Friday, March 29, 2024

Will Suffering Continue? Irresponsible Higher Education Policy

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Pupils_at_Nelson_Mandela_basic_school_in_Lusaka_singing_during_the_commemoration_of_the_Nelson_Mandela_Day_in_Lusaka.

The Hon. Minister of Youth and Sport, Hon. Kambwili, a recent graduate of Copperstone University, who praised himself heavily in the public newspapers upon his successful completion of a Bachelor’s degree while serving as MP, to the extent of attracting the attention of the Anti-Corruption Commission over alleged abuse of the media– is quoted recently as having said that it’s not the priority of the PF government to educate Zambians. He justifies the PF government’s failure to sponsor well qualified students to university because the PF has ‘other’ priorities.

Such recklessness and irresponsibility on the part of government is inexcusable. Interestingly though, while Kambwili says this, Hon. Miles Sampa turns to his facebook friends to seek guidance on whether he should use part of the Constituency Development Fund money to sponsor a brilliant student who has been denied funding to university by the PF government.Evidently, there is no coordination nor agreement nor prioritization of higher education in the PF government.

Denying 4000 well qualified students an opportunity to further and enhance their education is unfair, unjust and a clear way of perpetuating poverty and inequality in Zambia. Two aspects of the Zambian education system deserve immediate attention:

[pullquote]we are a country that justifies spending over K6million on renovating a presidential guest lodge in Kitwe, yet, we fail to allocate a smaller amount to fund students that qualify to university[/pullquote]

Quality and Quantity. Most would accept that the quality of local education, when compared to the region, has not performed well. There have been policies of re-aligning the education system to meet the labour market demands which have consistently complained about the low quality of graduates. With the current state of quality, and the realisation that reforms may take a while, emphasis should have been on expanding access, increase the quantity of graduates. We are now faced with a duo problem: Low quality and low quantity education, with thousands of youths offloaded onto the streets without skills useful for the labour market. I do not wish to imagine what would become of those brilliant kids once on the streets.
These issues don’t make sense. Come to think of it, we are a country that justifies spending over K6million on renovating a presidential guest lodge in Kitwe, yet, we fail to allocate a smaller amount to fund students that qualify to university. We seem to have brought onto ourselves an elitist regime that is not concerned about the future of this country’s children, only concerned about the luxuries its leaders should enjoy while in government. If that wasn’t the case, surely over 4000 students would have been enrolled and funded by government.

50 years of self-rule, and we still cannot prioritise educating our nation. 50 years of self-rule, you have ministers that sit in Cabinet, make laws in parliament, and proudly say: It’s neither government’s priority nor responsibility to educate people. I agree with them, it is not their priority, if it was, they would not have been saying it. If it was, they would have increased the number if students going to university under the bursary scheme.

Education is the only known effective social and economic equalizer.

It is only through education that that poor farmer in the village would have a medical doctor child. It’s the only way that a poor tailor from the compounds would have an economist son, a lawyer, an engineer, who, when all is said and done, would help improve the lifestyles of his society. Take away education, deny children education, and you will have the streets filled with thugs, vendors, and all manner of ill that is not pleasant. It seems this is the priority of the PF government: To have a militia of street vendors, thugs, etc that they would then give a few packs of shake shake during elections to campaign for them.
This is regrettable indeed. What did our young students ever do to deserve being denied a decent education which they so deserve and qualify for?

By Hjoe Moono

25 COMMENTS

    • It is a game, any person will suffer if they don’t work hard at school don’t pass exams and don’t want to do a PhD like me

      My point is, in any spectrum of life there are winners and losers, sufferers and winners, rich and the poor

      Don’t feel sorry for the poor it is part of the balance if life to segregate the elite (such as me ) to the less fortunate, that doesn’t mean I am laughing or ridiculing them, I am merely saying, there are opposite being to every human kind, this is expected

      WE MOVE ON

      Thanks

    • You think these PF ministers with fake degrees can prioritize issues? If the President can not remember or mention one of his classmates at University. Ask Kambwili what time he was attending Classes?

      You can list them as;
      President – “Skype” University,
      Kambwili – Copper chakuti-chakiti University
      Masumba – NIPA ( He is Untrainable)
      the list goes on…………………….

    • Interesting turn of thoughts by the Minister that has been entrusted to develop the Zambian Youths. The PF government embarked on capacity additional at university intake level by building more universities starting with Muchinga, Robert Makasa, etc but today the Minister is telling us he is not bothered whether this buildings are put purpose or not because it no longer priority.

  1. How can sata prioritize education he himself is Sub A .He has a bunch of ministers ,who never thought they will be in Government one day.PF think building Roads is the only real development than paying tuition fees. They think building schools is important they put up an Education system that is superior like those in developed countries. You can have Schools but poor education system what will you achieve?You can have Hospitals but not doctors and no better health delivery system what have you achieved? Check even the quality of bloggers that support PF there contribution is sub standard. Kabimba was right when he said the majority that voted for PF were illiterate .Real development revolves a round Human needs, before you build white elephants.

    • @Sido Marks

      To be fair education funding at higher education is a problem even in UK. PF correctly tried too many projects at once, but it was necessary to bring some basic standards to a Zambia that has been underdeveloped for a long time.

      There was no win win situation. It is easy to see that PF were riding the crest of a wave as the time presented to develop.

  2. In terms of paying school fees, from the times of MMD, parents have been responsible.

    What is the way forward then?

  3. Big mouths the lot of you.

    If you are so much better than Sata, come run the gov’t yo!

    Show us what you are made of instead of intellectualising and noise making. Presidency is open for challenge to anyone with enough political and economic chutzpah.

    Come on show us your ability.

  4. What is actually disheartening is the fact that the president has been preaching one campaign message in all the by-elections. He has consistently urged his MPs to prioritize the welfare of children. Why is he quiet on this bursary fiasco?

    Wait a minute. haven’t we been told that these bursaries are in fact not grants but loans, which are meant to be paid back? If they’re loans why not give them to all the students?

  5. ..its indeed a sad state of affairs……..how do you walk about with your head high when u are a minister of sport but within your constituency the only premier team is rock bottom on the league, golf club reduced just to beer guzzling and grazing field for domestic animals, rugby is almost non existence….in short there is nothing to talk about sporting activities in own backyard and you are a national sports coordinator/administrator…..
    The announcement was supposed to be pronounced by ministry of finance or education and we expected a counter reaction from the ministry of youth….from the ruling party national youth chairman to come in support of the youth…but what do we hear..??

  6. Yeah – When The Going is Getting Tough,The Tough is Getting Going-Im smelling “The Last Political Battle” Just like the one in 1991.The next Presidential General Elections will be the toughest ever.People are really becoming despondent and at the same time civilised on issues of good governance and human development.Gullibles are really waking up from slumbler and a new dawn of voting is probable.Tiye Nayo PF Lies Wina azaulula ATi -90 DAYS blablabla…_uuuuuuuuuuuko kumuchinga province twaleni bufi bwaanu!

  7. PF ‘s priorities are not known to anyone.Sata please wake up,come give guidance.You cannot play with the lives of the people.Please ba PF do something about UNZA

  8. @Moono, the problem is you start by ukushiinda then wanya pa last. Listen to the news when results are announced: over 21000 pupils passed at G12, about 6000 have gone in colleges of sorts. 3000 unaccounted for. 11000 were accepted at UNZA, government gave its limit of scholarships (bursary). Those 4000 are left overs. Thus the need for more varsities. Don’t just yap excitedly nembushi shinobe.
    About the prioritising of higher education, ask Lungwangwa, I’m sure he can pump some sense in hh. We were with him in Jom Tien.

    • it is much easier to know/guess who the real @kakolwe is than to know/guess who would win the game between Chelsea and NAPSA football club…..
      ….such filth language..eish!!!
      Plse lets sober and tone down…these sites are visited by a spectrum of all kinds and range of people…if u feel the article has personally offended you, do nor respond or post comment there and then. Close it and revisit it after an hour or so when u have cooled down than dragging the author and all of us bloggers into the dustbin…..
      grow up sir….

  9. how does PF expect to be in power for a long time when they are daily stripping our entitlements
    pretty soon they will become irrelevant, People can only sacrifice for so long before they boot you out, especially watching Politicians getting rich while stripping little you have

  10. How can we be building so many universities we are not prepared to manage?.

    There is one lesion to learn here. Next time don’t vote for people with humble education because they want to prove a point that they can make educated people dance to their tune. To some extent UNZA students are to blame for they couldn’t be advised over PF. Here we are now literally in a dilemma. And humbly educated people are very difficult to rid of power for they are prepared to use any means to retain power. To PF, bye-elections are more important than education. Trips abroad are more important than health. Shame

  11. Mushota you are really ass.one day life will catch up with you. As for Kambwili, nimbwili sana hence the name.oh i forgot , no wander behaves like that akwata ubongo bwa mbwili.

  12. What is the logic of creating more new universities when there is no capacity to sustain the few existing ones? Is it the case of CNP at work? It makes one wonder as to what will happen when the newly created unversities become operational!

  13. You people will never cease to amaze!! There will NEVER be a time when govt will sponsor EVERY prospective student in ONE UNZA!! Can one go & check how these students hoard themselves in the NELT (as if it is still new).The facilities are bursting on their seams. So the need to build new infrastructure. You see @ scruitinizer? That’s why I said you start by……

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