Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) president Edith Nawakwi has written to President Michael Sata requesting his positive urgent intervention in the bursary crisis at the University of Zambia.
In her letter to the President dated 1st October Ms Nawakwi says as a mother and a beneficiary of government sponsorship she humbly seeks for President Sata’s personal intervention on what has evidently has been an attempt to sabotage the future of young people.
Below is the Letter
1st October, 2014.
Your Excellency, President Michael .C. Sata
President of the Republic of Zambia
State House
Dear Sir,
RE: BURSARY CRISIS AT UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA
Your Excellency, it is with a deep sense of concern that I write to you, seeking for your positive and urgent intervention in the bursary crisis at the University of Zambia (UNZA). As you may be aware about 3400 students have been denied access to Government Bursaries out of the 6000 first year students who have been enrolled for the 2014/15 Academic Year at UNZA.
As a mother and a beneficiary of Government Sponsorship, myself, am seeking your personal intervention on what is evidently an attempt to sabotage the future of your children. With the prevailing poverty levels and the high tuition fees, it is impossible for the majority of our parents to afford the cost of University Education. It is evident that the country will not attain the Millennium Development Goal on Education in this year of Golden Jubilee if we, as a people fail to sponsor our own children to attain Higher Education. Education is the fuel for social and economic advancement and we have a sacred duty as a Nation to ensure that we make education accessible and affordable to all.
I wish to humbly remind you, Your Excellency that, the University of Zambia was founded as an oasis of Knowledge, Research and Excellence to provide expert human resource needed for national development. Zambians from all walks of life contributed their money, energy and time to build the University of Zambia and we should never lose sight of the sole purpose of building the University.
Your Excellency, I have no doubt in my mind that you will use your discretion and direct that all deserving first year students be awarded Government Bursaries.
Kindly accept, Your Excellency, compliments of my highest esteem and good wishes.
Edith.Z. Nawakwi
President
@Nawakwi, you wrote to wrong person. I foresee mixed-up response.
“Dear Bana Wakwi,
Lilayi Training center is just as good as I left it in 1961.
How are the pigs at your farm. God be with you, am doing just fine.
Truely yours,
M.C.S- still presido!”
Start a student loan system instead of this nonsense bursary sham!
@Nawakwi
The best way to get Sata(PF)’s attention is write a joint petition to be signed by all church leaders, civil society leaders, all opposition leaders , all student bodies ,chiefs and the parents of all university students. In this way you will surely get your matter attended to quickly, because Sata is a populist politician who fears a large section of society rising against him.
I wish UPND can do this if Nawakwi can’t galvanise people to petition the government.
@Nubian
Sata and PF were told about introducing student loans to deserving students by HH . They have failed to implement it because by elections took first priority and because it was first suggested by HH.
These pathetic f00ls only know one thing; giving road contracts to foreigners so that they can get kick bucks.
Student loans work well in developed countries where unemployment rates are low. Most of the graduates in developed countries are assured of a job upon graduation. And hence can service their student loans. That’s not the case in Zambia where 99% of graduates are not assured of jobs. Which begs the question; how are they going to pay back the loans? Great idea theoretically not so much practically!
@Nosradamus
kikikikiki that reply, awe mwe!!
boi, i was just talking to our friend Field Ruwe on the phone,,, now he is complaining about you supporting @cat power instead of him
Word coming from America is that , Ruwe almost committed suicide , he was about to jump off a bridge when he was found by his family. Cat power mulekeko he is finished.
@Ndobo & Robin,
I reached to Ba Ruwe as well via text messaging or SMS. He claims something I couldn’t comprehend about Cat-Power & The Chashi/Chisha of Chicago. So I requested for a hook-up this weekend in person. I will update you guys, Ruwe can be cool elder when drunk.
Ruwe can’t die this month, just same as Ba Sata wouldn’t have done it in July when he had people like Kabimba. What a worse that would be. Those 2 need make people with human nature first, or those would be poorly attended funerals.
Ba Edith naimwe why write to old man Sata when you know very well that he is sick. Write to John Phiri instead maybe h will have time to look at this sorry state of affairs.
Is John Phiri young?
Why to have such hatred when you actually know that the man of action will respond positively?
I actually like the proposal by UPND of giving loans to students and withholding their degree until they pay back the money. This is exactly what happened to me. Meanwhile, their employer or business would be required to submit an agreed upon amount every month until they repay the entire loan. The university would not be able to release transcripts for those students who want to attend Grad Sch until their loans were completely paid. There should be an incentive for employers who employ students from UNZA
Wow! Some solution. First you withhold a degree certificate in a sea of unemployment then you squeeze a guy to begin paying back a loan. The demonstrations and property bashing currently in vogue will seem like a Sunday picnic when that blows back on your sorry behinds. Now just in case your case was different in your part of Zambia, could you share with us how it was you managed to pay back your loan and then got back your certificate,kind sir?
The government is already implementing the loan system. These scholarships being given to the students are loans. The loan system was started by the MMD government. The only thing that the government is not doing is recovering the money from the students that have graduated. The loan system was started in the year 2006. You can contact the Bursaries Committee to confirm that what they are giving to UNZA and CBU students are actually loans.
@chinaman
Are you really in the States or just using a proxy site to acces LT? If you are in the US you will know very well how the student loan system works. The student loans are supposed to be accessed by any one offered a place at university.
If the PF government is implementing the student loan system, those students would not have been desperate for educational funds at all.
Student loan system can be implemented in Zambia if the government had honest, hard working people not these pathetic corrupt f00ls we have in government today.
@Choma Maanu. Bakalamba, it is that same degree that the graduate is supposed to use to get a job…, to pay back the loan! I thought that was plain and simple. So tell us, in your case how did you get your job (to pay back the loan)?
We have shortsighted politicians today!Is it possible to pay for everyone,not at all.Students must never listen these make belief politicians.We need development in rural areas so that genuine are created.Let us not pretend that these make believe politicians are saying.Just imagine they even condemn the road development programs.
Letter adressed to sleeping giant.i wonder if the letter will even reach
The biggest problem with these bursaries is more than 50% go to students studying non STEM subjects. What’s the point of investing in some chaps studying the History of African Languages? Or those BA with Education that UNZA loves so much? How can a nation develop with skills that are not necessary in the 21st century? The other issue is why does UNZA recruit numbers which clearly they do not have the capacity or capability to handle? 6000 freshers is to much for UNZA.
Chekov your so dull in your thinking History is a less important subject, but in developed country History has been transformed to research labs of the evolution of science in the areas of physics, chemistry ,Natural resources. In order to understand the current changes in Science you need a historian who could give the background information. This goes on in other spheres of Knowledge such as Business. Modern History is practical and is being used to answer modern problems using Historical Facts and Findings. So without History you can not understand the present culture of a Nation and armed with historical research findings you can predict our culture will be in Zambia 100 form now. In UK the department of culture is very important in seting future trends.Ba PF muli fikopo.Namonaula icha
@Ba Sido Mark. Have you not noticed that developed countries including the UK are putting more emphasis on STEM subjects and spending less on degrees such as the history of film making and dance? Just say naimwe you have a degree in a useless chikwakwa like Prof. Lungwangwa. Chekov is actually right STEM subjects, Entrepreneurial skills training and Apprenticeships are the way to go if indeed our graduates are to contribute to meaningful development. By the way I do enjoy the History of Mathematics. It makes fun reading and nothing else beyond that. Am not too sure I would enjoy reading a book on the History of Economics though, but I seem to remember someone famous in Zambia has a Masters in that subject area.
@Choma Maanu, Wow! Some solution. First you withhold a degree certificate in a sea of unemployment then you squeeze a guy to begin paying back a loan. The demonstrations and property bashing currently in vogue will seem like a Sunday picnic when that blows back on your sorry behinds. Now just in case your case was different in your part of Zambia, could you share with us how it was you managed to pay back your loan and then got back your certificate,kind sir?
Zambian politicians ukwa lola umwela eko balola. The ministry of education said they are studying the the list you start writing letters. No plan no agend. Tell us where the govt will get money becoz you are agaist loans
Iwe no one is against the loans. Its just that PF is broke and has no money to implement other projects including student bursaries.
PF nibachimbwi chabe.
@ Chekov u r right, the problem is actually with UNZA and not government. Government has a program and a budget 4 this institution so if they decide to go beyond that budget how does that becomes government problm??? further, by any standard, UNZA has NO infrastructure and human resource to handle that huge number of first years only if we are going to b talking about quality education. its therefore my conclusion that there is something very serious going at that university and government thru the Ministry of Education must move in and investigste whatever is going on…
What useless prof. It is the duty of government to plan for the its population and how this growing population will be educated by providing enough facilities and human reasources. Its lack of planning by PF that is causing all these problems. The PF has changed the ministry of National planning and Finance to ministry of finance only. Thats why I say Mwanawasa was very intelligent not this sub A president.
“Wanzelu” I have been following your line of thoughts in most issues. Its clear to me that you are a man of integrity who reasons objectively. There is a saying in my language ” which its meaning is ” Its worth a praise when one can hear than come and say, he was a good person’, that give a sense of purpose to live.
This analogy is based on many of your contribution on different topics. Coming to the Bursary crisis, it true that these PF Chimbwi no plans are merely exhibiting greedy and double standards. After stealing huge sums and laundered their proceeds in Bahamas, Swiss land etc, they are able to send their children, girlfriends children to study abroad. Sata’s kids are studying abroad, including those ministers kids, then they claim others should pay for their kids, Its…
@General Tzu-Sun, from the ‘saying in your language’ that you have quoted, are you Chinese, Korean by any chance…?
General Tsu -Sun you are right and May God supply you with more wisdom so is Wanzelu. I also cherish wanzelu’s contributions to various debates .I have been contributing not because I hate PF and that I support UPND no, but any wise Zambian whose not brainwashed by tribalism can cleary see that HH is better suited to develop Zambia holistically .Let look objectively on what is happening in Zambia and make knowledge based judgments . If we do that we shall vote wisely and Zambia will develop. This will provide a strong foundation for future development of our children who are mixed blood with no tribal inclination. We should be able to modernize Zambia.
One Opposition Leader spoke yesterday on this issue. Another one has written this letter to the president regarding it. It tells me that there is a crisis. PF have only tended to dismiss it and deny that a crisis at UNZA exists. It must be that PF are both blind and deaf to continue denying a reality of this magnitude. Yesterday HH was lambasted and accused of inciting the public against the ruling government. How fair was that?
Comrade Mei,
Look at the background /profile of Chishimba Kamwili
Chishimba Kambwili
Political Party: PF
Constituency: Roan
Date of Birth: June 3, 1969
Marital Status: Married
Educational Qualifications: Grade 12, Certificate in Trade Union Studies, Diploma in Business Management/Administration
Profession: Business administrator/human resource Practitioner
History of Election to Parliament:
1st election: 2006 – Roan
So what would expects from a man of that academic backgrounds. First and foremost he has inferiority complex, he opens his mouth like tap of water without logic, typical of trade unionism. You and I can reason and think at the same level. Well if has improved his academic, but you can see that from the roots he rotten
@General Tzu-Sun, please spare us your Chinese (Korean?). Kambwili is probably far better than you, going by the Chinenglish (Korenglish?) samples you have given us so far…
Imagine having the former alumina of unza or cbu in additional to their general tax contribution ,being specifically deducted a five pin on their monthly income and having fund managers to manage those funds investing and placing them appropriately to create more value and the same time preserving those funds for the current and prospective students
Its simple even this month end huge amounts of funds can be raised to help current students who in turn forms part of the same having similarly benefited from the same
Excess funds can be invested in instrument with a carefully preservation of the funds
Its simple 5 pin over a 1000000 former students is more than enough to help a…
Do they even have an alumni program, I wonder? It is such a closed society. They will not even want to grant dual citizenship to those Zambians, probably more enlightened, like yourself, who could help throw light in matters of this nature, but are now citizens of another country.
Universities like hospitals and pensions and insurance are supposed to be a rich source of cheap excess money and very deep in liquidity and cash flows
Lets look at funding methods more as opposed to the spending side and see how best we can structure the bursary department from its traditional approach with one income stream to many with a balanced inflows creating capacity in fund managers and others supporting distressed firms like Kcm and others including GRZ projects at huge returns at the same time preserving those funds to meet the needs for which those funds exist
So many revenue lines for a typical university there is room to turn arround
Great ideas indeed. The challenge is that those in the diaspora are stereotyped. It is these though, who could be identified as resource persons.
Problem No.1: Those with so called ideas can not express them succinctly!
@Vizungu: Succinctly or not, I don’t believe this is the forum for expressing any such ideas. The government must have a policy to engage and involve those with ideas. Secondly, the universities should maintain directories of former students, some of whom might be so uniquely placed to help. It is not for those with ideas to peddle their ideas to the government or the university in question.
its time for government to do away with bursary and sponsorship. Education has now become business and let UNZA run its own affair. There is more to it like what apple man Jobs used to say for any new product.
@ Ba Jose please think through your contribution thoroughly before posting, thereby exposing yourself…
Cheers!!
Govt should convert the bursaries we received ourselves (especially serial bloggers) into loans and demand that we pay back. After all, we all appear to be doing just fine here at home and in the diaspora. This is guaranteed cash other than counting on tomorrow’s graduates who won’t be guaranteed a job to repay. People, it’s pay back time. Let’s give uncle GRZ a break with a helping hand and give the little ones a future.
i totally agree with nubian princess. loans and not bursary is the way to go. there are people who say we will lump debt on young people before they even start working. i agree but for me the problem is not debt but how many people will a loan scheme serve than the bursary system. its also more sustainable than every year injecting colossal amounts of money that even children of ministers enjoy instead of the needy. this loan scheme can be extended to colleges too. i suggest whoever gets this loan will have a social security number which automatically will start deducting once one starts work. in the case where someone starts a company that employs people, this loan will be discounted from the number of people he/she employs to encourage entrepreneurship.
Govt. can get loans for such investments, the Zambian’s afterall are the people who will pay back the loans that the govt. is contracting….it is so disturbing to know that the entire cabinet cannot come up with innovative ways to address such crises…oh God help this nation…
Such shallow thinking on the part of our leaders does not inspire confidence and makes me not to pronounce myself as proudly Zambian…aweh sure
@ Vizungu.
You know what, English may not be our first language, but its the message that matters. Your Kambwiri, translated as ‘ hoe’ A hoe ancient and versatile agricultural tool used digging, can not be better than me. If that is true according to one of my Zambian Friend.
The logic of what he said to say the government can not sponsor student is what we are debating here. Well my father is Chinese and my mother Korean. To answer your question. This does not take away the credit I gave to Wanzelu for his numerous logical views
In addition co operate sponsors who ultimately are most beneficially of those students advancing frontiers in knowledge in those particular industries A knowledgeable educated cadre of youths is good for business innovation for tomorrow
It will be interesting also to see what investments CBU and UNZA have on their balance and the weighting
We have seen other universities owning malls contracts and research initiatives worthy a lost of money as consulting researchers with students having a share to fund their education Universities investing and owning their fees in AAA bonds and equities, the whole Lusaka arcades and mandahill including the protea hotel from fees well invested
Removing the yearly headache of student bursaries Investing to project student needs long-term and everything simply falls through and students become the next employees and the wheel keep on turning creating a self financing system with preservation of the funds for long-term at the core
The years students fees for other universities go into reserves and is mostly not current expenditure as to hand to mouth as most of the funds in bursaries and operational will have been raised with a cover of 4 to 5 yrs. of students enrolments and grass and vegetation including toilets well maintained giving an atmosphere of heavenly student environment with student No’s way in excess of…
Then also we need individual help from those who benefited and through their goodwill creation of some endowment fund to help most of the need students like we have seen at major and minor universities We are used to Bill Gates or Warrant Buffet or Clinton but I know and I have seen our own who have made it and based on their names and goodwill sometimes more money can be raised that the current bursaries and a fund manager appointed to administer long-term even when there have past on Such is humanity
Most of the under privileged get funded this way and the creator is not necessary the funder but simply may be his good will like CEC or Madison or any more good standing
Also the same bursaries unity can also be expanded and its role be engineered into a fund with different classes of students products in funding specific for each individual needs ,similarly like napsa is operating long-term
In that way the funding methods will be broadened rather than the sole single system at play now and everyone waiting as though the world has ended when not given
The burden for students should be shifted to study and not looking for money exposing them to so many risks and unhealthy arrangements with those seen the opportunity to exploit the gap in unethical and unrighteous manner
Call them Govt bursaries or student loans, I dont f%cking care!! Just make university education accessible to our deserving students/youth. PF iwhy are u becoming so bigheaded/irresponsible just after 3 years in govt?