Thursday, March 28, 2024

Mansa Students protest against college management

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Students at Mansa College of Education (MACE) yesterday morning staged a demonstration to press for change of management at the institution.

The students demonstrated to push for the removal of College Principle Steven Zeko and his registrar alleging that the two had failed to run the institution properly.

The students through their Union representatives alleged that the named officers were in the habit of suspending and punishing students for unclear reasons.

The students said that the principle had suspended three students and refused to attend to their sick counterpart who had reported late for this term despite explaining her condition.[quote]

The students further said that the principle had developed a school activity calendar which did not allow students to concentrate to their studies.

“we are made to wake up at 05:00 hours to garden and work in the piggery up to 06:30 when we go for breakfast. At 08 hours we have to report for lectures until 16 hours when we knock off to do production unit up to 18 hours daily.

we don’t have time to study on our own as we are always tired,” the student leaders said.

The students also demonstrated to push management at the school to reduce the passing mark from 65 percent to 45 percent.

They said that the 65 percent pass mark was unrealistic because other teacher training colleges in the country were still using the 45 percent cut off point.

“When students fail to get 65 percent they are made to stand in front during assemblies this is unacceptable for a higher learning institution were some of these students have families, it’s very humiliating,” the students said.

The students begged the PEO to intervene by removing the college principle and his registrar.

But College Principle said the students had been incited to demonstrate by some lecturers whom he has cited for financial embezzlement at the institution.

Mr. Zeko said since his becoming principle at the school he had noted some irregular behavours amongst some lecturers and students such as late reporting for lessons and he had made sure that such cases are properly disposed off according to the laid down regulations.

He said some lecturers are not happy with his tight management of the institution hence the riot.
ZANIS

8 COMMENTS

  1. The principal is behaving like a typical secondary school headmaster. To be paraded in front is surely embarrasing. These students are overworked manually hence their poor grades in class. Speaking from experience, students loaded with too much study material also fail to tick but i guess, these have been subjected to about both scenarios(manual work & studies). The pass mark is about right but 50 % normally is desirable.

  2. #1 Tente. You are right because such behavior belongs to medievil headmasters who would parade students on the podium before their peers for having broken rules but did they know that doing so would dumpen a student’s self-confidence. It is a shame. I doubt if these same chaps even have knowledge about management. Anyway it is just a true reflection of what the country has been led into by Chiluba who stopped staff development programmes so that we could have a qualified cadre of managers, not the sort that is reported in this artilce.

  3. Yes I concur with you two above. This was quite humiliating, I can now imagine. I remember at closing time every end of term, being asked to go and stand at the parade ground, in front of the whole school. Then your cass teacher would start calling your names: Nambala Wanu mukwai ni: TENTE, ena uyu alie fye fyonse. Nambaa Tuu nao mukwai ni: Kamunyama wena atobele kofye kamo fye mpoo. Nambala Fili mulumendo beta ati: Kasama Boy, uwa tobelekofye tubili muchisungu, Ichibemba chena, ne nsamushi, na social studies alile fye tonse. I now come to the last person, the teacher says, Uwaisele ichibi, Then you see all the possible failures rushing in a ka tight group shielding each other from stares. Upon announcing the last person, (s)he would rejoice like a nambala wanu. This crap at college?.

  4. The Principal is ok. These chaps should just read, and read and charge (pass). If they had demonstrated against having few books, I can support them. What is 65%, in fact let the college move the pass mark to 70%. ANNOYED!

  5. This kind management is too autocratic. That Zeko might have a sad and troubled family affairs, and he wants to do his anger therapy at his students. The best he can do is to go and manage a prison or wild conservation park.

  6. This is too much for Boarding School life. Being woken up at 0500hrs, imagine those dorms are not heated and usually there is no hot water for bathing either..then subjected to all the manual work before a ‘so called breakfast’ then attend school only to have more manual labour after School, that is too much.. no ways…. I would join in the protest… those were old days….

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