Education Permanet Secretary (PS), Lillian Kapulu, has with immediate effect directed all Provincial Educational Officers (PEOs) in the country to minimize holding workshops and seminars which she said are depleting the treasury of the ministry.
Mrs. Kapulu says workshops and seminars are costly on the part of government and advised that such funds could be channeled to construction of uncompleted school infrastructure in schools.
She observed that most buildings in the education sector were laying uncompleted, thereby disadvantaging the progression of school going children.
The PS said this in Mambwe today when she inspected Matula Basic school where she found Grade 5 and 6 pupils having lessons in makeshift classrooms.
Mrs. Kapulu regretted that children were being subjected to harsh climatic conditions (bad weather) thereby affecting the academic performance of the pupils in the country.
“Lets reduce holding these workshops and seminars because they are just depleting our resources for the ministry. This is the reason we are facing so many challenges of uncompleted buildings in the education sector as if we do not planning and yet we do,” she said.
She said certain decisions are painful to make on the spot but workshops and seminars could be controlled so as to save moneys .
She noted that if the trend continues, it would be very difficult to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target on quality education by the year 2015.
And Eastern Province PEO, Pilira Jere complained about the delays in releasing funds by govt to finish uncompleted buildings.
Ms. Jere said inadequate transport to monitor developmental projects in learning institutions was a minus to the education sector.
She said Building Officers in the districts are very determined to work if only govt expedites the release of funds to school infrastructure which needs to be completed.
And Matula Basic school Head Teacher,Ivian Ngoma, appeald to the PS to upgrade Matula Basic school from Grade three to Grade two.
Mr. Ngoma said the growing population in the surrounding area goes to the same school and hence the need for more classrooms to be built.
Meanwhile, Matula school in Mambwe district faces re-location because the school is on the Mfuwe International Airport run-way premises.
Mr. Ngoma said the institution is violating aviation regulations.
And the Education PS, who toured the school, advised school authorities to relocate to other land where government can heavily invest without being questioned.
Mrs. Kapulu reiterated the government’s commitment to developing the education sector in the country and appealed to school managers to remain focused and avail the ministry with the necessary data.
And Mambwe District Education Board Secretary Samuel Phiri said a named traditional leader in the area has released 400 x 400m piece of land for the construction of the high school.
ZANIS/KC/ENDS/EB
The sun rose and will set in the evening. Guys, is this news???
lol!
Just curious, is Levy out of hospital and on bed rest at State House? I am wondering why we are not being briefed about his current “stable” state?
Yes this is good development and worthy news. There are just too many seminars where people just eat drink and doze off and don’t implementing anything.We even have poty belly seminars in the civil service. It’s only hotels and fast food restaurant benefiting from this nonsense. It’s like they tell us there is Gold on the other side of town and the only people making money are the ones in the business of transporting us to the other town and the rest nothing. “IF MONEY SPENT ON STUDYING THE POOR WAS GIVEN TO THE POOR, POVERTY WOULD BE CUT IN HALF”-Anonymous
Kapulu PS.. WHY MINIMIZE THE WORKSHOPS? Do we cut off trips you make travelling the all world? You shold cut down medical expenses first before cutting down workshops/seminars. kindly help access medical bills incurred so far in France so that we plan on how to cut off expenses
Yes,this is news worth reporting.
It is common knowledge that civil servants amass more money from travel allowance and attendance of various seminars than from their actual salaries.
Seminars are held to deliberate the outcome of the previous one with adjournments to reconsider oustanding matters.
Meantime,the tax payer has to foot the bill..
This has been the a big problem for all government departments. We spend to much time on talking an planning and very little time on implementation. Im glad Mrs. Kapulu has brought this up. Lets channel resources to areas that critically need them instead of these talking shops
Better still abolish them.Let them conduct them in conference rooms within their premises.
There is just too much wastage of resources.
Workshops under the Ministry of Education are too much and yet Teachers have no leave pay when they go on leave. What a shame. The only way they can benefit from the Goverment money and their entitlement is holding workshops.
Ba na Kapulu, now thats when u are seeing that seminars or workshops deplete the treasury after imwe mwaenda enda zambia and abroad. ukutumpa
was just thinking, why does zimbabwe call their money zimbabwean dollar even when bob hates america or the western world.
PS Kapulu is saying what we all know, this was a problem in the chiluba time and has continued and worsened in the time of theories under the stable one
Walasa nangu tauli mwaume. Bamumbwe bachilamo kwiiba ulupiya through allowances in the name of workshops. Why should officials goble millions which could be used for furniture e.t.c in school especially in the rural areas where pupils sit on stones if they are lucky because they sit on the floor.
Gud thinking mrs Kapulu bt I feel a gud implimentation wud even b better. I feel we’ve had enough siminaz 2 last us up2 2030. The problem is even when u recieve handouts called grants u hold siminaz on how 2 spend th same and unfortunately u end up chewing all th money rit there . How do u expect 2 finish yo buildings which appear as if they had bn hit by a stray ballistic mesile. Our country looks as if it had bn attacke by some outter space weapon. Change stats wit u & me.
Bana Kapulu you have been a beneficiary of such useless workshops/seminars. its good you ve realised that you have chewed a lot of tax payers money. Please make sure that you implement what you talking about.
here in Norway you have to pay to attend a serminar
This mornin th dean of students at CBU mr. Chunda was almost manhandled by stundents at th monk square. He blindly created a time bomb by intimidating students with suspensionz. In a space of less than 3 month hez given out abt 6 suspensionz 2 union leaderz as well as other students. CBU has bcome a mission sku known as saint CHUNDA HIGH SKU. The moral is just bcoz pipo r quiet doz not mean peace & harmony. We r all quite in Zambia & we seem 2 b satisfied wit th fake updates on mwansawana. One day all of us will stand in unity & say enough is enouhh mulongoti. Enough is enough banda. I rest my case
She has said nothing new because we have heard this before. The workshops have and will continue and she will be the first one to sign for the allowances. Hypocrite!
Its sad that it had to take you all this time to realise that the workshops are a drain, though i too benefited on the HIV (Heavy Industrial Vehicle) workshop. I was not interested in the info but cash.
Madam Kapulu, i think i will invite Shaka to sc*w you if you are playing with ordinary civil servants.Kaa!!
Its senseless to do such an act.she is never in thev office there at the ministry.where does she go and at whose expense then?can someone tell me which office is operating normally there at the ministry?starting with the Director HRA MR bowas,assistant mrs chuulu,senior HRA MR TUKOMBE,MRS TEMBO?what can she tell us.those people are just there at the HQ but she is failing to control them.its workshop after workshop.mrs kapulu pls stop shouting like that to show that she is working.kuti? share the cake with others through the use of workshops especially that a civil servant’s salary is so little when your allowances are so bulky.come on pls.
its all rubbish without ba Levy
#4. The purpose of workshops is noble, however the participants see no value in it apart from pediems, free food etc…
And like you have rightly put it, half the time these people attending workshops are half asleep. Clearly you are bound to implement zilch if all you heard in the seminars/workshops were snores.
Also, kapulu by asking these PEOs to minimise is like telling one to cut down on milking the cash cow. These characters heading most grz depts lack the capacity to see to it that programs are completed. The matter is systemic, might need a complete overhaul and not this peicemeal remedy.
All we need is planning.Unplanned woprkshops of course are waste of resources but if well panned they bring out good ideas leading to development
For sure these people dont work, did she have to go to mfuwe for her to realise that workshops deplete resources? so does her trips she rarely sits in that ofc of hers and all she does is shopping take a trip to mandahill and all you see is her and her croonies from the ministry I totally agree with # 20. screw them all
Imwe Bantu, sometimes these things have to be spelt out, ka! There is just too many workshops in all Governemtnt and indeed too much money is being spent on them, sometimes one has to criticise these things even if one has benefitted from them. I see bloggers criticising even those that have realised that things have been done wrongly in the past, how, pray, are we going to do away with restrogressive habits if we do not appreaciate new insights?
Wonderful! This idea should be extended further. Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, etc should have the number of galavanting trips they make minimized. What is good for the goose should be good for the gander. Money can be saved from various areas and used in a more constructive way.
Some ministers are just too dull that they fail to read an already prepared speech but you find that they are the master of these same Workshops. Shame ! Shame on the appointing authority shame!
We are tired of being led by these villagers! atase.
Workshop after workshop no beneficial effects but to their pockets.
Not suprising.she had to say that to cover up for her senior officers’ innefficiency and lack of planning.You see even the school in question is misplaced .Constructed right in the runway.workshops have nothing to do with unplanned schools and make shift classrooms.let us be professional in the way we run things.
when it comes to education grz has no money…when it comes to giving loans to mps abd sending people to france for special treatment grz has enough kwacha to spare…shame on u!…….shame!….buti abana babo baliya kukalale.
ukutemwa ama workshop. Thats why you suffer from running stomachs by the end of the workshop.
Epo tulila
Typical civil service talk.Not long ago the Secretary to the Cabinet “banned” such capacity-building seminars in lodges, guest houses and hotels when they could be cheaply held in boardrooms but has this happened? To the “underpaid” civil servants these seminars are “poverty alleviating” ventures. Of course the ministers do better, they trot all over the country getting allowances, or better still travel abroad for the dollar.
The challenge before the public service is address itself to three key issues:
1. Deliver on Outputs
2. Focus on Outcomes
3. Assess impact of service delivery
Once we deliver on the above, we can see the Magande budget being felt on the ground. Even FNDP will just remain a dream if we do not put our eyes on the ball.
perm sec just be real,we know what goes on.donnot pay lip service,you have more to gain in these workshops than the participants,be a real civil servant than a politician,rememember heil is real for liars.
Its long over due. Teachers are attending workshops when they re supposed to be teaching. But be specific, put a limit say … not more than three workshops in a year for each employee. And only those relevant or linked to the particular school or particular subject.
This is quite underwhelming.
this mr “kapulu” is very stingy!!!!ever since she came into office she has been trying to cut off as many costs as possilbe failing even to raise salaries of zambian students studying abroad and making decisions based on “factless info” BUT i must say that she is right about seminars!!!twanaka
It just shows that there are not procedures in the Department. I would have expected the PS to outline the criteria for holding workshops. It seems that every Jim and Jack can come up with a workshop at will.
She would have started by either saying that she was going to approve all workshops in future or setup a committee or approval process to do so. Her attempt is half-hearted, open-ended and the circus will continue. I am sure each workshop can be justified by its backers. It’s a cover my A$$ plot to con the Masses that “I said so”
I can’t help laughing out loud when I read some names of some bloggers.. like #36, I guess your girlfriend is No Nika?Insanely funny!
I think zambia is tryining to wake up on how its wasting reasoures.#31 teboonse ama civil servants abalila only abaikatilapo same pipo not fair.I agree with the article.
Mulenga,Newcastle England you a British Zambian?,Zambian law does not allow Dual citizenship sucka!.What did you do marry those fat English underclass girls that Specialize in nixxxgers ?.we will fight you until you submit? YOU ARE TALKING THROUGH YOUR ASS MATE!.
The truth is any thing the govt implements has a loop hole
The reduction in workshops should be welcomed as money can be channelled towards implementation of programme and building infrastructure. I can’t imagine how it feels for the little children going to a classroom without a roof esp in the rainy season.
However, I also hope that civil servants’ salaries can be re-adjusted to ensure that they get a living wage as workshops are a coping mechanism for their low remuneration. It’s a simple bread and butter issue and it needs addressing.
Did zambia win?
#41 insele tesho.i know it is hard for you to make a living but please show some common sense.
So we are to save money for buildings and infrastructure by reducing seminars and workshops.Where is the money originally intended for buildings etc?What happens to continuing education and updating 0f teachers?Iam afraid Mrs Kapulu’s plan is not only myopic but retrogressive.
The intentions of workshops are okey if budgeted for as they provide a platform for chatting roadmaps. Anyway, frankly speeking, am one of those who has attended a countless number of them both locally and abroad. They are mostly a share waste of money and time. I at times feel gulty when am miles away from zed dozing in one of them. They are just good arenas for being away from the office, dozing and per diems. I don’t remember implementing any so called “Way forwards and recommendations” coz i have never been given a chance to do so. Most workshops should be confined to local conference halls during working hrs so that they are just part of a normal working arrangement.
Workshops serve the purpose of addressing key capacity building needs in the public service that cannot be handled in the busy office environment. In some ministries, these are only held as and when the need arises and not the “countless” that #47 refers to. If that is your case, then that is serious abuse. Where the conference facilities cannot hold the participants, it becomes necessary to hire a hotel, lodge or guest house as the situation may require, priority being given to govt owned facilities. Resolutions of workshops must always be communicated to decision makers in writing so that if not actioned now, they may be pursued in future.
#48, the resolutions do not happen my dear. My point is that there is actually abuse because they are too much. Infact as i write, am just from reading an email from my boss indicating that there will be one on Friday next week. Even if GRZ lodges are given priority, the fact that its outside the office premises will require payment of out of pocket allowances. We should try by all means to limit them to our conference halls especially if its only staff from one department or ministry attending. On resolutions, may be we should constitute follow up committees. However, am doubting my own committee suggestion coz they will start demanding for allowances during sessions.
Its just that we are not serious with priorites in this country. The idea of these workshops is usually good but there total abuse. The culprits are Agic ministry, Health and Education guys. Go to the districts and the guys are already in some workshop whilst the district health centers have no facilities. The moneys spent even go as much as K150,000,000 for one workshop. Am sure, this amount can build a community school or buy beds for some rural health centre. U will even find wrong people like docs, attending workshops on finance for Accountants.
#37 kabili school fees ku diaspora na balunda.. so she has to cut some workshopes to earn that extra kwacha.. waigwila ka lmao..fyamano ifibantuifi ka!!!!!
Why do people go for these workshops? That should be the question our learned PS should be addressing. I find it a problem that people only begin to condenm the system after they have enjoyed all the benefits and now that she is ‘eating’better then w/shps are bad. tell us what should be done and lead by examples. Lillian, knowing her greediness, wants to appear as though she is going to work. Be good to others below you because when coming down you will need them. I hope she can begin to talk of real issues other than destroying other people’s survival strategies.
Vice President Rupiah Banda is the next president of Zambia..yes