lasting impact depends on humility, patience, continuous learning and integrity. He summarises these values in the word POLITE:
P – Patient: Every learner is different. Teachers must be willing to wait, repeat, encourage and believe in their learners.
O – Organised: Teachers should plan lessons, manage classrooms and respect their own time and that of their learners.
L – Liberal: Educators should remain open-minded and listen to learners, parents and colleagues without prejudice.
I – Intelligent: Teachers must continue learning through reading, research and skills development.
“A teacher who stops learning stops teaching,” Muleya says.
T – Tolerant: He urges teachers to forgive mistakes made by learners, colleagues and the system, saying tolerance helps build peace in schools.
E – Exemplary: Teachers must practise what they preach because their conduct is itself part of the lesson.
MrbMuleya explains this philosophy through the analogy of a doormat and water.
“A doormat is stepped on but remains welcoming. Water takes the shape of any vessel but never loses its essence. That is a teacher,” he says.
Losing oneself in the learner, service and integrity
Muleya challenges teachers to lose themselves in three things: the learner, service and integrity.
He urges educators to focus on learners rather than salaries, which may change, while the lives they shape can carry their influence for generations.
He also encourages service over position, noting that positions are temporary but service leaves a legacy.
On integrity, his message is direct: teachers should do what is right for the child, even when nobody is watching.
Three pieces of advice
Mr Muleya offers three key messages to young educators.
First, he encourages teachers to join unions and professional networks, saying solidarity strengthens and protects the profession.
Second, he calls for unity and mutual respect across disciplines.
Mathematics, Languages, Expressive Arts, Natural Sciences, Business Studies, Practical Subjects and Social Sciences all matter.
“No subject is superior. We are one staff,” he says.
Third, he urges teachers to protect their health, families and peace of mind.
Mr Muleya observes that Educators cannot continue to shine in learners’ minds if their own light has gone out.
“The future is in your class”
Reflecting on 31 years in the profession, Mr Muleya says the country’s future is being shaped in today’s classrooms.
“Young teachers, the chalk is in your hands. The future is in your class,” he says.
He urges teachers to give themselves fully to the profession and measure their impact through the doctors, farmers, leaders and teachers they help produce.
“Lose yourself to teaching, so that you may be found in every doctor, farmer, leader and teacher that you produce.,” Mr Muleya advises.
For Mr Muleya, 31 years of service represent more than time spent in the classroom. They reflect a lifelong commitment to shaping lives and strengthening the nation through education.
His message for World Teachers’ Day 2026 is simple: lose yourself to teaching and become the light that shines in learners’ minds forever.
Happy World Teachers’ Day 2026.
