The Grade 12 certificate requirement for councillors in the newly amended Constitution will open opportunities for more youths to participate and represent their communities, Solwezi acting mayor Brian Kajoba has said.
Speaking yesterday, Mr Kajoba said the new requirement for councillors to have a minimum qualification of a grade 12 certificate will create room for youths to take part in politics.
“Politics have been left to the elderly but with the new requirement some of the elderly who have not attained Grade 12 certificates will not participate leaving room for more youths,” he said.
Mr Kajoba said youths should take this as an opportunity for them to fully participate in the running of the country and decision-making concerning their various communities.
And the acting mayor who is Mujimanzovu ward councillor said having councillors that have at least a grade 12 certificate will make it easier for them to understand policies and make informed decisions.
“In this time and age being able to express yourself in the full council meetings is not enough, one should be able to understand policies, analyse situations and then make informed well thought out decisions “he said.
“In the council meeting, the language of use is English unlike previous years and for one to reach grade 12 it is expected that they can properly articulate issues in the English language.We cannot run away from the fact that there is an enhanced understanding of issues in one who has reached grade 12,” Mr Kajoba said.
He said it was unfortunate that some councillors who are serving may not qualify because of lack of grade 12 certificates.
Mr Kajoba noted that it was never too late for one to go to school and obtain the relevant qualifications if they felt they can serve their communities well.
Meanwhile, UNIP has said that the clause in the amended constitution which requires that an aspiring candidate for office of councilor or Member of Parliament should have a Grade 12 certificate has disadvantaged most UNIP members.
Southern Province UNIP Chairman Robert Mukengami is appealing to the affected members to remain calm as the issue is beyond the party.
Captain Mukengami said that those affected will be used as campaign managers and task force chairpersons in their respective areas in this year’s general elections.
He told ZNBC News in Livingstone that UNIP is ready for the election.
I stopped school in grade 10 due to circumstances beyond my control, but i think i am still more intelligent that most UNZA graduates. I have been around the world more a dozen times and still counting….. One thing is for sure, you cannot compare intelligence of two people just on basis of where they studied. On several occasions I have been completely stumped by the intelligence and smartness of people who did not go to school.
Last time i checked, some UNZA students bought$$$$ their way into the institution.
I feel for you my friend. You have been let down by the governance system after the 80’s us we were luck to have been of school going age before then were lucky. What mattered were brains. You are good you got education regardless of where you came from purely on merit. And the prime schools were GRZ schools nothing fancy -We attended the same classes as children of the top political and business leadership. Competed equally. It was not fashionable to go to the now trendy commercialized schools. You only only went their because you were too dull and your parents has enough money to pay. Now these no gooders of this time run down schools, fail manage them and send their kids abroad to gain advantage. Come August 11 exercesize your right, claim your heritage as enshrined in the BILL of…
Sad to hear so, though there are ways you would have written the grade 12 exams. never too late you can still write and mature age.
Take up the challenge before its too late. With regards to Zambian Government specifically PF? They are failures themselves so don’t expect much. though they are pushing to be repeated for another term.
1.1 you are 100% RIGHT – Thanx for putting the record straight !! We were lucky with KK before he totally lost it !
There has to be some standards, maybe we could have said they sit for aptitude tests but that has its own complications. I sympathise though.
@born19pendefikondo
Sorry mate, in the absence of any other objective measure, grade twelve certificate is the best we have at the moment. This is just a result of changing times and politicians should move with time. Just like any other job, however low it is, we need some basic formal education from people who aspire to be peoples representatives. There will be winners and losers as a result of this, that’s just life. We cant all be winners all the time.
Come August 11 execrsise your right, claim your heritage as enshrined in the BILL of Rights, Education is one of them which the government is supposed to guarantee you. Perhaps not totally free but they should provide an enabling environment – school places, student loans, opportunity to do social service to community during holidays to meet your school requirements. Do not buy the not enough money story. Money is available but the current Gvnt is wasteful- no priorities, selfish personnel emoluments, corruption in awarding bursaries. Try self enriched individuals who will not come in service to get rich.
Personally, I was not keen on this grade 12 clause. There are other ways of assessing one’s understanding, competence and ability without the requirement of an abstract threshold like a ‘grade 12’ attainment.
pipo ifya kubwasabwasa shut up you are the ones who were submitting .echo amwebela chishimba kambwili ati tamwakwata icisuma .when they were asking for submisions u were just in your homes mwamona nomba mwe basahasambilila lelolelo.Kudos to the Government for passing this one mwe tu bombeko few basambilila
Iliche it’s high time to get the old folks out they have represented us enough. They have also eaten enough.
I personally see nothing wrong with this clause after all that’s what the majority of the people wanted. The only problem I have noticed about us zambians is that we have resigned ourselves to accepting mediocrity. Zambians should start reclaiming their position in the global market and a good education is a good starting point. You are never too late for education. I got my degree in mature age. it was a struggle but it has made a big difference to my life and I have never regretted the pressure I went through. Let those aspiring councilors and MPs who don’t have grade 12 education go back to school rather than choosing to mourn. There is no mistake in going for higher education because it prepares you for greater things in life not just in Zambia but else where abroad. This is my…
advice to my fellow zambians aspiring for leadership positions.