Copperbelt University Management has accused some students of taking advantage of others without accommodation by charging them exorbitantly for squatting.
The institution’s Registrar Allan Ilunga said this is illegal and must be stopped immediately to protect the vulnerable students.
He said the university would endeavor to continue on its mandate of providing excellent education in a safe and healthy environment conducive for both students and those who support them.
Mr Ilunga said the institution was aware that some students have taken advantage of others without accommodation by charging them higher prices for squatting.
“CBU like any other institution has limited bed space and can only accommodate numbers equal to what is available and this should not compromise healthy issues or allow students to exploit their colleagues,” he said.
He said the University had on short term basis engaged private property owners in the surrounding areas to provide alternative accommodation to students who were not accommodated at the institution.
Mr Ilunga said CBU, like any other educational institution, had rules and regulations that govern its operations and that the student’s information handbook does not allow students to have extra people living in their rooms.
He said the institution was simply enforcing the already existing rules on accommodation and had the responsibility of providing a conducive environment at campus.
Mr Ilunga said CBU does not want to expose students to communicable diseases hence the decision to ban squatting.
Last week Copperbelt Students Union (COBUSU) president Oscar Mbewe said it was unreasonable for CBU management to bar squatting when the enrollment scale at the institution had kept on increasing.
Mr Mbewe said the institution had a population of about 13, 000 students against 2,000 bed spaces which meant that 11, 000 students have no accommodation.
Meanwhile, Mr Ilunga said management was working at addressing the accommodation challenges and would create an addition of 10 000 bed spaces by the year 2016.
Mr Ilunga said in a statement in Kitwe yesterday that the institution was working towards addressing the accommodation problems through partnering with the Government in constructing hostels through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) to provide enough bed spaces to students.
Is there any contingency for the crisis that has now been created now? I believe the squatting was tolerated to the extent that it became “normalized” (which is the norm in Zambian management practice). Now this “normal” has been thrown into an imbalance with this ban and therefore there must be a quick address. Tents, anyone?
Squatting has always been there.It is an informal tradition in higher institution of learning.Balekeni baiche.
It would have been better building apartments for the students than spending money on Chirwa, his board and Zambia Railways (ZR) in general. Anyway, don’t blame it on Chirwa, his salary is with full blessings from the man of action. Before embarking on spending the Eurobond on the company, there should have been a detailed study on what led to its gradual decline and what is the best way forward. But in the name of leaving a legacy they decide to fund it heavily, big mistake! How many time has Nitrogen chemicals been recapitalized but to no avail? It will be the same with ZR. Mr Sata sir, stop this ZR nonsense and fund other viable projects like Agric etc. Government could have better recovered the investment by charging rentals from the new apartments than this bottomless pit called ZR.
Poor analysis!
This has to be he most moronic post today!
Good analysis my brother *#3. ZR would have been better left the way it was. It is not a viable investment for a loan. It is better to even help CBU students with decent accommodation (and let them pay economically for the rooms). Or better still fund agriculture. Imagine if Chirwa’s salary and rentals for 6 months(about 1.92 billion), not to mention other allowances, where used to buy used tractors and other agriculture implements to empower small holder farmers and graduates willing to be self employed in the agriculture sector, we would produce enough maize to sell to the entire southern Africa and earn a lot of Forex and probably fund ZR. ZR is a project in futility. Just watch what will happen after 4 years. A proper white elephant…
…Good analysis my brother *#3. ZR would have been better left the way it was. It is not a viable investment for a loan. It is better to even help CBU students with decent accommodation (and let them pay economically for the rooms). Or better still fund agriculture. Imagine if Chirwa’s salary and rentals for 6 months(about 1.92 billion), not to mention other allowances, where used to buy used tractors and other agriculture implements to empower small holder farmers and graduates willing to be self employed in the agriculture sector, we would produce enough maize to sell to the entire southern Africa and earn a lot of Forex and probably fund ZR. ZR is a project in futility. Just watch what will happen after 4 years. A proper white elephant…
poor analysis from these fools. If you follow them nicely, we will find the looooooot cause…they have houses around the versity now turned into boarding houses. This useless gesture will benefit them instead. useless!!where will the 10pin gonna stay?shallow way of analysis kwena
Ba analyst yemwe, let there be employment before you go straight into the streets. Suffer a bit and enjoy later. You want to come from a good hostel and straight into the streets? Mukamba ukutuka PF
Am a bit happy that the management has seen it fit to talk to surrounding community for accommodation options and they know that it is their responsibility to look into Safety and care of students. Engage other people outside Zambia to build those hostels together with us Zambians. Globalization, u can not run away from such.
Borrow ideas from Lusaka Show grounds management. cool money from rentals but MuZambia…..kaya…..
You tell me Chirwa will own 25% of ZR(a public company) after his contract comes to an end? Isnt this abuse of authority by however negotiated this deal with this fraud star? Can we for once be serious as Zambians please? You can not pay some one bonus per annum of K2.6 billion?? plus salary of K140m per month? this is plunder of the worst kind and perpetrators of this fraud must be arrested with immediate effect.
@milke wabwino misplaced your comments. this is CBU issue
The issue of boarding houses Is also fine .But atleast the government should come into this matter,the boarding fees payed by the stundets inside school should also be the same with those in boarding houses.coz landlords are charging a lot of money.think of it,500,450 per month. Atleast they should minimise on the payments.some stundents are just been sponsord by the family.how can someone survive?pliz its rilly had for. Some parents,guardian.pliz its unfair to students boarding houses fees are just too high.this is stealing THE BIBLE REFUSES.Do something pliz.
Pliz landlords atleast 250,300.per month is okey help the students GOD will bless u too if u help them…God Bless
God helpThe children
Let prof chirwa enjoy the benefits of his education!!!!
Thanks so much for the blog article. Much obliged.
insurancewhisper