GOVERNMENT reiterates its directive to school authorities in Government boarding schools countrywide to reduce boarding fees with immediate effect as directed recently.
Chief Government Spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili said in a statement yesterday that education was a basic right and school fees should not be an inhibition factor for children to access it.
Mr Kambwili who Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services said the Government, calls on parents countrywide to report head teachers who may be dragging their feet to effect the directive as no child should pay more than the prescribed fees.
“Government is concerned that fees charged in Government schools are beyond the reach of the poor and rural based learners.
This is unacceptable hence Government’s directive to have the fees reduced with immediate effect,” he said.
Below is the full statement
STATEMENT BY HON. CHISHIMBA KAMBWILI, MP, MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING SERVICES AND CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON ON THE DIRECTIVE TO REDUCE BOARDING FEES IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS
Government reiterates its directive to school authorities in Government boarding schools countrywide to reduce boarding fees with immediate effect as directed recently.
Education is a basic right and school fees should not be an inhibition factor for children to access it.
Government, therefore, calls on parents countrywide to report head teachers who may be dragging their feet to effect the directive as no child should pay more than the prescribed fees.
Government is concerned that fees charged in Government schools are beyond the reach of the poor and rural based learners. This is unacceptable hence Government’s directive to have the fees reduced with immediate effect.
Hon. Chishimba Kambwili, MP
MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING SERVICES AND CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON
14th January, 2016
Contradictory statements. Just a year ago, Kambwili uttered mocking remarks when UNZA students demanded to be offered bursaries. He said Education was not a right. A young lady even committed suicide after she was denied bursary
I wish Kambwili knew that no one obeys his threats.
Secondary boarding schools have no choice but to increase fees because the cost of food has gone up. If they reduce fee, what will pupils eat?
Uko back tracking after Dr Banda ‘s statement that UPND will offer free education.
PF kuya bebebele
How do these empty tins expect them to balance the expenditure when the government misappropriateshould money meant for then. ..and has greatly reduced ..imagine 20 years ago they couldn’t manage with pantry funding from GRZ.
It is difficult to understand some of our leaders like Kambwili. Kambwili, what parents needs is the income side of things worked out by your PF government and not much on the expenditure side of things. This put simple for you and your government, parents need to earn through employment i.e. PF and Lungu deliver the 500, 000 jobs you promised last year. Chances are that you and your government have already forgotten about the jobs you promised to create. 11 August will be very tricky for you.
August 11, like I said before makes people change their ways, temporary.
Ba chishimba it’s already too late after every thing in the country has gone bad some poor family children left skul some two years ago bcoz of failing to pay skul fees
This is idiocy of the worst kind by this useless PF government. What we need is a clear education policy that stipulates the various interventions to cushion the vulnerable children who cannot afford school fees to still access education. The reduction of boarding fees will work against the enhancement of standards in these same schools that we are always complaining about. The schools need money to provide the much needed standards for the learning environment to be responsive to what we expect. Boarding fees can only be reduced if government provides grants to fill up the financing gap created by lower fees. If there are no interventions by government, then we can conclude that the talk about reducing boarding fees is merely a political gimmick and not a concern for the poor by the…
So says the Chief Government Tribalist. How will the schools feed the pupils? Food prices are increasing each day, inflation on the rise, water, electricity and services. The government has failed all institutions, clinics hospitals and now schools. This is a government of the clueless and visionless and CNP’s.
always exciting to hear about reduced costs… but who will pay the difference?
8/11 is coming,nowonder the diarrhea.
When is this fat thing going to explode?
You know it always amazes me how Kambwili utters these statements! Obviously he does not think about the cost of food. But is it a surprise? This is the man who thinks the economy is doing well. On the other hand his food is probably bough by the government so he is not aware of rising food prices!
DAVID KAUNDA (DK) NEXT TO YOU HONOURABLE HAS NOT REDUCED. PLEASE VISIT THEM EVEN NOW TWAPAPATA. SOME OF US WE HAVE EVEN PAID THE CURRENT FEES!
This are our concerns when call for a minimum qualify for public office. Several people suffer due to ignorance and mere dullness. OK a simple civics question for Kambwili: What it is Inflation?
Someone correct me – These are government boarding schools, right? Then government, through Kambwili, is asking authorities at these schools to reduce fees? I thought government itself has something to do with the funding of the said schools. Is this a direction to themselves? It reads like he is pleading for fee reductions – for schools that belong to his government.
Election year can cause a government to bwata bwata.Where will the sc hools get the money to look after these kids from?
Do not mock parents. Why shud you ask parents to report wen you have supervisors who shud undertake a forensic audit of wat is obtaining on the ground than passing an empty & wild statement. You, too know very well that head teachers can not use their hard earned salaries to feed pupils. Economic hardships determine wat pupils are to pay if they are sustain their stay.
Comment:here at MUYOMBE secondary twachula sana
It seems like this man is absolutely determined to secure himself a place at Chinama!
Almost every time he opens his mouth these days he shows his brain is non-functioning and he is a danger to society.
Lungu, must your Ministers really be insane and chronically deluded to qualify for appointment?
How can you hope for re-electon with this demonstration of mediocrity and incompetence?