Education Professon Nkandu Luo, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Mulungushi University
Chancellor Professor Oliver Saasa and Vice Chancellor Professor Hellicy
Ng’anmbi posing for a family picture.
Government has extended the provision of Higher Education loans to 5 public Institutions. Ministry of Higher Education Public Relations Officer, Chiselwa Kawanda said that 1 000 scholarships will be awarded this year to Palabama University, Chalimbana University, Mulungushi University, Mukuba University and Nkhwame Nkurumah University.
Ms. Kawanda told ZNBC News that the extension has been necessitated by loan recoveries the ministry has been undertaking from September last year.
She said that of the 1 000 Scholarships, 40% will be given on merit.
Ms Kawanda said that 30% will be awarded to females, while another 30% will be given to applicants from rural communities.
And the Patriotic Front on the Copperbelt has welcomed the decision by the Government of the Republic of Zambia to extend student’s loans to five more public universities in 2019.
PF Copperbelt Vice Chairman Christopher Kang’ombe said the step is unprecedented because in the past only students from CBU and UNZA were considered for education loans.
“With this decision, more students totalling 1000, coming from poor families will have equal opportunities to get educated and acquire the qualifications to compete for employment opportunities in the job market,” Mr Kang’ombe who is also Kitwe Mayor said.
“This is in line with chapter 1 on education under pages 8 to 15 of the PF manifesto booklet 2016- 2021. We promised better education from primary to tertiary level and increasing number of students loans is a fulfillment of this pledge.”
Great gesture
However I’m better off in England studying that Zambia.
Never heard of groundbreaking jobs from people educated at UNZA or other related nonsensical institutes I’m reading about worldwide.
I hold a PhD
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Student loans should be available to all university students, public or private. If money will be paid back why should it only benefit those in public institutions?
The story good, but then you trash it with your PF promotion.
It is Kwame Nkrumah!! Not the way you have written it!!
Good start….We should increase that number geometrically every year.
Since it’s now LOANS and not bursary GRZ should consider extending this facility to vulnerable students in credible private universities. I have in mind UNILUS where not every student comes from kabulonga or rhodespark
So then, similarly let the funds that would be recovered from the former Minister’s illegal stay in office in 2016 be channeled towards the payment of salary arrears to Zampost and council workers
30% to females, 30% to rural whatever, than 40% where will it go? To pf cadres!!!!
That is a very useless question. The question should be that the 30% to female students is based on what? There has been a lot of work to disadvantage the boy child in everything.
Comment:hope indeed the 60 percent allocation to share on male and female will surely be done and from rural areas but i do not know which criteria will you pick from rural areas…other wise the 40 percent on merit is a failure we all know that ….
Good initiative to allocate more scholarships our government
On face value one would applaud this gesture. But knowing the mindset of the Zambian implementer, it is a window to be a beneficiary! An opportunity to get nieces and nephews who couldn’t make it into CBU and UNZA get tertiary education on government budget.
For how do you spread this scheme to other institutions when the award of this so called education loan at UNZA and CBU is currently marred by scandals of nepotism and fraud? Shouldn’t we first of all, get it right at the two institutions before going wholesale?
Shouldn’t the award of the loan be linked to ability to pay back be the overriding factor for one to access this loan? That is, priority should be given to students undertaking courses that are likely to end up in employment – in such fields as Agriculture (Veterinary…
…doctors and Extension Officers), Teachers (Science and Mathematics) and relevant engineering disciplines! Since we all have agreed that maximum benefits will never ever be realized from our most prized asset – COPPER! and hence the need to diversify.
Why should government pay for some child undertaking a course which will not guarantee employment at the end of 5 years?
No tricks in accessing loans Ka !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good move but let us do it better. There are a lot of promising students who have been left out on the loans for UNZA and CBU. Resolve their issues before being excited about extending. Even the system of recovery should be robust. Every worker in Zambia is supposed to pay NAPSA or some pension of some kind. Get these databases and trace your debtors, instead of focusing on few civil servants. The recovered money should never go to the central coffers where it might be redirected to people’s pockets
This is a great idea
Even the student loan qualification should change in order to benefit every one who pay back later on
@ Abalima, you read my thinking. For how long will the boy child be ignored in this country? same criteria ought to apply regardless of one’s sex. Then you wonder why you have more and more armed robbers in society when you are the same people creating the problem with you segregative policies
Should include university colleges
I hope they will be nothing like corruption or bribe. People of Zambia mwalyafya
When I saw the development, I had hopes because I knew that will be helped. But only yesterday to be updated by the Mukuba University Union that the Loans will be only valid for the 2019 first year students only. This is so confusing…