The New Generation Party, NGP, has called on striking University of Zambia, UNZA, lecturers to reconsider their position and resume work.
Party President, Humphrey Siulapwa, says there is need for lecturers to go back to work as their action is likely to impact negatively on the academic welfare of the of students at the highest learning institution.
Speaking in Lusaka today at a media briefing, Mr. Siulapwa said he expected lecturers to understand the effects of the current global economic crisis on Zambia’s economy.
He suggested that lecturers suspend their action until when the national economy stabilises in view f the global recession.
He said workers in the country should learn to sacrifice, adding that most governments and organizations in the world are reducing costs in order to cope with the global economic recession.
Mr. Siulapwa said his party will not sympathise with lecturers that will fail to report to work as directed by government, should disciplinary action be taken against them.
He added that the law stipulates that any public service worker is liable for dismiss is he stays away from work for 10 consecutive days.
He, further, warned that young people in the country will not sit back to watch unjustified work stoppages at the expense of their welfare.[quote]
UNZA lecturers have been on strike demanding improved conditions of service, and government has responded by offering them a 5 per cent pay rise.
And The New Generation Party has advised politicians to desist from politics of insults for the sake of national posterity.
NGP President, said that the heightened levels of politics of insults and disrespect among politicians is likely to affect the country’s good governance system.
He said there is need for persons aspiring for presidency to respect the incumbent office of the President for it to be dignified.
He explained that good governance can only be achieved through mutual understanding and tolerance which he said were lacking in the country despite it been the corner stone for development and prosperity.
Mr. Suilapwa has charged that the United Party for National Development, UPND, and the Patriotic Front, PF, pact has nothing to offer but create confusion on the political scene.
He said to this effect his party is not threatened saying the pact is bound to fail due to the difference in ideologies and manifestos between the two parties.
Mr. Suilapwa, further, stressed that it will be difficulty for the two parties to bring their ideas together as the UPND believes in a democratic system of governance and also has some of its members attending the National Constitution Conference, NCC, while the PF has a different approach on the matter.
He further noted that the majority of Zambians want change than just removing the MMD from power, which he said was the major objective of the pact.
ZANIS
How popular is this or why do they give him so much attention?
Um ! new generation party ?
Sean, You’re right! This buffon is given too much publicity, even when it’s plain clear he is an empty vessel. I wonder how many people he has in his party! Whether he has even been to university himself. Bwana Editor, please filter the trash, we’re tired of such characters.
Ba LT there are serious matters reported in The Post today, including the reported K100 million that Mpombo spent on his mobile phone in two and half year – all charged to the ministry of defence account! Why are non-stories like this one being published. We are tired of hot air. This guy needs to get a proper job and actually contribute something to the Revenue. Too many parasites pa Zed.
This chap is the only one in his party and who does not know that he is sponsored by whoever is in state house.
These are the so-called under-five politicians but one wonders why he gets so much publicity.
Its a joke for Bwezani to send this chap to speak on his behalf and even expect the lecturers to take him serious.
Who the hell does siulapwa think he is?? The boy’s a joker!
Even though I am not aligned to this NGP, the suggestions put accross by Siulapwa seem quite fundamental to me. Let’s be more objective in the way we analyse issues and substantiate the allegations we make on this site, not just ranting against everything.
This boy should should just join another party instead of wasting his precious time with fellow Mishanga Sellers at NGP. He has a point somehow
Awe banine chale , be also constructive and objective. Who does not know Siulapwa ??? His head is empty and he is alway talking rubish. We wonder why he receives so good attention from LT. For example, he is attacking the UPND/PF Pact…why? I have not heard HH or Sata attack siulapwa’s one man party. Please LT spare us from the nosense of this guy.We are tired.
Who is Siulapwa plizzz??? I also think the young boy is sponsored!
YES CAN THEY PLEASE GO BACK! SHA!
how much do lecturers net at UNZA and CBU?
This boy should not talk about things he does not understand. Its the chief govenment spokesperson or the minister of education who are supposed to issue statements not this I.D.I.O.T, who does he think he is? We shouldnt tolerate chavs like him. Why cant this I.D.I.O.T just disappear…….
This boy should not talk about things he does not understand. Its the chief govenment spokesperson or the minister who are supposed to issue statements not this moron. This I.D.I.O.T should just shut up!!!!!!! Why cant he just disappear, we dont need him.
there is substance in what Mr. Siulapwa said but just that they won’t listen to his cry.so sad mudala….
This person should be jailed for all his stupidity. Who is he and what does he know. INZA boys beat this person up until he surrenders. These are the people we don’t need. He is \not productive in any way.
Iwe ka Siulapwa chopet!! today is sunday and i don’t want to get upset but your statement is very irritating!!
LT just why, why this numpty again. Surely you’re better than this, the few times we see the face of this imbecil£ the better for each one of us. Please do the right thing and leave such crap to ZNBC and Times.
haha.. why is everyone so hostile against this guy? I don’t really know about him or his policies to be honest, but at least there is some truth to what he’s talking about. so bloggers… shani?
JUST WHO DOES THIS I.DI..O..T CALLED SHILULYAPWA THINK HE IS? hAS HE EVER BEEN A LECTURER, A NURSE OR DOCTOR? f.O.O.L..S LIKE HIM SHOULD NEVER BE TOLERATED. I WILL BE IN ZAMBIA TO SORT HIM AND CHILUBA OUT. THEY ARE THE WORST THINGS ZAMBIA HAS EVER HAD. KK IS A HERO WHERE EVER HE GOES AND YOU THIS shilulYPWA TELLING LECTURERS OFF. USELESS BRAINLESS DOG.
Can someone explain the sense that is in this article.How come the Global crisis is being explained for everything & yet MP’s got their increaments & will be getting their mid term gratuities in the midst of the Global Crisis.Secondly does it mean workers in Zambia should no longer be striking if there are not happy with their working conditions,wont’t that only encourage skilled workers to look for greener pastures outside Zambia.Thirdly on behalf of which young people is the NGP speaking for, why doesn’t the NGP speak on behalf of the youths on matters of incompetence,missapropriation of funds and corruption in the Govt. Lastly in terms of respecting the current Govt why doesn’t the NGP advocate for measures that will ensure that all Zambians have confidence in the electoral…
Siulapwa has said something sensible here.We need to know how much lecturers get,to objectively say their demands are justied in these hard time.Minister of finance is on record when he said lecturers get a lot of money hence the 5% pay rise but he did not say how much they get.
@ #12
Some Senior Lecturer (Master’s lever/full time) once told me he took home about ZMK 3M after tax.
This was about three years ago.
Idon’t think it has changed much.
Atase this ka kaponya ka Humphrey. Whom do you thing you are in Zambia?
Siulapwa at it again,even drinking Manzi or is it Fresco.Always trying to appease the man at plot 1 in search of a job.
So # 20 you are saying that some Lecturers net around $600 a month which in turn leads to around $7,200 net a year. That is sad and how much do MP’s and Cabinet Mininsters net including allowances and the benefits they enjoy.God bless Zambia, God will one day come through for Zambia the key is to never get tired of praying for Zambia like in Luke 18. Weeping may endure for a night but Joy comes in the morning , those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of Joy. God will come through for our nationhe has seen the suffering of Zambians and he is a fair and just God.
lecturer grade 1 may get about $ US 1000 per month after tax. The money is never enough and to make matters worse, some of the entitlements are just on paper and after topping up for accomodation, from the salary the same money needs to see this lecturer thru the month. Most of the lecturers in this category are married with atleast 3 children who are in their teens as i am talking and this requires spending on their education from the same money.
Now MP’s in Zambia have fooled a lot of people by awarding themselves quite low salaries but heft allowances which outstrip almost any one who is qualified enough to be a PhD and senior lecturer at UNZA. Mind you no one in Zambia except MP’s get mid term gratuity and in full not in bits like the retirees are getting right now at UNZA.
Some of the unfaithful chaps include the disgruntled proffessor lungwangwa who was at one point deputy vc at unza. He told most of the retirees to follow the queue when getting their benefits which they worked for more than 20 years yet when he’s contract ended, he sued the very system he created when he was told to follow the queue and join the other retirees. I personally know some people who have died without getting their full benefits having had worked for unza for more than 22 years yet these guys we call our parliamentarians get mid term gratuity in full almost about 400 million zmk which implies after 5 years in parliament, you are talking of getting almost a billion kwacha while ba chimba mabwe even after working for 25 years mu mine will never get anything near 100 million…
why have the mps allowed themselves to get a 15% increment on the basis that they are civil servants yet unza dons are given a paultry 5% and told they get a lot? Sialupwa mwaiche answer me not ukutumbula fye amenso kwati ka bundi.
#24-26 i like your reasoning i guess Doctors, nurses, Lecturers , teachers etc all need to get the same low salaries that MP’s and Cabinet Ministers get and they should also be entitled to those allowances,loans, mid term gratuties etc because their services are very crucial to Zambia
It should be a fair situation for everyone.
I guess the educational qualifications that this Govt is pushing for should also be considered , i don’t see why a less educated MP should be getting higher benefits,pay allowances than a highly educated and qualified Doctor, Lecturer, Teacher , nurse etc.
This boy is actualy right. The least paid (a cleaner) gets k1.8. For thoz of u ignorant pepo, ther are diferent salary scales from sdf (student dev. Fellow), lecturer, senior lecturer,assis prof,proffesor. Salary range: k5.8m take home to k14m. Lets be real, education is a callin,if you dont want, resign. Dont compare to s.a,bots or namibia, this is zambia. Have you ever noticed ridgeway campus& law school dont close. You know why? Because of ethics! Same salary. Please govt, fire them. Bring indians& zimbabweans. Dont hold students hostage. They are not civil servants, this is a grant aided institution. Accept the 5% or resign. No one forces them to work.let them choose!
#30 Ba Unza student, do you really know why law school doesnt close? they have even classes which are treated as private jobs and boy they charge those students in dollars and so even after getting the unza salary, the lecturers in law school get the money from these tutions they offer in the evening. thats why law lecturers to some extent are a sell out to their fellows because even when the rest are on go slow, the law lecs conduct these even classes which have now been enshrined into the unza acad calender hence the disparity. Mind you you have to be a real unza student to understand what really goes on at unza and dont just open your mouth thru the computer keyboard.
Unza student is a small boy, he cant reason with elders.
Dear UNZA student, I understand your frustration as one being closest to the heat, I only hope you’ll embrace such conditions yourself should you become a lecturer if you’ll get excellent results that is.
#30 Unza student At ridge way campus, most of the lecturers are on part time and some are expatriates and also you must have in mind that school of medicine is partly under ministry of health by virtue of it being in the hospital perimeter and ministry of education by it been a learning institution so you can see that most of the lecturers that side are in a precarious situation. More over most of the lecturers are senior medical doctors who are running private clinics. Unless you say all lecs must engage in PJ, then there wont be any closures and i bet, you will know that educational standards will lamentably fail below the knee as you are aware that even now the standards are low so if all lecs start tuntemba, they will spend most of their time in PJ’s as they bring more money with
UNZA STUDENT
Come out and tell the lecturers!! Enough is enough!!
contd from #33
little sweat. What is needed is for govt to be truthful and honest enough to share the national wealth with the rest of manpower. If for arguments sake we say lecs are already highly paid, then what of nurses and teachers who are lowly paid, why stick to 15% increment based on a salary that is already low? If MP’s must get mid term gratuity, why not extend it to all people who are working for the govt under contracts?
#30 for your information, the SDF dont get salaries as they are not employed yet. they get allowances which in themselves are equally bad. I once had a student from Swaziland who was getting more money as a bursary than a grade 3 lecture at your institute-UNZA. So look at Swaziland and see how poor they are compared to Zambia yet the academicians are not looked after well. A full proffesor may take home around 9 to 10 million inclusive of the controversial 2000,000 allowance for your information. Much as most of the junior lecs are the ones doing most of the donkey work at unza, they are also fighting an inner battle against this allowance for proffesors FYI. So unza student, check your file well before i strip you of your unza name and leave student only.
Why is Zambia full of nonesense. Other african Countries are making the very best of the Global situation and yet Zambia is becoming useless every minute
siulapwa,
On the lecturer’s strike teti bakumfwe wachepa sana.on the PF/UPND PACT.you are right ni comedy.
#23 Ba New Zambian, are you trying to compare to your American salary? K3 million Kwacha is a good salary in Zambia. I hope you send atleast $500 to your parents every month.
3 million kwacha for a lecturer you must be joking maybe for an office worker yes. The current Govt is talking of having an educated President but they are failing to take care of the highly educated workers like lecturers etc. There is no problem with comparing their salaries to Lecturers here in the USA and other developed countries, as much as the currencies are different the benefits should not be different. Don’t take for granted Zambia’s skilled labour. If you don’t want to compare with developed countries then this Govt should stop living like the developed countries, they need to get strong cheap old model cars like Toyota’s not the modern cars they are trying to get amongst other luxury benefits.
These media briefings it seems anyone can call for one. I have no words
Zambia is finished. Even dogs can hold press briefings and insult professors.
This boy is not popular and he does not need any attention. He is just been used by the MMD
Alo monk.uposeko amano ai.i undestand your suffering,bt remember those lecs have pipo tht depend on them no matter the grade or school.stop playing with your computer and go for registration or go do your assigment.th only responsibility you have is to feed your stomak.stop being selfish and thnk of more pipo than yourself.thats why when that free money(YOU CALL B.C) you get delays by a few days,you and your friends go throwing tantrams on the whole nation.you and siulapwa are the same.Siulapwa you also yap alot when your B.C from bwezani delays by a few days.now siulapwa,your brother is making a name for himself and your father and all you are doing is taking his efforts down.Mr,try and thnk why exactly your wife and children are living overseas while you are here making noise for pipo…
People of Zambia, one thing you should know is that GOD is the one taking care of us, the current gvt is caring for their families. That is why pipo like Humphrey is hired to just bring confusion in the country, who gives this chap the platform to say wat the right pipo in gvt are supose to say. His one man party can not tick, who is he to talk about PF/UPND PACT we are many out here dont think Sata and HH are alone, we know wat we are going to do wen time comes we shall peform. Humphrey can you pliz shut your beak. Sata and HH can not even waste time talking about you coz u are too small boy!
Where is Dora, kanshi? Politician that are not Ministers of Education are the ones issuing statements. On her behalf? Why can’t she do it herself, if she is capable as RB puts it
This boy Must Be a HeadBoy of a high School let him reach UNZA first, before talking about these Issues.
ba @ 7 in as much as this NGP chap has a point on sacriface ,the secriface must start wit cabinet,they should cut down on there allowances and unnecessary trips.why does the presdo have to consult on mid-term gratiuty wen its obvious there is a recessation where in other countries some companies have sacrifaced month’s salaries……so this chap should have had these questions b4 condeming learned lectures! he’s a spoiled kid,4give him..!
Comrade No. 19, you’ve said you don’t know much about this guy, so be it! You simply do not know, so why question the reasoning of the majority? Why do you think people across the globe don’t like the sentiments from this guy ( Not him as a person). We are all over the globe because of the same lecturers, am in Asia ( India in particular) . Please let us comment on these matters with cool heads, though it is said “Pansaka tabula ……..”
Secretaries in cooperate orgs get more than K3m. In genuien NGOs, drivers get K3m… just comparing… oh, and office helpers get K1.5m.
Siulapwa is a good symbol of stupidity! He is not even given enough by his sponsors to say what they want to tell the nation, because that is the new govt mouth piece, and yet he goes miles to annoy the nation! Rupiar must school this boy with some manners! I wonder if he has ever seen the inside of a nursery school.
Freedom of expression…we shall all express ourselves and if we can sit and speak before the camera…the world shall hear and see us express ourselves. If you have issues to discuss before the camera, go ahead, we shall hear and see you. If you have limitations and can’t express yourself elsewhere apart from LT, hard luck.
Umwaiche uyu, what is he up to. I doubt if even his wife is a member of his party. He is tranforming into Teta and Mulongoti. He only speaks rubbish and I have no question is a black sheep of the family.
This is another one miguided kuku politician….
The new definition of ICHIPUBA!!!!!
The bloggers that seem to know what they are talking about on this topic are New Zambian and Che Guevara. Che Guevara even has his figures correct. What other bloggers shouldn’t forget is that UNZA and CBU academics belong to the most educated group in Zambia. The minimum qualification at UNZA or CBU is a master’s degree. The highest qualification is a doctorate. Some of the academics even have post-doctoral qualifications. It is therefore illogical to compare academics with public service workers because the latter’s qualifications are, on average, significantly lower than those of academics. The sensible thing is to compare UNZA and CBU’s conditions of service to those obtaining in the universities of the Southern African sub-region.
Yet if you look at the conditions of service of UNZA and CBU lecturers, they are nothing to write home about. They are not entitled to any loans other workers outside campus take for granted – like car or fridge loans, etc. The cars you see some of them driving are through loans from the banks or Bayport payable of course at extortionate rates. A few luck ones get these through consultancies that occasionally come their way.
These atrocious conditions have resulted in a near catastrophic brain – drain of more than 300 lecturers during the last ten years. The upshot of this is that the few lecturers left, who should be commended for their patriotism and commitment, are overburdened with heavy teaching loads for which they are not even compensated. It’s not unusual at UNZA to find a lecturer handling more than 500 students virtually alone.
There are scores of retired but dedicated lecturers working on contract who retired more than five years ago and haven’t been paid their retirement dues and even their superannuation entitlements. Every month, their salaries are delayed. For example, the June salaries still haven’t been paid because the government has not yet given its June grant to UNZA. This means the lecturers have in the meantime to survive on borrowed money. The situation was the same last month and is likely to continue in the future. And yet you have bloggers supporting the emotional and uninformed utterances of a Siulapwa who has never even seen the roof of a university!!
As for the so-called STUDENT, he should appreciate that lecturers who are demoralized and demotivated by appalling conditions of service are less likely to put in their best compared to those who are well looked after. In fact, a sensible student should sympathize with lecturers rather than denounce them. Remember, a number of the lecturers on strike also have their own dependants and children who are university students.
O, cry my beloved country!
Ba Max just because lecturers have alot of qualifications attached to their names does not mean that they should get more money than other public workers. The nature of their profession requires that they have those qualifications – period. Input is what matters. Each profession ba Max has its on requirements. After all, a masters degree is only a thesis with one or two additional courses – sometimes none in the case of a masters degree by research. Some of us who have crossed borders from sciences to other fields will tell you that a masters/phd holder is not very different from one holding a first degree. Actually a chartereed accountant is more informed in the real world than most of those good for nothing lecturers. Let the government fire the chaps and close that forsaken institution.
What hypocrisy! Some of you time and again have pretentiously proclaimed the need to instill
democratic principles in African institutions – as a way forward. Yet, you are the first to dismiss the contribution of a party leader (Siulapwa) because his party is ‘small’ and thus, ‘insignificant’. It doesn’t matter what he says – as long as its not abusive or illegal, he has a right to his opinion or that of his party. Attack his arguments – not what you judge him or
his party to be. Where is the freedom of expression and association some of you have professed to defend? Do you only recognise political dinasours?
What makes UNZA Lecturers conditions bad is the situation at UNZA. Imagine there are over 3500 employees at UNZA as follows: 300 Lecturers and 3200 support (secretaries, cleaners, AADs, technicians, UNZA nursary staff, Staff at UNZA farms, security guards (blue birds), etc). So you can’t have a situation like that. So the big chunk of money goes to pay support staff and not lecturers. They should retrench all unnecessary labour so that they institution remains with what is manageable.
UNZA Lecturers Should read the situation before they decide to misbehave. how many times have they tried and failed. Its the innocent students who suffer. if they want more money they should join politics or find jobs outside Zambia. I support Siulapwa on this one even though he is also just another useless goon. We are tired of their endless strikes. RB will not give them anything more that wats already on the table. Can someone fire them.India and Zimbabwe have enough lecturers to replace the whole lot of them-useless chaps.
Ba Livingstonia,
With views such as yours, is it any wonder that this country is headed nowhere? Masters with two courses or a thesis only? I am not sure which university or country you are referring you to –maybe it’s the UK. A master’s degree at UNZA or CBU takes two years. The first year consists of course work in a variety of areas, but including advanced courses in methodology and statistics; it’s in the second year, where the thesis is done after research.
In the US, which I am more familiar with, you take eight course credits for masters and twenty for the PhD. To complete the doctorate, you have to take a series of special area exams and pass them, conduct original research and defend the findings orally before a critical audience of eminent academics. This is a demanding process that takes many years of sacrifice to complete. How then can you assert masters/PhD holder is not any different from a first degree holder, when all the latter does is take courses without any original research required? If your assertion is correct, why do you need people with postgraduate qualifications to teach first degree holders? Or are you suggesting that first degree holders are qualified to teach first degree holders since they aren’t any different…
I will not belittle chartered accountants because I value what they do, but I also have had an opportunity to teach in a number of MBA programs locally here and abroad where a number of my students had CIMA or ACCA qualifications. I was surprised to discover that what they considered to be advanced statistics was, by CBU and UNZA standards quite elementary. Chartered accountants being more informed in the real world than good- for- nothing lecturers? Brother, spare us your cynicism? How many of the chartered accountants, a profession I suspect you belong to, can teach quantum physics, econometrics, or metallurgy, or medicine, or development economics, etc, at UNZA or CBU?
If your views hold sway in our society, we must as well kiss goodbye to higher education in this country.
this thing called siulapwa. ishina kwati li kofi
Max u are well informed unlike my other brother who is arguing over matters he has little knowledge about. Get a university qualification you CIMA chap.
Ladies and Gentlement,what the factory is going on.We have to raise the standards.How can Soap-Yapwa rebuke these eludite professors.Let me shut the far key.Can someone tell me about Soap-Yapwa’s academic achievements?
How many members of parliament is he got?
His Citizenship-Tanzanian or Zambian?
Who is feeding and clothing him?
What language is he using during these PLAY-SEE-CON-FAR-LESS? Can somebody advise him to go back and catch ifinkubala
I dont know how to describe siulampwa. If i may ask, Does he have morals? when ever he opens his mouth it is always rubbish coming out. MR SIULAPWA SIR, ARE YOU NORMAL.? You are again been used. are you going to make another cry when dumped? Leave this issue to people concerned not you. Your disease is quite terrible beyound the educated zambin doctors. Iam soory for you
whatever comes out of this guys mouth is crap. no wonder he renamed his 15 year old son levy mwanawasa. he is not normal. just out of interest how many members are in his party? the registrar of societies need to deregister it.