By Fred Mutesa (PhD)
It is increasingly looking like we have got it wrong with the Grade 12 certificate clause for aspiring local government and parliamentary candidates in our newly amended constitution. First, it was the ruling PF that extended the deadline for the submission of applications for aspiring candidates. Next, the opposition UPND has followed suit.
None of the parties will admit that they face a challenge of finding suitable candidates, particularly in rural constituencies. I think it is time to shed the pretense. Word has it that it is a real challenge for everyone. No doubt, the intention of asking for Grade 12 certificates was well meant, but the practicality of it is turning out to be a nightmare.
I think we worked on false assumptions in making the submission. Firstly, we equated poor performance of the legislature with low education levels, an assumption not backed by any well researched evidence. Secondly, we assumed that we have attained universal twelve year basic education for every eligible person.
We did not reckon with the uneven distribution of educational infrastructure in the country that has promoted urban-bias. Everyone with a certificate of sorts follows the bright lights of the city where they expect to find a job and live the good life.
When Chishimba Kambwili raised the alarm about the discriminatory nature of this clause, his voice was drowned by the chorus of naysayers. Yet, with hind sight, we should admit that we clearly did not seriously think through the implications of what we were asking for.
Our parliamentarians, of course, bear the greatest blame for their failure to analyse and debate the implications of what they were about to adopt. Some of them have since fallen victim to their inability to interrogate the clause. However, I think we collectively as society should share the blame for the quandary we find ourselves in.
What we did, was to essentially surrender to elitism. We blame the ills in the way we govern ourselves to lack of education. In truth, we know that corruption, for instance, is a vice common among the educated and uneducated alike. It is only a matter of degree. The same goes for integrity or its absence.
The lesson from this debacle is that we are not yet ready to demand the grade twelve qualification from our aspiring candidates. Apart from the evident impracticality of the requirement that all political parties are beginning to discover, it is also a moral affront. We are essentially saying the uneducated majority’s duty is to vote for the elites to govern them and have no right to aspire to lead. This is undemocratic and can only widen the already glaring social inequalities in our society.
It is not too late to revisit this clause and amend it appropriately. I am therefore in support of minister Kaingu’s call for a stakeholder meeting to discuss this matter. It is urgent that this be done quickly before parliament is dissolved and without disrupting the work-schedule outlined by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ).
I know I am inviting the ire of those who believe that only the elites should govern, but it is important to take a principled stand.
President, Zambians for Empowerment and Development (ZED)
Mr Mutesa,the only ones without grade 12 certificates are the old recycled politicians.
My understanding of this is that candidates show all their certificates starting with their Grade 12 or Form 5 to the highest they have. We ve people with Diplomas, Masters and PhDs from Matero. You revisit one clause you have to revisit all the other clauses Chipenzi and company claim not be clear.
Yes, me and all my fellow grade 12 failures and those who didn’t get that far want to be able to mislead people just like every one else.
The question is How many people have grade 12 certificates? THOUSANDS!!!!! How then can we fail to find candidates among the thousands??
The G.12 clause is evidence that non of the MPs read the constitution or any body else for that matter. And we call them lawmakers! We are such un-luck people we Zambians.
Father Chiti and his vuvuzela team were in the fore front to push for this constitution to be passed in its current form.Its hypocritical of him to blame all Zambians for this.It shows they were pushing for a document they did not read!
@TIA you have a point, or is he also one of those PHD holders without a grade 12 certificate? I cant believe there is a clan in Zambia without a grade graduate. If some political parties don’t have G12s then let others win unopposed. This will even save ECZ printing costs.
Any type of condition is discriminatory. Even the minimum age of 35 years for the President is discriminatory. And how many people got degrees without going through Form 5 or G12? Why should the Constitution be framed to please a few dozens? Zambian elites address not discriminatory, otherwise Lungu and Sata would never have been Presidents!
Elite – a small group of powerful people in political and sociological theory, such as an oligarchy, that controls a disproportionate amount of wealth or political power in a society.
I say even scrap this Grade 12 nonsense! We need people with degrees to govern a country.
Let us understand the true value of education!
PhD, my foot … we are moving forward not backwards. In fact, this allows for some of the G12 Holder and Degree Holder languishing in towns to see this as an opportunity to move back to their constituencies and apply for meaningful employment as elected politicians.
I like what I see and this is sweet, moving forward it means we have at least people with a basic understanding of Civics even though I would have encouraged only Degree Holders to apply.
Imbutuma need not apply! The smart people of the Zambian Enterprise deserve the best!!
Ba Mutesa, the problem is not lack of grade 12 persons, but poof conditions associated with councillors. As a PHD holder I expected you to do a bit of research and analysis before displaying the poor quality of your PHD. NO Party has failed to find grade 12 parliamentary candidates. The trouble is on councillors where we all know that are not paid enough like MPS. Improve conditions for councillors to close to those of MPS, you will be overwhelmed by applications. This is the real problem to be addressed if necessary. In fact in a meeting I sat in during constitution reviews I raised the issue of conditions of councillors if grade 12 becomes a qualification. How do you expect a graduate to move on a bicycle from village to village to push government agenda when Mr X is being paid a lot…
Continued from above: When Mr X is being paid a lot of money for sleeping in Parliament.
IT IS LAW – Grade 12 requirement here to stay. We want quality leadership. Remember, this is a people driven constitution and the people want their leaders to have a minimum of a grade 12 certificate or its equivalent. If Laws are made and changed within a year, people will lose confidence in the governance and the law making process. Let us all respect our constitution.
I think the grade 12 clause was fine until those crack heads at ECZ started saying that they will reject any other qualiification other than a grade 12 certificate. That is just plain ridiculous. I agree with Dr Kaingu that cognitively a person with even a craft certificate is actually more developed than a grade 12 everybody is being pedantic on.
I think the people who had written that cluase and made submission were of the view of Grade 12 being the minimum qualification. How can you eliminate somebody who has a PhD, a Masters , a Diploma and a craft certificate like Chartered accountant just because he does not have a G 12 certificate. It is just plain S T u P I D
Is this in retrospect? you didnt read the draft constitution too did you?
Yes its ridiculous, but lets taste our own medicine!
Before you enroll for a craft certificate, diploma or PHD any credible institution will want to be sure you have learned of the basics through secondary education! G12. Government spent a lot of money circulating the draft constitution and paying for refreshments! What were you doing at draft stage????
In short all those who obtained higher qualifications without Form 5 or Grade 12 certificates are FRAUDS and we don’t want them to govern us!
Iwe chimudala iwe…noone can obtain a diploma, or a degree in Zambia without having gone through the 12th grade..thats basic requirement…The problem you chaps have in Zambia is that there is a whole junk of substandard humans whoe cant read and they have taken over power and politics…These sub-humans are encouring even the cooking of degrees at every streen corner where every G12 failure can obtain any level of academic certification (Kaingu inclusive) either through buying, or through a 2 weeks “training”
We should not rescind anything. This is not a statutory Instrument that you U-Turn on with impunity. The same characters were asked to read it before passing it; apparently they were just interested in the clauses about gratuity. Seleni Tubombeko…
You are very right. Our law makers are just interested in their gratuity as has been evidenced by the out cry from the same law makers who passed the bill only to be reminded later that they shot themselves in the feet. This is very interesting.
@TIA and Election Observer 2016 you both have made it clear. We may end up doing away with the whole amended constitution, next someone will call for revision of 50 +1.
A constitution is not a draft novel, to be hacked and revised at will. This is the sacred law of the land that should be tampered with only when absolutely necessary. PF’s incompetence in not reviewing what they passed into law should not be sufficient reason to hack the sacred document again. All the more reason why it should have been approved via national referendum.
Dont blame PF president Lungu is on record to tell Zambians to read the document as he himself had read it.You have father Chiti and his group ,UPND MPS walking out of parliament in protest over the constitution
Oh, sorry Mwinsho. I didn’t realize that UPND was the majority party that guaranteed the passing of these amendments. Hmph!
Law has been implemented and the rest is under the bridge. Ignorance has no defense. Some people have no PHDs and yet they are regarded as such. The rest is history.
Lungu stated from October 2014 that people should read the constitution. Instead of taking it serious people were busy talking of mode of adoption and having clandestine meetings chaired by Sara Longwe.
When Parliament sent it to the committee for final routine committee stakeholder consultations some were even walking out of Parliament while others were busy opposing everything for the sake of opposing. Kambwili should have gone round before constitution adoption……not doing so after ascend. Besides OP should have done a basic survey in constituencies or that nonsensical forum undertaking that in all wards.
Let the Grade 12 clause stay.
Dr Mutesa is not being factual in terms of the reality on the ground. I have hundreds of friends and relatives in the rural area with college and trade qualifications who have no interest in the mediocrity that UNIP ushered into politics. This is not a Grade 12 problem. It is a legacy problem. It is clear now that overwhelmingly those who can actually governed have been hounded by the hyenas who only know savagery and character assassination!! It is more of a perception problem than it is a Grade 12 matter. Now examine those complaining and see what they actually have in hand. Most have lived in the urban area all their lives but forged their way onto the political leadership stage.
Why do you want to share the blame by saying ‘we’? Late Michael asked you , ‘have you ever seen an animal driven constitution?’ you thought He was been sarcastic, this is essentially what He mean’t . If people passed it as you say you wanted a ‘people driven’ constitution, then the same people go to ammend the same ‘people driven’ constituion, what does that say about the people? The only other thing that is near to a human being is an animal
Humour and sarcasm in one paragraph, this is a feat no Zambian can achieve lolest. @Lee habaponta I ask this here are you Zambian?
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha what were they thinking when they sent the constitution to the resident for his signature?
MMD Chief Bootlicker, How would a person get a PhD, a Masters , a Diploma without passing Grade 12 or equivalent?
Online degrees.
Are such online degrees then worth more than G12 if they have no minimum quals before a candidate can enter the program?
@Nsama – it gets even worse. Online degrees a bit respectable. We have more diploma-degree mills than we have online universities!!! Most of these qualifications being paraded are actually from these mills!
The draft constitution had ample time to vetted by all interested. The only ECZ has done ‘wrong’ is the interpretation… sure a diploma or degree or PHD holder is far much superior to G12.
I see this clause challanged in court if law.
That’s why the Constitutional Court is there.
What is the reason for this oversight? Those with keen eyes will have realised the mob psychology, and desire to grope in the dark within our society. Most fail to look at issues in their entirety, and are content to follow just because what so and so says, is final and true. Time to pay attention to detail!
No going back to illiteracy. For a change I agree with HH. Zambia Forward.
You can’t run before you walk. We don’t want short cuts with all these diploma mills around. Show us your G12 or form 5 certificate. Not those diplomas, degrees and PhDs. I can get a degree in five minutes.
Now I doubt whether Mr. Mtesa has a G12 certificate.
The constitution says: “a person shall be eligible to be elected as a MP if that person has […inter alia…] obtained, as a minimum academic qualification, a grade twelve certificate or its equivalent.”
What’s so hard to understand about that? Any tertiary degree is higher than grade 12 so exceeds the minimum (…I’m sure even from Copperstone U).
Thanks @ spuds I agree that the Legal meaning is that any higher qualification is accepted as suitable. But………
Unfortunately the issue here is lack of understanding the English language for some of our learned. The constitution says minimum requirement, hence one can run for office if they have a higher qualification. ECZ is at fault here for saying if you don’t have your grade 12 certificate you cant run, and if they are not sure what the clause is actually saying the have access to Justice ministry that can direct them on this.
At no point in the constitution does it say its compulsory to have a grade 12 certificate, just that anybody wanting to run needs to show proof of attaining grade 12, equivalent or higher. Come guys we are better than this and we will become a laughing stock if we carry on like this.
@ Patriot & Kabudo, absolutely – yes, but!
Those who would argue the constitution means you must have, at a minimum, an actual Grade 12 certificate should ask themselves what the constitutional objective really is.
Surely, the aim is to ensure MPs and others in government have a reasonable education not that they can produce an arcane piece of paper. If this continues to be an issue, someone should take the matter to the Supreme Court for interpretation. It is ludicrous to prevent degree holders from running because they “don’t have” Grade 12 and is even more ludicrous to allow politicians and cadres to decide the matter or even the head of ECZ. Honestly, how dare these people hijack the constitution!
I read an article on a kid of 10 years, or so who was accepted into Oxford University for being extremely bright, and skipped the other grades in Primary and Secondary School straight to uni. So imagine a child Prodigy genius being told they can’t be in gov’t because of physical attendance on Grade 12 when they can build a bomb!!! I have Grade 12, I am happy to say!!
No, no, no, Hell no bro. You can only enter university first with G12 or any other convertible curriculum. This concept of aptitude test to enter university is out……….. you can see clearly….sub standard minister of Higher education. THREE Credits including English and any other two subjects not necessarily credits to have a full SOGO certificate.
Nothing will be tabled on what has been signed as constitution, you people were crying for the constitution and alas what has changed all of the sudden? We have been electing mps to represent us in parliament but they go there to doze, eat and drink mineral water and after the session they come out as empty as anything so what do you expect. The g 12 clause is here to stay so go hang yourself if you are a form 2
BA EJIGAR BA MUDALA……BALEFYAYA SOGO certificate……G12 or its equivalent. There was already enough time given to go through the clauses in Parliament and in fact Bo Kaingu voted for the document just to shame UPND. You see now, your document has come to haunt you just like the meal allowance. Think before you make a decision bro!!!
True this debate is welcome. Clearly Mutesa is speaking for political expediency. All other qualifications are irrelevant without a credible G12 or equivalent! The outcry just goes to show that there are a lot of manufactured so called higher qualifications in Zambian today.
Take the bar ‘higher’ to grade 7 and you be shocked as to how many people actually never crossed that requirement! I agree with Kalok that we remove hyenas from politics and only then governance will improve …
Lower certificates such as Grades 9 and 7 are in fact are better assessment of how one was developed than those of grade 12, diplomas and degrees.
In other words these lower certificates are a ‘higher’ indicator of one’s performance as at those stages and for many people chances of cheating were almost nil or non existent!
A people driven constitution was what we wanted thus let it stand.The MP’s had to brake the night chiwamila garu kuluma mbuzi and not the other way round.We cant have a constitution that’s changed at while.It has taken us more than 20 years to up with this important document and only to be changed to suit a few politicians it not fair.We even even people calling for its interpretation in this era too bad for us.Those aspiring for leadership should just start rewriting in the next 5 years if they want to lead us period……………………………
…what baffles me is that Miyanda was totally ignored by all stake holders when he causioned the ECL not to sign the draft with eyes closed…non of these characters emerging now with so called ‘brilliant’ views rose up with him….everyone including Kabwili rebuked Miyanda..
Mutesa you are nuts!!!
I think this DR has no grade 12 certificate. Please allow the law as enacted operate otherwise Zambia is a banana Republic. People like this DR and another Minister DR should not comment subjectively on G12 requirement.
For “full treatment”, lets accept to swallow the pills, bitter as they are. Instead of trying to adjust the constitution to suit us, lets try to adjust ourselves to suit the constitution. These are the wishes of the people in order to get the best for their country and themselves.
Sorry, It’s water under the bridge – we cannot revisit that clause. After over 50 years of independence, an aspiring candidate of public office without basic G12 qualification is totally unacceptable. What matters of national importance would one articulate without basic education? Common guys!
Tulefyaya SOGO……Soon to GO…….G12/Form 5 is the way to go and the quality of the debates will be very good and intellectual.
This is what happens when you live by the maxim “fikaisova”. The typical behavior of our Zambian mentality is to let things start and then see whether or not it was right to let it… Most of us who advocate for proactive behavior are trashed to shreds and then never acknowledged when our warnings come to bear. I however do support the Grade 12 clause as I believe the majority of quality leaders are waiting in the wings with genuine intentions and well-balanced qualifications that can be vouched for. We are not short of quality leadership; we have just been overwhelmed by mediocrity over the years!
Only people without grade Twelve certificates are still talking about this matter please no going back it’s forward only join the team.
Without further adieu, let us brothers and sisters correct this mistake. Mr Mutesa has written well and exposed a new cancer eating at Zambia’s social fabric. There is a worship of Money and it’s benefits for those who have it and a demonising of those who do not have it. There is a new breed of Zambian which has an inferior complex and sees life in rigid constraints. You are only human if you have a degree qualification by a certain age, have a house by the age of 50 years (as we read recently in response to Cansius Banda’s alleged rent arrears), drive a car(even though you live in a country that’s ‘Fuel challenged’). You are a failure if you live on ‘handouts’ in the West( bizarre considering Welfare payments are meant to protect the poor,sick, and disabled so they do not…
You are a failure if you live on ‘handouts’ in the West( bizarre considering Welfare payments are meant to protect the poor,sick, and disabled so they do not fall below a certain level of poverty).
This has been the result coming out of HH and his brand of politics. His followers most certainly worship wrongful rich theories that have lead to this rule that came from pretentious beliefs that our gov’t system did not work because of Poor people without education being voted into Office by Poor uneducated people. UPND cannot deny this, they are centrefold here, their philosophy laid bare in the glaring harsh dawning light of day.
In most Western societies there is a strata of society starting with Aristocrats, Upper Class, Middle Class and the poor Working Class. BUT very…
Very disruptive folks. It’s a good thing we have arrived to this as we know now tom foolery from groups with agendas gets us nowhere fast enough!
BUT very delicately a class known as Nouveau Riche (Pronounced: No Voo Reesh). This class gets into a higher strata by education, hard work(ya ya ya) and sets it’s heart on getting a Wealth and Flashing wealth. In fact so intense is the psychological make up of this fake group that they are the butt of society jokes, usually by the ‘real’ richer classes because of this groups ‘sick’ view of what is acceptable. So please dear Zambians from now on let us learn to respect all citizens and create an inclusive society. It’s the way we demonstrate Human Rights as in the Right for all Humans to dream, and achieve in life without barriers to earnings to provide for selves and family.
Let us add this delicate word to our vocabulary!
noun: Nouveau Riche
Meaning
People who have…
Look these guys refused to listen to anyone when they were requested to take the amendments through a referendum by civil society and the other groups representing the people on the ground.
Let us add this delicate word to our vocabulary!
noun: Nouveau Riche
Meaning
People who have recently acquired wealth, typically those perceived as ostentatious or lacking in good taste.
Also known by synonyms:’the new rich’; ‘parvenus’, ‘arrivistes’, ‘upstarts’, ‘social climbers’, and ‘vulgarians.’
LETS ALL GIVE DIVISIVE UPND A BIG NO VOO REESH, 2016!!! Let’s revert to our beautiful inclusive Zambian culture of valuing people for wisdom.
So what you are describing here are the likes of Oprah, the Khardashians and 3/4 of all the “Black” artistes? Because clearly from what we read it is perceived that Taylor Swift works harder than any comparatively black artist i.e. Beyounce Knowles. But truth be Africans we shall forever be in slave chains due to our own mentality, you cant free a bird from a cage if it still wants to live in the cage!
There are many forms and levels of education. An experienced human is also worthy if they demonstrate capability through experience and appropriate learning.
Oprah, Kardasian (mommy) all great Marketers though product is trash in the later! We can’t reject our history, some of these non Grade 12’s are victims lack of opportunity. They must be given a chance to break through. But I believe ECZ are misinterpreting the condition, it must be that higher qualifications properly validated are on par for meeting the conditions.
EDucation is not compulsory in Zambia and therefore to say all must have a grade 12 cert is unfair and discriminatory.
In the first place, the school places are not adequate to cater for every ZAmbian.
Perhaps now the Govt can considder
Education is compulsory but people can not access it fairly.
Grade 12 Certificate should be a minimum requirement.
But how else would lawyers make money if they did a complete job. It has to be partial so that it can be used to earn money later.
True dat!
Unfortunately the issue here is lack of understanding the English language for some of our learned. The constitution says minimum requirement, hence one can run for office if they have a higher qualification. ECZ is at fault here for saying if you don’t have your grade 12 certificate you cant run, and if they are not sure what the clause is actually saying the have access to Justice ministry that can direct them on this.
At no point in the constitution does it say its compulsory to have a grade 12 certificate, just that anybody wanting to run needs to show proof of attaining grade 12, equivalent or higher. Come guys we are better than this and we will become a laughing stock if we carry on like this.
In Zambia education is not compulsory and therefore to say everyone aspiring should have a grade 12 cert is unfair and discriminatory.
Moreover the fact is that there aian’t enough school places to cater for everyone
Perhaps now the Govt can start considering to provide education for everyone
Its like even having a PHD after your name means nothing. These characters who keep complaining about a mere Grade qualification for our leaders maybe they should abolish qualifications for every job in the country as well. How do you employ a grade 7 to make laws for the country mwebantu lets be serious. Being a politician is not a god given right so why should every illiterate have an opportunity to mess up our lives.
The issue at hand is a G12 not any other qualification.The ECZ wants know,if at all,one has a G12 period.It is not the issue of having masters and PHD.It is just a small paper called School Certificate.In a working environment,the first requirement a human practitioner will require is a School Certificate.
If we do not value our education,we are killing the nation and its future.The only regime that valued education was UNIP.It attached greater importance to a cadre of educationists.That is why it pained KK to have only 100 university graduates at independence.He embarked on a program of free education and he produced a lot of graduates.The value of education was eroded in 1991 when uneducated cadre of politicians took a centre stage in running the affairs of the nation.MMD had no…
G12 here to stay or scrap the whole constitution
no let it stay like that we love it..people like kaingu should hang the boots..lol
Comment: Attaining grade12or Form5 level of education one comes out with or without a certificate . Then follows the classification of this certificate into distinction, merit,credit,pass and fail.
When this clause went to the technocrats data collected by CSO was to be used on ward basis to check our educational status at ward level. After CSO data guide, Education history had to be considered to categorise it into the phases of standard level ,form level,and Grade 12 level. The quality level of these categories are not at par. The technocrats rushed things on this one .That basic education too must have quality not mere quantity with poor output.
Well done Fred for arguing the obvious in a logical manner. You summarize the main arguments convincingly. The elite reacted instinctively to defend its own interests. It is time for the intelligentsia to pump some sense into the local elite. Free universal education up to ordinary level is the way forward. Proclamation per se is hollow and creates avoidable problems. Farhren wir weiter, oder?
It’s all hot air, by end today we’ll hear a clarification on this , am sir there is provision for other higher to be considered on par!
I do not believe Grade 12 or Form V certificate is an issue for parliamentary candidates. Perhaps the yardstick should be lowered for rural, unsophisticated councils.
If the issue is academic certificates,in Zambia we have o-level and A-level ie o-level minimum qualification while A-level is higher.The professional qualifications are eg teaching diploma,BAed,PHD etc.Equivalents of academic are Form5 certificate,form 4 certificate,high school diplomas etc.An aptitude test does not qualify because the only pre qualification to enter college or university is o-level or A-level qualification.When you enter university on o-level,you are obldged to do A-level before you start any course but if you have A-level one goes straight to second year.THANK YOU
HEY ZAMBIANS WHY REVISIT LAW FOR THE FEW. HYPOCRICY. LET US ALSO REVISIT LAWS THAT HAVE MADE INNOCENT PEOPLE TO BE BEHIND BARS( IN PRISONS) U ARE VERY BIASED. PEPOLE A I PRISON SERVING BECAUSE OF THE BAD LAWS AND EVERY ONE IS SILENT. THE GRADE 12 CERT OR QUIVANLENT SITILL STANDS. G TO NIGHT SCHOOL. IT IS NOT TOO LATE.
Ba Dr. Mutesa the problem is not with the grade twelve clause, its because of some recycled Politicians who do not have the qualification that are making noise.Please this is a progressive clause and i feel it will usher in some new blood in the Politics of this country, there are some councilors who have been in power for too long….let others also lead.
E.C.Z PLEASE STICK TO THE LAW AND NOT BA KAINGUS ANALYSIS. LET ALSO TALK ABOUT THE BAD LAWS THAT HAVE TAKEN INNOCENT PEOPLE BEHIND BARS. IF IT IS THE POOR INVOLVED, YOU JUST SAY IT IS LAWTHAT SAYS SO BUT IF IT IS THE POOR YOU SAY INTERPRETE WHY? WE HAVEN SPEND TIME IN SCHOOL BECUAUSE OF NOT WANTING SHORT CUTS TO POWER. GO BACK TO SCHOOL. I CAN NOT IMAGINE A GRADE 2 SUPERVISING A GRADUATE BECUSE OF POLITICS. WATER KNOWS ITS LEVEL SO GO BACK TO SCHOOL.
PLEASE MWEBANTU MINIMUM MEANS ENTRY POINT. HOW DO U GO TO MAXIMUM WITHOUT MINIMUM.
LETEFWE GRADE TWELVE BANE. TRY TO READ JOB ADVERTS THEY CAN SAY MINIMUM DEGREE AND MASTERS ADVANTAGE. MEANING U CAN NOT BE PICKED EVEN IF U HAVE TEN MASTERS WITHOUT A DEGREE
People travelling on Senanga – Sesheke road are being subjected to unnecessary delays by the old Pontoon over the Zambezi. Yesterday five trucks slept by the pontoon. RFA must immediately instruct the bridge contrSioma bridge contractor to start allowing transporters to pass.
Where in Zambia can you get a degree or diploma without a full Grade 12 certificate?
Anyone found with a degree but can not produce a Grade 12 certificate is liable for Fraud and should be arrested.
The reason why Zambia has lagged behind is because we are too casual. I remember that Kachema’s party with the now defunct Father Chiti’s fimo fimo were crying loud on the need to have the new constitution.
It is obviously clear that people went into politics only for selfish reasons and not serve the masses. When this was realised and a minimum of Grade 12 requirement brought in, little did most people realise that this would bring about new ways of looking at Politics.
Its not true that Zambia doesnt have people with grade 12 certificates, its only that most these people have also attained higher education and already in meaningful employment. So its up to the political parties to find these suitable people and convince them to be politicians and help accelerate the development in…
I have just seen a job advert in the newspaper. The company is looking for a Civil Engineer. The qualification the company is asking for is “a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering”
Thank God that I actually have a higher qualification than what they are asking for. I have a Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering. I am applying for that job. I will enclose only a copy of my Master’s degree with the application letter. I am getting that job! Yes! Yes! Yes!
But you are not a SUGO…….how did you enter University in the first place. Do you have an honorary Doctorate like ba Mudala ba KK? Iwe naiwe………G12 first and NOT Matero university.
Why do we need a grade 12 certificate? What if you have those skills and knowledge and there is evidence(certificates, dips,MAS and PHD) do you still have to get grade 12 certificate?
It’s shocking we are having this debate on here. Please don’t take the country backwards. The grade 12 clause is way to go. Let our leader aspire to have some education to reduce ignorance. We can’t continue promoting the culture of not reading. Those who don’t have and want to leaders let them register at various educational centre and acquire some education. We have people in leadership making very questionable arguments and I used to wonder. It’s a period of enlightenment. Very progressive clause indeed!!
Bane twilaibepa iyoo. Even when you apply for job mu boma, they want to see your G12 certificate. ECZ is very right. Even if you have a PhD. So, leteni ama G12 certificates together with your OTHERS….
Mr Mutesa you are very very right. Not all is lost please let us face it let us re-look at this clause and do the need full. We should not pretend, in the villages things are bad for both PF and UPND jokes are side. My father wanted me to go and stand in my home village despite me being away for so many years, simply because there is no one in the are with a grade 12 certificate .
This just shows how misguided the over emphasis on mode of adoption at the expense of paying due attention on the content by the grand coalition was. I hope we’ve learnt a BIG LESSON on what to politicize and what not!!
I FULLY SUPPORT DR. MUTESA’S POSITION ON THE GRADE 12 REQUIREMENT TO STAND AS MP OR COUNCILLORS. DR. MUTESA HAS HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. IT IS NOT THE ACADEMIC EDUCATION THAT CREEATES GOOD LEADERS. ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS RATED TO BE AMONG THE BEST PRESIDENTS THE USA HAS HAD BUT HIS FORMAL EDUCATION WAS ZERO. HE EDUCATED HIMSELF TO BECOME A LAWYER A SURVEYOR AND TURNED OUT TO BE A GOOD WRITER. CHURCHILL IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE WITH LITTLE FORMAL EDUCATION BUT WHO PROVED TO BE AN EXCELLENT LEADER. BACK HOME, WE HAVE OUR KK WHO PROVIDED BETTER LEADERSHIP THAN WHAT WE SEEING FROM A SO CALLED LAWYER. CAN YOU COMPARE OUR VETERAN MAMAN KANKASA TO THE USE–LESS MUMBI PHIRI? IT IS NOT TOO LATE LET US REVISIT THE GRADE 12 REQUIREMENT.
You people of yesterday want to think that KK was any better than these leaders we are seeing today..No he wasn’t a good leader at all. If you have come to know KK after he is out of power, then I can’t blame you so much, but the truth is that he was not a good leader at all..Zambians want to forget too fast, its not so long ago when people used to cry a lot because of the brutality of this old man you call KK, he used to call himself a god under heavens and many innocent lives are lying in graves because of the same person and someone who was not there want to preach good things which he/she did not witness…
I think the Government should make grade 12 certificate as the minimum requirement for any body aspiring for adoption as a Members of Parliament. Those with degrees, masters and Phds should be allowed without asking for a grade 12 certificate, after all politics is just a job like any other. The sole reason for demanding these ‘qualifications’ is to make sure the candidate is able to articulate issues in Parliament without looking over their shoulders to check if anyone is laughing at their poor English. Yes a poorly constructed sentence with invite some giggles or sniggers in the House whether you like it or not.
“…after all politics is just a job like any other.” I take it you have no idea what happens in ‘any other jobs’. Without a G12 certificate, no higher qualification will get you a job in govt and other ‘serious’ organisations. I’m actually aware of one Masters Degree holder who was forced by the same reality to enroll and sit for G12 certificate in order to advance. So those without G12 can enroll right away for G.E.C. and I don’t expect them to fail since they already have ‘higher’ qualifications.
This clause will really help Zambia to recover from all the problems we are facing right now, simply because currently our government is full of educated thieves who only have papers to show, but their heads are empty in real sense. Our government has many people that claim to be Doctors, Professors, Economists, Lawyers etc and yet they don’t have a simple grade 12 certificate. These are the people we have entrusted to run our country and we expect things to be fine. It can’t work!!!! The grade 12 certificate clause will help Zambia to have right people in government will in turn restore our lost image….
It does not help matters much when you have the Minister of Education with a supposed PhD from a supposed University that is thinking and acting like a functional illiterate.
I thank God for this clause.I can now also stand as an MP.To all those who dont have Grade 12, go back to night school.Its not too late.
For sure imagine Lusaka province being lead by a grade 9 dropout of all the people ayi! Getting thousands of kwachas and not only that but also undermining the intelligence of the learned and surely you expect a country to develop? Far from it. Abash school dropouts and recycled politicians. Imagine, a fool had been for example in MMD, moved to ZRP then PF and now UPND and for sure you wasre your vote to suchba fool? Zambians let us wake up
Firstly, I consistently opposed the inclusion of this clause and have recently still continued to express how problematic it is. But that aside, this saga exposes a few home truths; i) Our lack of commitment and investment in education over the years has exposed how so many people have been failed in their pursuit to acquire qualifications ii) Consequently, we have had MPs pass an amendment without presumably having read the provision – a result of a lack of at least a grade 12 attainment? iii) The electorate have no means (apart from through bribes) of assessing candidate’s competence, background, experience, education e.t.c. If such information was readily available to all potential voters and there were ways of making candidates sell themselves critically, there would be no need for…
(continued) …… for the grade 12 requirement. In the Zambian context, it is elitist and excludes those we are unable to assess by other competencies.
There are a number of questions that ought be answered.
1. Is being an MP a job or just a hobby or pastime?
2. If it is a job then, should it have minimum qualifications?
3. What is the level of responsibility for the job?
4. Is reading and counting enough to qualify for this job?
Many of you know the answers to these questions. MP should be able not only to read and count but to understand what is happening in the world. eg Vera Chiluba was once a Minister of Environment and could not understand the term ‘carbon footprint’.
Alternatively, cascade the educational requirements eg ward councillors-grade 7, Form 3 and MP- grade 12 or higher.
Besides there are so many Grade 12 who are not employed now, I thought there will be queuing up to be adopted. There is no shortage of…