Just three weeks ago we released a statement on the strikes taking place at the University of Zambia (UNZA). Now here we stand less than a month later with yet another education institution crumbling under the mismanagement and incompetence of the PF.
The Copperbelt University has now officially shut its doors to students. This announcement came from Education Minister Michael Kaingu, who informed those forsaken young Zambians attending the university they had just 24 hours to leave the campus. This is barely a week from the time the university opened.
[pullquote]
UPND treats education as a fundamental priority
[/pullquote]
This is yet another case of mismanagement by the Ministry of Education who have failed to engage with lecturers, researchers, teachers and students alike. It is baffling to see such little attention and effort paid to securing the longevity and success of universities across Zambia, especially when 82% of the population are below 25 years old and desperate for an education. The youth of Zambia require a good quality education to unlock and actualise their own potential but also the potential of Zambia to grow economically and socially.Yet the PF Government’s performance on education has been nothing short of shameful.
The decision by Kaingu has far reaching consequences including inconveniencing those self-sponsored students who have paid their rentals, in advance. Parents with students coming from far flung places have to look for transport money for transport back home. But all these are things Kaingu is failing to see. What kind of Government is this? The closure of CBU is not the fault of the students. The students are on firm ground to call for amicable resolution of the problems that have dogged the institution for years and are being exacerbated by an incompetent management appointed by the PF.
UPND treats education as a fundamental priority. In fact, we have a vision in which the next decade sees Zambians as the most educated people in the region and our youth the most enabled on the continent. This requires a government that makes education and empowerment a priority however. It also requires a government that is willing to invest time and money into delivering improved quality and access for the next generation of Zambians, from primary to university, and in both academic and vocational arenas.
To ensure we never see an educational facility close its doors we are committed to regular consultation. Lecturers, researchers and teachers are at the heart of our children’s future and trained experts in education therefore under a UPND government budgets and policies would involve consultation and discussion with all those involved in the educational process. We are also passionate about improved management to ensure funds are used appropriately and responsibly to allow equal opportunity and access for all Zambians.
It is clear the PF is letting our children and youth down. They are consigning future generations to the dustbin and with closures like we’re seeing in the Copperbelt they are throwing peoples hard-earned tuition money down the drain. Access to education is too low, poor quality and insufficiently supported. It is time for change. And as we consider that change we would like to make a firm commitment that no high institution of learning will close as long as UPND is the party in Government.
Hakainde Hichilema
UPND President
___________________________
Issued by: UPND National Campaign Centre, Lusaka
Zambian men grew up thinking that women are their tools and they can do whatever they want with them.
“No more men. I swear it. They’re nothing but trouble. Them, and their damned penises.”
? Rosanna Leo, The Selkie
@Moonflower; don’t blame penises. What you need to do is close your legs.
HH is always preaching, when is he going to listen. You need to fire your campaign manager because evidently your messages are misplaced. Does your campaign manager know that less than 1% of the Zambian people have access to the internet? Does he also know that most of the people who frequent LT are abroad and therefore disenfranchised?
To win an election, one has to reach the electorate. It’s like HH is hell bent on showing people in the diaspora how smart he is but he should know that the people who actually vote can’t access the internet or even read!
When Edgar Lungu said he had no vision, he meant just that; CBU-closed, Electricity-load shedding, Kwacha- depreciating, construction of roads-stalled. Anyway, perhaps we got in him what we deserve.
Thank you The Real Olivia Pope my hope is that someone from UPND takes note and probably introduces a new strategy as using community radio stations dotted around the country and/or issues a monthly newsletter 8 pages maximum on issues HH raises on the internet. UPND could even endeavor to print or address these issues in local languages according to the dominant one spoken.
The fact that these institution continue to close and disrupt the education of our children spells exactly whats wrong with the way they are run.
The biggest problem with public institutions in Zambia is they are heavily politicised. Management to run them is appointed by ruling party from a crop of incompetent academic cadres. So it just follows that when anything goes wrong the government should be blamed.
The issue at hand with CBU and UNZA is money related. PF promised more money to the workers of these institutions in form of allowances. All was agreed but why has PF failed to pay the allowances promised?
This problem has hit all government departments including the army and police. If PF does not handle the issue properly then ,nationwide strikes will follow.
Viva HH
All those commenting against HH are doing so out of tribal hatred and not objectivity.
Lets face it these problems have been there yes. But to accept the status quo and ignore solutions to solve such problems would be hugely irresponsible.
One of the reasons why students campaigned and voted for PF is because it promised to stop such premature closures once and foandr all. Unfortunately PF has lamentably failed in all aspects of governance and therefore creating all these problems.
This what lack of planning does. Typical uchimbwi no plan.
Most PF cadres think in reverse. To them anything bad that existed before should continue as long they are feeding off the regime forgetting that sooner or later it will catch up with them one way or the other.
HH is spot on by issuing a…
Well thought out statement by thinkers who can deliver. PF are a shame to say the least. Everything is crumbling, Police are useless, banks are crying, businesses are suffering due to ZESCO load shedding and yet PF are quick to appoint people with questionable executive and technical skills to run the utility service. Can those people run the utility company properly? Who has benefited from PF rule? Only the corrupt few and the many looters close to the powers have benefited. But be rest assured, in the long run, we are all losers for voting in an incompetent team of arrogant, never learning and incompetent team of chancers. Under PF, Zambia is a failed state completely. And more misery expected if we do nothing about it.
It is actually a useless statement if you ask me! Problems at our universities have not started with PF government and so UPND should not pretend to have all the solutions to this country’s problems. Sometimes it is golden to keep quite at some things if you do not really understand the problems well. In 1994 UNZA closed because lecturers went on strike and this resulted in some lecturers losing their jobs. From 1996 to 1997 Unza again was closed for a whole year. UPND should not pretend that they come from heaven and do not live in Zambia not to know the genesis of problems at higher institutions of learning.
Are UPND the ones orchestrating these strikes behind closed doors to gain some political mileage?
What will people say if they are given power and these problems persist?
UPND should change their name to UPCD United Party For Commentary Documentaries. Always waiting for misfortunes to comment on. They are like Hungry Hyenas waiting for lions to kill something so that they feed on.
This is what visionless people like you can say.
One thing I like about UPND cadres, onces the catch a word they will use it like toilet paper. The new catch phrase now is “Vision”.
No vision, no mission. Period!
Incompetent management appointed by pf .well this reminds me of pf days when in opposition they masters of everything even loadsheding which is good for democracy and that’s what alternative government is there for and thanks to upnd. Management at cbu seems to be in order but people with selfish motives creating anachy it took a lot of time just to come up with timetables for lectures and this confusing was blamed on management and union and lectures were not comparative please you can’t manage people who don’t want to be managed hiding in unions and blackmailing you with work stopage Now That THE School Is Closed Let’s Find A lasting Solution to the problem the Parents are losses Since they Need Extra Money Now As Upnd as said
BUT I THINK THE PROBLEM HERE IS TO DO WITH MANAGEMENT NOT GOVERNMENT.PROF IS NOT A MANAGER HE SHUD MOVE OUT.HE HAS ONLY THEORETICAL PEACE AND CONFLICTS SKILLS .
uselss we are paying a lot of money our children are back shame I dnt understand wy people stil talk about this pf
The monies paid to the University of Zambia is not meant for the teachers to receive without teaching the students. If the learned teachers can not distinguish illegal from legal in their conditions of service, what shall we expect from those sweeping the Cairo road?
There are a good number of graduates roaming streets wanting jobs. Please advertise and you shall have a truck load of applications.
Let those who want to down chalks all the time open their own businesses and then they shall understand the meaning of loosing unplanned time. Strikes are ancient ways of getting something and best used where there are shortages of manpower. We are all of us essential in our own ways because we need each other.
VISION or NO VISION, those with vision are able to see what those voted into power are doing for country whether bad or good. It shall never be good 100%. Why I say so is because what is good for you may NOT necessarily be acceptable to me. Every leader has his own way of presenting things. Like they say ” SATISFACTION is individual”.
Sometimes I don’t believe HH writes these statements on his own as I don’t think this statement has been properly thought through. Possibly written by some very volatile ‘special advisor’ goes off at the drop of a hat.
Here’s my advice to HH and UPND cadres:
All great leaders have a number of talentless hangers on around them where their ambition far outweighs their ability.
Change your strategy.
If this is a kind of thinking held by a leader who is aspiring to become a Republican President, then HH has exposed his wickedness towards the welfare of many Zambians who have only CBU, UNZA and Mulungushi where they can get a University education.
Where was HH when his disciples politically demanded that (1) Prof. Ngoma resigns – for what reasons; (2) CBU Council be dissolved – for what reasons; (3) that Prof. Ngoma wrongly awarded an Hon. degree to VJ Mwaanga – for what academic credence?
The Union Leaders actually instigated students to riot so as to make their wild demands credible. Why is HH deliberately ignoring the refusal of Union Leaders to engage into dialogue if they have brains to articulate problems.
HH has exposed his total political immaturity in this land..
HH is malicious, selfish and arrogant. That is why he is heading for another defeat. He only uses every opotunity for malicious and greed reasons.
The problem that we have with Zambians is the free mentality. The moment everything is commercialized we will see people taking responsibility. Everyone wants free things from the gorvernment. Free education, free medicare free everything. This calture of free makes people lazy and luck initiative to take care of themselves. This is want makes students silly and always thinking that the government owes them. HH just said 80% of Zambians are young meaning the 20% Zambians are responsible for feeding 80%. This equals to poverty. In the US and Europe, people as young as 18 years are able to generate income. Here even at 35 years someone wants GRZ to sponsor them.
@IllsaywhatIwant. Am sure this statement was written by one Siyakalima as he needs to prove that he’s relevant and get his pay check
It’s clear, HH is under the illusion that attack, attack is a good strategy. However, he makes a mistake in that he cannot see the salient and what he reveals about himself. One must be careful in how one gauges others.
What is very clear from this article is that HH, has no interest in education as a serious issue but merely for his Political image. He uses it as a soundbite, because one suspects it’s what he feels completes his image.
Only, consider this; would a person soooo passionate about education condone the immorality of academics abandoning their duties to the students? Doctors, nurses, teachers, policemen play the most vital roles in society and therefore cannot strike/abandon their duties. HH, you were to say it is unpardonable for these academics to strike.
Even here in the UK Universities have been in upheaval as the gov’t cut spending and turned our universities into self funding institutions. Students are paying breathtaking fees, but in all the time these changes have taken place, unions and teachers have been very careful and dutiful not to strike carelessly and have ensured universities are running effectively.
I returned to studies in 2009, and have been studying in this period, I have been student union rep and at no time did Our university tutors aim to damage our studies. Rather they with our support took carefully planned action.
Be responsible HH. It’s good to be ambitious but destructive conduct is not Presidential. Consistently your behaviour has been shocking for one who hopes to Lead. Irresponsible and rubble…
Irresponsible and rubble rousing.
As for most bloggers, please try to be critical on electioneering. We need not to harm our gov’t.
This is not the first time this and other similar Institutions have been closed.
The government has the right to close them down if opposition parties are using them as platforms.
I would not want my taxes to enjoyed by these guys and then bite my finger. Many Zambians are studying with sanity at privately owned Universities. If these guys do not appreciate the money they are getting from the poor Zambians, better close it down so that they can go and eat bondwe.
These students no longer draw sympathy from common Zambians because they have now been known to be a nuisance. They need time for serious reflection on their actions.
Foolish bloggers can’t realise that PF has had two big euro bonds but none of them ever changed anything in the country yet they can’t see the mismanagement
Did this tribalist/free masonist graduate from UNZA? If he did then there is something wrong with him. I just can’t imagine that he he has to politicize everything. I hope he doesn’t politicize when his cows drop cowdung
NO ONE IS INORING THE PROBLEMATIC HISTORY OF OUR UNIVERSITIES. HOWEVER FAILURE TO LEARN FROM HISTORY IS THE MOST INEXCUSABLE. WE KNOW HOW CLOSINGS HAVE FAILED IN THE PAST THEREFORE WHY EMPLOY THIS STRATEGY AGAIN. ENGAGEMENT AND DIALOGUE SHOULD BE THE WAY FORWARD. KEEP THE INSTITUTION OPEN AND OPEN HONEST AND SINCECRE DIALOGUE WITH AN OPEN MINDSET AND A VIEW TO A TRUE RESOLUTION OF THE CRISIS. PROBLEM IS THE UNION CAN NOT TRUST KIANGU AND THE COUNCIL. THEY HAVE NEVER SHOWN GOOD FAITH IN THIER NEGOTIATIONS. LUNGU NEEDS TO TAKE OVER THIS CRISIS AND RELEGATE KAINGU TO LINES MAN.