72 Evelyn Hone College students who were arrested following Thursday’s riots have been released after being charged for breach of the peace and malicious damage to public property.
Lusaka Province Police Commissioner Joyce Kasosa said the students were released upon paying K22 admission of guilt fee.
Ms Kasosa said had the students denied the charges, then the matter would have been taken court and all the students are reported to have left the campus to pave way for the rehabilitation of the damaged infrastructure.
She said in admitting the charge, some students had confirmed that they were demonstrating because the Government had decided to abolish the bursary scheme and replaced it with a loan scheme, a decision they said should be reversed.
“All the 72 have been released after admission of guilt and paying the charge for the offence. My appeal to all students is that, they must desist from resorting to riotous behaviour when they are aggrieved over any matter. They must use civil means of addressing or wanting their issue to be addressed,” she said.
Education Minister John Phiri on Thursday announced the immediate closure of Evelyn Hone College following the student protests at the institution.
Dr Phiri said the institution would be closed for two weeks to allow for repairs to the damaged infrastructure at the college.
He said property worth K540, 000 was damaged during the protest. He said that the riot was regrettable as it showed that the students had completely disregarded the avenue of dialogue.
Dr Phiri has charged that government suspects that the students were being incited to riot by elements outside the institution.
mbuju… hahahahh… ati “All the 72 have been released after admission of guilt and paying the charge for the offence“… money making event kaa!!!
Evelyn Hone must remain closed and the graduate classes of 2015 must be the last so that the land can be privatized or used for developmental purposes. That land is prime land and is going to waste if used for sub-standard educational purposes.
Just use tents for classes. No need to close the institution.
When are they going to turn Evelyn Hone into a university ? The place has a lot of potential even better than the Nkrumar and Chalimbana universities.
Again tax payers money going to waste, why not ask their parents or guardians to pay for the damage to property for all the 72 thugs who have admitted the guilt. Better still let them live in the same damaged rooms. These students do not know how lucky they are to even have a learning place in such an institution and all they do is involve themselves in criminal activities. You should have made them feel the pinch so that they remove the word demonstrate in their vocabulary for life, nonsense even to the police who have released them. K22 for what, they will do it again all they have to do is find a reason. When i send my children to school, i always tell them to speak up against any injustice and to also turn the other way to any unruly, riotus or anti authority behaviour.
Zebige, you are right. If Evelyn was from Muchinga, the college would have been turned into a university already.
that is not enough
Ba John, stop accusing riots on elements outside the institutions..
I just can’t with this Kasoso. ( the spelling mistake is intentional, in case you were wondering)
Pathetic school, even more pathetic students.
Has zwd been closed? Failing to access it mwee