Education Minister Geoffrey Lungwangwa has challenged the University of Zambia Senate to rescind its decision to open the institution without further delay. Prof. Lungwangwa says the current recess at UNZA is not necessary and unjustified because the University Council should be able be in position to expeditiously conclude salary negotiations and other conditions of service.
Prof. Lungwangwa says Government is committed to dismantle the K360.6 billion debt at the two major universities in Zambia.
Prof. Lungwangwa says K259.8 billion debt for the University of Zambia (UNZA) and K100.8 billion would be settled soon and that government will release the remaining 2008 supplementary budget of K20 billion at UNZA Great East Campus and K10 billion for the Copperbelt University respectively.
The Education Minister announced this at a pres briefing in Lusaka today.
He said government is committed to development of the public universities and it is doing every possible to enable them play their key role in the development of the country and fulfilling the Vision 2030.
He lamented that government is aware of the persistent accumulation of huge debts by the public institutions has constrained the financial sustainability.
And the University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) has expressed disappointment at the decision taken by the senate to extend the re-opening of the University indefinitely.
President, Solomon Ngambi said the union is very disturbed with the decision taken by UNZA senate to extend the recess for the students as it will greatly affect the students calendar.
Mr. Ngambi said this in an interview with the Zambia News and Information Services (ZANIS0 in Lusaka today.
He charged that government and UNZA management were not handling the problems been faced at the institution with the seriousness and emergency it deserves.
“There are no problems which can not be resolved hence we do not understand why government and UNZA management are failing to resolve the problems with the striking lecturers,” Mr. Ngambi said.
Mr. Ngambi added that most students will be de-franchised in the forth coming Presidential by-elections if the university does not open before 30th October as most of them are registered voters at the institution.
He said the close of the university should serve as a timely warning to UNZA management to also ensure that it clears the books of accounts which have not be audited since 1997.
Mr. Ngambi further urged management at the institution to consider revising the renewing of contracts and conditions of services for lecturers from one year to five years as the this was responsible for the yearly disturbance at the institution.
Mr. Ngambi has since government and UNZA management to find a lasting solutions to the problems been faced at UNZA in a bid to ensure that the institution runs smoothly once students get back.
The UNZA senate yesterday announced the extended recess for its students.
The recess was supposed to end on the 21st a of September after a senate decision to send students back home in July to allow for negotiations between striking UNZA lecturers and management.
The University was prematurely closed two months ago after students rioted over the strike by lecturers.
The Lecturers have rejected a 10% salary increase effected by management instating that they signed for a 15% pay rise.
And opposition National Revolution party has advised the Government to intervene and stop University of Zambia (UNZA) senate from extending the recess if students are to be given a chance to vote wisely in the October presidential elections.
Party president Cosmo Mumba said it was unfortunate that the highest learning institution in the country could be under going such problems when the Country about to hold important election and also that exams are near.
Yesterday the UNZA senate and the academic authority announced that the institution will not open tomorrow citing that the environment at the institution was not yet conducive for learning.
Dr. Mumba disclosed that the UNZA was closed at the time when many youths in the Country are also making decisions on who should rule them in the forth-coming presidential elections.
He noted that if government does not quickly intervene, the situation might worsen and end up disfranchising students who registered as voters at the institution.
He explained that students at UNZA come from far places and have different backgrounds, adding others do not have money to come to Lusaka to vote, hence can only be accorded the chance of participate if the institution is opening.
ENDS/MMPK/ZANIS.
Good thinking but wrong timing
The reason these chaps don’t want the institution to open is because they know its a powerful gathering of free thinkers there and that is a threat to acts like sugar dadism and immoral salary increment. its the only place where you could have demontstrations against Bwezani’s tribal abuse of his powers.
UNZA must be reopened now or never. Suplimentary budgets take long in parliament but this problem is urgent.
Opening the Uni. is one thing but finding an everlasting solutions to these frequent closures is another. Subjecting students (Both lacal and foreign)to such bad conditions is tantamount to a criminal offence (if in doubt, please consult your nearest lawyer). By the way, has the Zambian government given the Rusian students their allowances? Please if possible, delay the buying of motor vehicles for chiefs but instead invest more in the education sector. What the traditional chiefs need is empowerment in the form of agricultural inputs, better road networks and above all, respect from you the politicians who tend to think on their behalf.
In the UK for example, if you deny your child education (refusing your child to go to school or the child refusing to go to school), you could go to prison. Do you want us to take you the government to prison??
As stated before, a minister does not need more than 1 (one) motor vehicles. The money could instead be put to good use. These guys don’t just care because there children are in foreign learning institutions at the expense of the oldinary Zambian tax payers.
uk uk whats the problem. This is Zambia. The donz are thiefs. They take advantage of the students failure 2 distinguish who the problem causer is. Thoz students in Russia come from well 2 do families most of them. Lets buys cars 4 the chiefs and open the loco Unv and then let thoz in Russia go to hung
Can we start having Elections every year so that politicians get more sensible in their thinking and decisions? Seems like they only do what people cry for during election years!
#6 world wide the job of minister is atractive or else they can sale the country. Give them better pay 4 our sake. so a minister diserves thoz cars anyway.
Yes Mwanawasa was a good president but some of his ministers might were bad boys and need to be visited by the law (Better be soon).
If they become idle some thief will bribe people mentally and financially so the just have to do that. By the way we are still a young democracy. Democracy is poisonous 2 poor countries so is dictatorship. This is Zed not UK USA.
iwe prof Lungwangwa ulimbwa zolile. Why are you issuing weak orders through the press as if you don`t know where UNZA is. We mbushi we kabwalala.
HERE IN RUSSIA WE HAVE BEEN REDUCED TO BEGGARS. THE IRRESPONSIBLE PEOPLE ARE NOT EVEN SAYING NOTHING ABOUT OUR LITTLE ALLOWANCES. RIGHT NOW AM BEGGING FOR INTERNET FROM MY ANGOLAN FRIEND. SHAME MMD
Its been long over due. Opening the university is one thing, finding a lasting solution is another. There is no way you can have people having first semester now. Namupena or What? Kwena Zambia twasebana pa fula.
I think we don’t hold education with two hands. Please lets help the next generation to excel. So now that we not opening tomorrow when are we opening? This is really to much, next year grade twelves are finishing, where do you think they will all go because am seeing no enrollment any time soon. With this corruption some are set to join the university unceremoniously since not much has been covered. Chaipa pa zed mwe. We need change and real change. Don’t know whose hands are clean to lead us. RB, SATA OR HH. . .
A country with it´s main university closed whenever is a sorry sight.
This shows how the gov´t of the day is a big failure.Vote for serious people for once,or atleast use your vote wisely and let it count for mother zambia´s future.
They are now panicking last minute things seem to be going well UNZA to be reopened soon. Mwapia just jump into the boart before you are swept. Election fever iyooo.
Pabwato fyeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
CDP www thecitizensdemocraticparty.com ppl support this idea- it is NOT just another party. A Different approach we can believe in. I am adverstising for them yes!
Money the source of all evils is again reason for UNZA closures. If it is not the student allowance, it is the workers pay. The institution is full of think tanks (students & Staff) who can turn the establishment into an independent entity that would function with minnimal funding from the government. It is a known fact that days are gone when Zambia had a lot of money from copper from which the academic institutions got funded 100%. If we are to develop, we must move with the changing times. Engage the bright minds into research projects that can raise funds for the institution. Go to companies local and abroad and solicit for projects.
Our University – closed
Our Airline – bankrupt
Our Mines – sold out
Our President – dead
Our Government – malfunctional
Our civil servants – corrupt
Is there anything working well in Zambia???
Thats good thinking Lungwangwa i only hope he is also not campaigning for RB.I v been the head boy at UNZA for a long time i need to leave
Engage students and staff in agriculture ventures that will generate revenue. Even tourism, transportation, etc, can also be ventured. The institution must be stabilized to enable foreign students want to come and study there. Right there we got forex coming in as opposed to the current situation whereby students are being sent abroad for education. That is lost revenue right there. Just because we got elections coming up is not good reason for hastening opening of UNZA. Year in, and year out, no permanent solution on the closures of UNZA has been found. All those that are alumunus must hold a conference to find a solution to UNZA’s perpetual problems. Wake-up people. If you care do it.
With the elections around the corner, The University issue has become urgent. It must be taken as a prioty with or without the elections. The next time it will be taken seriouly will be in 2011….next elections, unless we have another by-election before then.
#8 I agree with you.When the late President (MHSRIP) was admitted in Paris, Lungwangwa said there was no money for UNZA and he said he was waiting for LPM to return, so what has made him change his mind about re-opening?
RUPIAH has no VISION for Zambia.
During my intermittent and timely contributions,I`ve pointed out that RB has no direction.During high school we used to learn about the difference between VECTORS and SCALAR quantities.RB is a best example of a scalar (magnitude without direction).We need leaders that are PROACTIVE and not REACTIVE.His focus seems only to be reacting to the opposition and not tabulating what he`s got to offer the nation.
The only thing that`s going to help this tired recycled old politician get to plot 1 is through rigging.He seems clueless on being the top dog or bwanamukubwa.
Students in Russia, I sympathise with you.
Whether UNZA remains shut or is opened tomorrow makes no difference. The current problem is salaries for lecturers. The next problem is meal allowances for students.This is the trouble with FREE education (hand-outs).
The only solution is Sata. He will come and sort out all these problems.
Lungwangwa, ‘open UNZA without further delay’, what about rescuing our children in Moscow? 10% for lectures becomes an issue,but your 15% is reconsidered in parlmt.It’s ok since it’s your last time to ever do this due to the arrival of ba tata ba SATA.
That is why we all deserted pa ZEDI! We were busy thinking about our children’s future. What type of University is this, whereby it is 200% politically influenced? NO WAYS! not my kids and not in my life! No wonder the DEGREE FROM THIS UNIVERSITY IS GREATLY/OFTEN QUERRIED.
sometimes i wonder just like #20!!!!!!!! is their anything right going on in our believed country? But i think some of our problems are due to our bad and careless decisions we make us citizens,so pliz this time around those who will be voting pliz vote wisely for someone who is going to have a lasting solution for UNZA and zambia at large!!!!
I dont think MMD cares. i was at unza in 97 when it closed for 7 months over book allawance and came Boby bwalya to find a lasting solution. alas 10 years down the line nothing. lungwangwa not so long ago was DVC and caused more harm than good. do you expect him to help now or be objective? not in this world. MMD does not care about education in zambia. the more iliterate the people the beter for them. foreget lungwangwa we have to do it ourselves on Oct 30. i feel sorry for you guys in Russia. may God help Zambia.
UNZA Alumni should be generous enough to support the Institution finacially,because UNZA gave them a foot in the door for their success.
On the flip side it is very difficult to give to the institution because the students,lecturers are treated like crap by you know who…
Iwe No.7 u must be sick in yo thinking….which well to do families do the students in russia come from? If they were from well to families do u think they would complain ova peanut allowances from the govt? My friend its hard life in russia,cash comes today 2mrw its gone. Mwe bantu thigs r so expensive, jst imagine living completly broke…n da cold, how do we study? Our parents are civil servants for crying out loud!!! Pliz if u ve no beta contributions jst kip thoz nasty coments to your selfish self.We oso pray that da puzzle @UNZA gets complete. Pipo in Zed help us speak 2da govt…paka…udacha vsem.
Twalimishiba nga kuli ama elections.This is just election fever.The boat doesnt sink but shall keep on floating even when attempts of captizing it are employd. Kuya bebele MMD(mwalya mweka daddy)
let the student come and vote HH.this a well known secret every student knows that it is only HH for quality education from educated president.Goo HH Go and win
The prof. is just worried that Sata will come out strong and call for the opening of UNZA,otherwise his wish is to see the uni closed until after the elections. yes go ahead and open and let me also urge my bros and sisters not to come and throw stones at us tax payers but to finght the battle with senate and the govt. Spare us motorists ladies and gents.
YOU ZAMBIAN VOTERS, WE REALIZE THAT THE BATTLE IS BETWEEN SATA AND RB WHICH MAKES IT EVEN EASY TO CHOOSE. PLEASE, SHOW MMD THE EXIT THIS TIME. OTHER UNZA WILL BE CLOSED 4REVER AND RUSSIAN STUDENTS WILL CRACK DEAD, EVEN THE SUGAR AND MAELIE MEAL RECIPIENTS WILL ONLY DRINK TEA AND EAT NSHIMA DURING ELECTION PERIOD. SO CAST YOUR VOTES WISELY.
Zambia should be talking about something else today not the same and only UNZA since Dr. Kaunda.
Non of the presdential candidates is saying anything about the economy that detariorates by the second. The Kwacha was K1.00 – $2.00(USD) at independence and now is at $1.00(USD) – K3700.00(ZMK). No development is on the table of these candidates and unemployment is through the roof.
What an election. Correction to # 37 2nd paragraph 2nd line “deteriorates” has a typo. I don’t normally proof read or spell check.
MY FELLOW ZAMBIANS ITS TIME WE OPENED OUR EYES,YOU LOOK WHAT IS HAPPENING AFTER THE DEATH OF LEVY, ITS LIKE EVERYBODY IS BUSY TRYING TO SECURE HIS POSITION ESPECIALLY THAT NOW BANDA WILL BE FIRING SOME OF THE GUYS IN OFFICE AFTER HE IS ELECTED,SADLY FOR YOU GUYS IN UNIVERSITIES IN ZAMBIA AND THOSE OF YOU IN RUSSIA, CHINA,CUBA……YOU ARE NOT PRIORITY NUMBER ONE..I AM SORRY TO SAY THAT THATS THE WAY IT IS,THEY CAN ONLY ATTEND TO YOUR PROBLEMS AFTER THE ELECTIONS.PEOPLE IN ZAMBIA ARE SUFFERING AND YET WE PRETEND AS IF EVERYTHING IS OK LET US WORKUP AND SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE THAT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I RESPECT THE GUYS IN POWER THEY HAVE HIGH QUALIFICATIONS BUT WHAT THEY LACK IS THE HEART OF THE
iwe diza mind yo language
spot on #20. Zambia really needs some radical changes to be made. With things like these, its no wonder people are leaving the country in spades
Ba LT you should be going through your work after typing too much mistakes in the above story.however we are coming viva PF viva SATA the only man who can make a difference we nee change
HOW CAN R B RULE ZAMBIA IF HE HAS FAIED TO LOOK AT MATTERS AT UNZA
It is a sad situation indeed. Has any of the presidential candidates articulated their educational policies? We cannot afford to become a nation of illiterates.
RB has failed to run his company ALLEN WEST, he should NOT be entrusted to run the affairs of the country.
I mwe bantu. sure Prof lungwangwa today has powers to order the senst to rescind there decision when he new what was going on from the time started sitting. To he comes like he was way. is because of the elections.Zambians open your eyes.
please,please,please,please let us not look at tribe but at the otential one has to deliver what they are promising.
and you will al agree that HH IS JUST THE RIGHT GUY.
pa kuboko.
it’s sad that up to now pipo are still doubting the likes of HH. if pipo want real education, wants the education sector to tick, go for HH. he is the man of the era. these chaps like Sata and RB have outlived their usefulness. they represent the past.
VIVA HH FOR PROSPERITY.FOR THOSE WHO WANT SATA PLEASE SPARE A BY ELECTION.
Surely why has Govt failed to address the problems at UNZA? IT really sad that semesters are interupted every now and then. What kind of problems does UN´za have that are so difficulty to be solved? Every little thing Unza is shut, is on recess! You people stop wasting time for students. Let Unza have a programme that will not be disturbed over and over. I just wonder whose fault is really for these closures!
Yesterday i was strippinn in a local club.Its cruel this side of the world,its just that i have no option.Please the Govt should come to our rescue, i feel for myself.
Opening the university? Certainly not a good idea at the moment. Of what good will it help us to open it now and close it again a few weeks later. Is it not just yesterday that the government instituted a commission of inquiry to find out the cause of the the perpetual closures at the institution. The findings were that the university will never run consistently and should be shut for good. That university must be turned into a hospital and all the funds can be chanelled to CBU and students in Russia.
Standard six certificate, Former cop, Chief smuggler of the K2 billion in his brief case. Champion of the third term under Chiluba govt, a true tribalist, married to 2 wives, 3 concubines and 32 children with 17 gradchildren. Friends with Robert Mugabe,a dictator in making.
I FEEL PITY FOR OUR STUDENTS BUT THE PAINFUL REALITY IS THAT UNZA HAS INDEED BEEN MISMANAGED.THE PROBLEM AT UNZA IS MANAGEMENT BUT SOME PEOPLE WANT TO BRING IN POLITICS.
This government has mediocre leadership as it always wants to manage in crisis.THey always react to situations instead of being pro active.The problems facing the University has been around for a long time but no lasting solution has been found.Since its election time,they will provide a piece meal solution so as to win some votes.Come 2011 let us revulutionalise politics and put men and women with dynamic ideas who will move this nation to the next level.
Lungwangwa had a lot of criticisms against the then GVT when he was my lecturer at UNZA and am surprised now that he is in GVT and in charge of UNZA he has failed to sort out the long standing problems that the indtitution has been facing.
To all well-meaning Zambians, please let us all ensure that UNZA students get to UNZA and vote, obviously for HH, on 30th October 2008.
We are tired of gimmicks which cause loss of votes for credible oppositions candidates like HH.
Yeah,i can c alot of intelligence in the comments we ZAMBIANS are making.I just hope we all vote wisely on the 30th,4 the students in russia i realy feel 4 u guyz and jus kip on prayin dat all this crap will b cleard
#57 Do you realise that UNZA students will not vote for HH if Tonga’s think they must be the next president? Tell you what, the time Mazoka ‘won’ (or is it nearly won) the elections he had lots of support at UNZA until pipo realised that Tongas were beginning to behave unbecoming, began to behave as if other tribes were inconsequential – so things changed. Ba Monko took it upon themselves to ‘decampaign Mazoka and UPND partly for that reason. I hope your campaign for HH is on the basis of capability and not tribe like others are doing here. Bravo
#59, thanks for your comments. By the way I was at UNZA when Mazoka contested for Zambian President. I am one of the Zambian Tonga People who never voted in that election. In fact I have never voted in any Zambian election because of not being sure of who to vote for and also being outside the country learning useful techniques that I will use at home in future.
During our reign at UNZA, we advised the then President and his team of Ministers that UNZA had a serious problem in management. We made it very clear that Unions negotiating for salaries yearly was counter productive. But they NEVER listened. We advised them that lecturers should negotiate for salaries over five(5) year terms and that their salaries be inflation tagged during this period. They never listened and year in year out the University suffers closures because of these same meaningless negotiations. Thatis why we need leaders with a vision. The equal pay for work of equal value framework we proposed has never been honoured and yet the same govt is paying inducement allowances.
Continued from 61. These are the same expatriates who are being paid for not working. And we say we want to develop, what a joke!!! Prof. Lungwangwa with due respect has no clue about what he is doing in that Ministry. He could have foreseen these problems and could have advocated for reform at that Institution. He was a D/Vice Chancellor and worked at UNZA for many years. What doesn’t he know about the UNZA culture? If he was a visionary and adised Mwanawasa well about the Universities, things would have been done. I know for a fact that Mwanawsa would have given his support for meaningful reforms at UNZA no mater how costly. But, may be there are hiddens things we may not know.
wat abt us here in russia, why cant u consider us too? we are dyin of hunger here, pliz some1 to feel 4 us
#63, I feel pity for you. I wished I could do something to immediately help you with food. Anyhow, please all LT well-meaning bloggers, let us see if we can open a Bank Account where we can put money to help all the Zambian Students studying in Russia under the Bursaries Committe arrangemnet. It pains me to know that my fello Zambian Citizens have no food when the so-called ‘Sugar-Daddy’, RB, and the MMD are busy distributing sugar and other food items to villagers in Zambia – just before the elections are held.
# 64, thanx 4 havin human heart, may God bless u
#64 you are really worth being called a Graduate ’cause your contributions befit that.Tell me do you have any political ambitions? i will be the first one to vote for you if at all i will survive the hunger abd the hardships in Russia.
UNZA nizii, abaku russia besafye na complexion
UNZA……………………
Question we should ask is why is the university being re-opened now that its almost time to vote, if anything am sure they were goin to wait till after elections,as Zambians, let us vote wisely and vote for someone who will provide a lasting solution to the problems at UNZA, we can’t have the same thing goin on for years and years, closure after closure!!!!! For the students in Russia,I feel for you and pray that God will keep you well and alive
#20 lololololololol
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