The Minister for Education has appealed to Unversity of Zambia workers who are on go-slow to resume work.
Geofrey Lungwangwa said there is no need for workers to withdraw labour when government has pledged to release additional funds.
He said workers should be patient because government is about to release an K20 billion additional funding to UNZA.
Professor Lungwangwa was speaking in an interview with ZNBC news.
Unionised workers who include lecturers, researchers and support staff have withdrawn their services to press for increased budgetary support.
Meanwhile, the Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union (CSAWUZ) and the National Union of Public Service Workers (NUPSW) have assured their members that the 2008 negotiations with government are still ongoing.
The two unions say this is in order to allow the labour movement and government resolve contentious issues on salaries and the base rate that has been used in calculating the housing allowance.
This is contained in a joint press statement released to ZANIS by CSAWUZ and NUPSW General Secretaries Darison Chaala and Davis Chingoni respectively.
The two appealed to their members to remain united and supportive as the leaders are working tirelessly to improve wages and conditions of service.
This follows queries from members concerning the status of the negotiations for the 2008 improved salaries and conditions of service for public service workers.
Just issue the 20 billion Kwacha money Mr Minister Prof Lungwangwa then all will be well. Talking without action will not get us anywhere.
I hav been pondering upon the idea of sending my children to UNZA so that they can somehow get Zambianized since they have been brought up outside the country. Besides, thats the only way I can somehow influence them to marry home since I dont want my children dispersed all over the world. But now this nonsence of accademicians of all people using students’ and parents’ misery as a burgaining tool and the govt not wanting to be put at ransom, really sickens me! I can imagine how hard it is to finish UNZA in good time, and the cost of waiting to graduate over prolonged studies for the students and fellow parents! Can somebody start thinking plz, bamakaka mwaya sana!!
Mwanangwa i am so livid with the unza crap and i get mad every start of their semesters. I have been sponsoring my young sister there as she does not have a bursary and everytime i pay her school fees she has never started classes on schedule because the place just goes into a predictable paralysis of go slows, strikes, labour withdrawal call it any name you like. We have blogged about unza here adnauseum but it is the same nonsense, academic staff wait for exams to draw near or the beging of a new term and then a strike kicks in, i dont care who is to blame for this mess i am just fed up!!
The govt is not serious with the smoothing running of learning at UNZA. There is too much talking and not puting things into action. Lungwangwa is a wrong and dull minister of education. He vividly knows the ALL the problems of UNZA but does he not solve them especially pressing issues like negotiations, gratuity, long service bonuses, passages etc. Lungwangwa just pay ALL the monies to employees and surely they will go resume work immediately. If it were a by-election billions would have been found. Jesus will come the second time and still find UNZA in a worse state than it is now. The students learn while seated on a stool and sometimes standing or sitted on a floor. Aluta continua!!
All,
Please forgive me for the years of my idiocy here.I have foolishly & unconsciously insulted Levy & MMD because of of a US $ 2500 scott has been paying me to build anti MMD environment. Good leadership is governed by the rule of law what has happened in Zambia where my Presido Sata was evacuated to South Africa on government bills .That is good leadership and governace where decision making is based on principle not hatred.There is true leadership in MMD.Guy Scott with all his failure in Lusaka Central has just been exploiting our ignorance. Asking for MMD forgiveness for the years of insults on you.
Chapi your commnet has no relevance to the topic above. Red card.
#5, I almost thought I did not understand the topic. This is not the right platform for your sentiment. Now, back to UNZA-Its a shame that all Zambian govts have completely failed to run the only 2 to 3 universities in Zambia. Look, in countries where leaders think there is at least one university in all the countries’ towns and they are properly run. Just think of Botswana uni. Have you ever heard of any closure there? I hope someone wont say coz they have diamonds and they are a small population. A few years ago the UN wanted to pump money into UNZA school of law. And this was gonna be the biggest law school in the region. But, second thought they shifted the funds to Botswana University..
…The decision against UNZA was due to the same rubbish that happens very predictably every now and then. Knee-jake closures by presidents, etc. ONLY TWO UNIVERSITIES!! Its a serious shame. Those workers are not a charitable organization. Give them enough bread for the work they do.
Peter if our universities’ perrenial problems are down to money then there is a case for arguing that the university of Botswana cannot be dogged by such problems because of course that country’s treasury is more than able to fund UB. GRZ will never fund our universities adequately folks, not in our lifetime. The challenge is to truly find a way of moving the institutions to a lesser dependency on govt. These proposals are well known but can they ever come to fruition?
If that is the case then why increase the enrollment and the number of universities which the govt cannot support. We are not interested in quantity but both quality and quantity. The university should pay the employees their monies they are being owed. Some people retired long time ago but are being held at ransomed by the govt for failing to pay them their monies. Marshlands village and Handsworth is full retirees, widows, widowers and orphans. It is difficult to access university pool houses because as result plus wako niwako. It is sad what is happening at UNZA. We need a saviour because the change of management is not the solution. Twapenga swebo.
how is it that the Minister of Education only went up to stardard 5?
Unza problems, unza problems,unza problems,unza problems,unza problems,unza problems,unza problems,unza problems,unza problems,unza problems,unza problems,unza problems,unza problems,unza problems…endless. Where have we got it wrong in that landlocked country? Somebody help!
% says(11),
No full minister in this administration has less than an undergraduate degree. Most have minimum of Master Degrees from best schools in the west.Lungwangwa is a PHD holder and Professor unlike us ranting rubbish here.
#13 Speak for yourself on the rubbish ranting part Chapi. What has your Professor of feaces done for the best school in Zambia? Western schools right? The best schools in the west right? I have not seen any reflection of the best western school here. I imagine you must have been holding your head up high when writing that rubbish. Have pride in success of our education system and not the fools running them. You discust me!!!
Geoff,get out of the cucoon and face reality!you are the one who’s not helping UNZA in any way.you want to bury your head like an ostrich in sand and yet your daughter is her,the other just completed and you are a beneficiary and product on unza.what an embarassment!!
OK, let us accept the fact that govt has genuingly failed to fund UNZA and that the public as stakeholders in the smooth running of the UNZA has to do something. Now, what is it that we should do? I propose a special tax similar to TV tax, or Fuel levi tax to specifically address UNZA problems! We cannot go on like this! Govt has to prioritize education now that money is coming in and we are even able to have foreign reserves(a good thing!). UNZA is now fee paying and we cannot afford to keep closing everytime the students are preparing for exams! Everybody is very childish in this issue it seems!
At least you have put a proposal on the table. Actually, the fuel levy could be revisited so that a modest portion of it is reclassified as an education tax or something to support higher education because it runs in billions of kwacha when it is collected but its application is not convincing in terms of public service delivery. UNZA and CBU would certainly be worthy receipients of a targeted tax
IF we cannot have a tax levy, can there there be a more private ownership in the administration?
The other thing is, what is UNZA producing apart from the academics? Being an institution considered as a fountain of knowledge can we not produce something even on the small scale to supplement to the govt funds? It is a shame that despite having the western knowledge there is nothing seen worthy their experience from the western circle.