THE Government will continue paying meal allowances to Copperbelt University (CBU) and University of Zambia (UNZA) students, with a call for a disciplined crop of students at the two institutions.
Chief Government spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili said at a Press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that the Government did not scrap the meal allowances for students at the two public universities.
The two universities were closed on February 3, this year, due to persistent unrest over delayed payment of meal allowances.
The Government attributed the unrest to political influence and had since set conditions for the two universities to enable them re-open, which mainly included enhancement of security features.
The two institutions are set for re-opening on April 24, this year.
Mr Kambwili, who is the Information and Broadcasting Services minister, said Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu had indicated that if the students continued with their riotous behaviour, the meal allowances would be withdrawn.
“I wish to inform the nation that Government will continue to provide meal allowances to students when the two universities re-open,” Mr Kambwili said.
He said that appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against erring students.
The minister said United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema should not use the disciplinary action on erring students to gain political mileage.
He said the students should be disciplined in order for them to grow into responsible citizens who would contribute meaningfully to national development.
Mr Kambwili also said the Government was aware that the UPND was parading economists with the aim of discrediting Government’s efforts in improving the economy.
He said the remarks attributed to Mr Hichilema on gains in the Kwacha in the Sunday Post last weekend were misleading the nation.
Mr Kambwili said the opposition leader was discrediting the Government and portraying himself as a “messiah” of the country’s economic challenges.
He said the gains in the local currency were resulting from President Edgar Lungu’s credibility and maturity in the way he presided over the economic affairs of the country.
Mr Kambwili said the Government under the Patriotic Front (PF) leadership had attracted huge investments such as the K1.1 billion from Glenco.
He said the Government had maintained dialogue with mining firms, with a view to arriving at a favourable mining royalty tax.
Mr Kambwili said the UPND should concentrate on disciplining its vice-president Geoffrey Mwamba who had continued to insult innocent people on social media.
He said the party should question the kind of leadership the UPND would provide if they were voted into political office.
Meanwhile, the University of Zambia (UNZA) senate has set April 24, this year, as the official day for full-time students at the institution to resume lessons.
Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu had earlier announced that UNZA and the Copperbelt University (CBU) were expected to reopen yesterday.
UNZA public relations manager Damaseke Chibale said the senate sanctioned the date in accordance with the academic calendar and that the two weeks beginning yesterday, would be used to attend to part-time students who are resident at the institution.
Mr Chibale said under the standard academic calendar, full-time students went on a two-week recess to allow for long distance students to receive the prescribed services from the institution.
“April 10, 2016 had been set as a target date for the two universities to meet the conditions for re-opening.
“The senate met and set 24, April as opening day. This is to pave way for part-time students who had not been affected by the universities’closure to meet the course coordinators and handover their assignments,” Mr Chibale said.
Mr Chibale said all full-time students had been informed of the changes in opening date.
When reached for a comment, Dr Kaingu referred all queries to Ministry of Higher Education Permanent Secretary Owen Zulu who said that the two universities had done their part in meeting the set conditions for reopening.
On March 9 2016, Lusaka Times reported in a story headlined “Government Scraps Meal Allowances for Students, Sets Conditions for re-opening of UNZA and CBU” and I quote “Government has announced that it has withdrawn the payment of meal allowances for students at the Copperbelt University and the University of Zambia. Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu revealed that the scrapping off of the meal allowances is meant to pave way for the introduction of the Students Loans and Scholarship Scheme in January 2017.” I rest my case
You must be another cretin to believe that meal allowances scrapping was effected without changing the statutory instrument was used to implement it. What govt said was it MAY withdraw meal allowances should students continue with riotous behaviour in future. There you go again. No space for your campaign team to seize an opportunity. Cctvs are all over the campuses and your cretins will be spotted live once seen taking confusions at the learning institutes. No more taking advantage of student’s mob this time because even students have learned a lesson .
I HOPE THE STUDENTS REALIZE THAT THIS IS ALL A ” DONCHI KUBEBA!” IF THE STUDENTS BELIEVE FOR ONE SECOND THAT THIS GOVERNMENT WOULD NEED TURN ON THEM AFTER ELECTIONS THEN THEY DESERVE WHAT THEY WOULD GET. IF LUNGU WAS GENUINE ABOUT DIALOGUE WITH THE STUDENTS HE WOULD FIRE THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THESE PROBLEMS AT CBU AND UNZA AND THAT IS KAINGU.
THIS YEAR VOTE WISE. OTHERWISE YOU WILL STARVE!
Expel all unruly students before opening the two institutions!
Kaingu told parliament that he had scrapped meal allowances. He later told Grevazio Zulu that it was a threat. This has nothing to do with HH but the lying Doc without a G12 & his drunken master.
Baka Kambwili,
Where is HH coming from? Leave the man alone and Kambwili with PF, fix the economy & make sure all the missed student payments for the last months should be back paid to the students. No tales Ba Kambwili!
Soon or later, the universities had to open in less than 3 months when the new leadership takes place.
What Kambwili is not saying is that, student allowances are budget for & the uni’s needn’t be closed by PF. Wasted time!
Its over for PF Ba Kambwili & it will then be indeed, “GLOBAL” as PF always insinuates.
Mr. Kambwili, yazanda, just leave HH out of PFs own neck pain, mealie meal issues, economy & load shedding should be PF govts agenda daily.
Bye bye PF!
The Skeleton Key
~206~
Why drag UPND and HH into this Mr. Kambwili. These guys are really messed up.
Honestly, you guys have just wasted students’ curriculum. Learn to consult before you issue contradictory statements. You should have just paid the students the meal allowances instead of this flip-flop time and time again. I think PF has realized that this might work against them, hence the U-turn to pay the meal allowances. Either way, Im glad the students will get their cash..
HH Techilema, Kaingu gave an official statement and at no time did he say “MAY.” He was very clear on radio, TV, print media and online media. You clearly have a hearing, sight and comprehension problem. Are you by any chance a victim of the missing Grade 12 certificate?
Then they think students who think will thank them and vote for them. We the masses appreciate GBM’s insults on Tayali and all others. ………… (oops can’t repeat the insults but you know). They just think about their ………….stomachs when the masses are hungry. Viva GBM, Viva incoming Veep.
Kambwili and your govt did you have any other option. Just inform the nation that you have now found the money to pay the students hence the opening of the two universities
If there is still anyone out there who still doubts the incompetence and flip flopping of this Government, you have it laid bare for you! PF MUST GO!
The doubters will tell you it’s God’s chosen leadership SMH
A GOVERNMENT WITHOUT DIRECTION AT WORK.
Mr Kambwili, you are the same person who was claiming that the economic hardship the Country is passing through was global issue and there is nothing the PF government can do you even quote South Africa (their rand being in trouble and load shedding)But today you want to take glory that it your government is doing fine.-This clearly shows the Country has become too big to manage for PF.Please give way to UPND with fresh ideas.We sick and tired of your fake excuses
And you are also the same people who were shouting on top of vuvuzelas that it is pf leadership who are responsible for devaluation of the kwacha when govt said it is global. The fact still remains that economic turn down is still there and what we are are seeing on the kwacha are local efforts to stabilize it. Has glenco invested in the world economy also. The appreciation has come about because of investor confidence and many are loosening up on the dollar all because of govt initiative in governance and private sector involvement.
We will see were ends will take you with lies. You behave as though you are not zambians. What type of ! diots are you who are engaged in only seeing the negatives happens in Zambia.
HH Techilema, you couldn’t be more right. Typical of these Un Patriotic NearDerthals. Natunaka nobufi bwabo. We will put an end to all this nonsense in August.
A government of Errors
Trial and Error sounds better…
As a former ZIT student who would have been a kamalasha had it not been for BC, my vote for PF is already lost. Umwana wangalila kuli BC temwana musuma iyo. This money students get as allowances are not for PF!! State resources so dont behave as if it comes from ministers’ pockets NO! You remove subsidies and the country is worse off now you want to threaten students of their rightful BC?? Mwanya as GBM would tell Tayali
Where Kaingu we pay him a salary to be Education minister? Too proud to swallow his pride. …Inconsistencies even with students education….all this time wasted for what? Its very sad no wonder a mere degree takes 5 years….how can attract international students with empty tins overseeing such issues.
The Lumpens have just realised they are about to exit Govt thus thius panicking.
They should have just paid them then…happy to increase their salaries….these leaders are not our parents but public servants.
“Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu revealed that the scrapping off of the meal allowances is meant to pave way for the introduction of the Students Loans and Scholarship Scheme in January 2017.” (09-03-16)
“Chief Government spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili said at a Press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that the Government did not scrap the meal allowances for students at the two public universities.” (12-04-16)
I think our GRZ is beginning to sound like ‘Animal Farm’.
I think it became “Animal Farm” immediately after winning in 2011. All animals (Zambians) are equal but some animals (Zambian leaders/politicians) are more equal than others!!!
It should have been “Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu revealed that the scrapping off of the meal allowances is meant to pave way for the Minister of Information to contradict the scrapping off of the meal allowances.”
How much more do you Zambians want to suffer? What does it take for you to see incompetence in a government? Are Southerners affected? The answer is yes. Are Northerners affected? The answer is yes. Are Easterners affected? The answer is yes. The fact is whether Westerner, Luapulan, Muchingan, Northwesterner all of you are suffering at this government’s incompetence regardless of where the president comes from. So all of you should team up and vote for a person/party that will efficiently take of your resources for the benefit of all.
All the students who were/have been expelled for crying loudly over their meal allowances will be reinstated with full compensation by the in-coming Govt. Anyone who plays around/trivializes issues of education is a very big f00l and is a danger to Zambian society. How can we compete in the job market if we do not have sufficient levels of education! Nowadays all job adverts are international. The world has become a small global village. Even the few jobs that are supposed to be for Zambians will be taken away and be given to foreigners if we do not pay attention to education. Ati ba Dr. K—; ba Dr baboza. These morons are just wasting our time.
this dinosaur…neckless man
THE WAY MR KAMBWILI ADRESSES ISSUES REMAINS TO BE QUESTIONABLE.THIS PRESS BRIEFING WAS IT FOR CBU & UNZA’S MEAL ALLOWANCES OR IT WAS FOR HH? A MINISTER IN POSSESSION OF A DEGREE SHOULD NOT BEHAVE LIKE THIS.EDUCATION BY ACCIDENT,WHEN U LEAVE GOVT DONT LOOK FOR EMPLOYMENT WITH THAT COPPERSTONE DEGREE,U MAY NOT GET EMPLOYED.
Stop inciting other people’s children to riot at Universities you politicians, your children are abroad studying peacefully. When you do that you are the same people who are going on top of the Antihills to denounce the govt. And as for the students, you need to know why you left your parents from Kaputa, Kasama, mansa, Zambezi, Isoka Chavuma, to mention but a few just to go and throw stones at the Tax payer’s car who feeds you. Please show levels of maturity that’s why dialogue is virtue. In this situation we are now, who has lost? Is it the politician or the Students of course it’s the students so know what you want in your life as these politicians are just the same, Thanks.
IT WONT CHANGE ANYTHING.
PF JUST WANT TO INCREASE THE CHANCES JUSTIFYING
RIGGING OTHERWISE IN THE BALLOT THEY LOST EARLIER.
He was insulting Tayali not people. Listening to the conversation Tayali found it very funny!!! and of course despite GBM saying let it go viral it seems as if he was saying it because they are “friends”. But Tayali being a cadre released the conversation on social media. The rest of Kambwili is speech is not worth much as usual.
I am mauless! Are they coming or going?!?