Friday, March 29, 2024

Student leaders “bought” to support removal of living allowances worries ZANASU

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Minister of Higher Education Nkandu Luo
Minister of Higher Education Nkandu Luo

The Zambia National Students Union (ZANASU) is aware of desperate attempts by some minister who is using former students to ferry selected students to Lusaka to parade them. force them to sign and read out a pre-written statement purporting that students have welcomed the decision by Higher Education Minister Professor Luo to abolish a living allowance for students, when the Minster has no such power to abolish the provision of an Act of Parliament unless by Parliament itself amending the law.

We want to be clear that ZANASU is not opposed to extension to loan scheme to all public and private universities and have been rightly been calling for such a move. We believe the loans are not supposed to be given based on institutions but based on the needs of individual student enrolled in all higher institutions of higher learning. The current arrangement of giving loans based on institutions of learning has been designed to portray it as a privilege and at the mercy of the Minister although the intention of Parliament was to have all students access loans.

We want to be clear that these politicians will find a few student leaders who will be ready to sell their souls by supporting an illegal move to abolish a living allowance for students but we remind these Union leaders that they must remember that posterity will judge them harshly when, generations to come, students from poor families will fail to enrol in these universities because their parents.

The current decision by Government through the Minister of Higher Education will send enrolled students who cannot afford to find meal allowances to engage in bad and immoral vices which include prostitutions and stealing in order to raise money for their meals while studying in our public universities. There is no caring parent who makes such decision to push children into immoral acts at the time when Government is struggling to combat the raising HIV/AIDS pandemic and to ensure our youth are brought up to become responsible citizens.

We are not surprised by the decision by Professor Luo do deny students a living allowance because her decision explains the level of care the Minister has and her views about society generally. We however appeal to other leaders in government including President Lungu who may have a working conscience to look into this matter and reverse it. That stated, ZANASU continues to explore all avenues available to challenge the decision by the Minister to abolish a living allowance, a move that has usurped the power of Parliament to make and unmake laws.

Issued by

Steven Kanyakula
Vice President
Zambia National Students Union

26 COMMENTS

  1. I don’t know why Edge Lungu is digging his grave using the emotional Luo. The earlier our President realises this the better. Families and students are now getting bitter because of people like Luo this is woman who was boasting at Education Summit that President many people have bad mouthed her to Lungu but he can’t fire her. Luo is destructive!

    • U think Jonathan cares about students, go guys are dreamers! Leaders who care act like HH who immediately jumped to stand up with students.

    • Digging his own grave…he knows students of today are not organised like those of yesteryear…today’s students are polarized. They should have stepped up after Vesper’s death….this educated fooooool Luo educated on taxpayers money at great expense has no shame whatsoever…meanwhile these foooools have increase their salaries.

    • People mistake patience by Zambians 4 foolishness. ask UNIP, ask MMD. Yes UNZASU is compromised & will speak what money will make em to do. We think UPND will embrace students & make em independent to check what we do or not do after 2021. ZANASU ll ve its voice voice as respected coordinating body in Zambia.

  2. See why HH is good man eh? even when u ZANASU wanted privatisation inquiry, man ha kept no ill will. He has good with u and students. wake up and let’s get Luo out of business 2021

  3. #1.1 namoonde, really?!! You are a trib.al in the real sense complete with a one cell brain. From day one in 2006 trib.als have never made sense.

    • No matter how u speak tribalism or paint HH tribal, students are waking up to realise truths. Lungu cares about nothing with youth & students. HH will no longer shy away from meeting these students & giving em hope while Lungu is meeting Chinese at State House. What kind of leader runs away to Sesheke after sanctioning decision to illegally remove living allowance for poor kids?

  4. Ba Lubgu please remove even tuition fees. Listen to those who praise u for abolishing living allowance for students. By the way, how much living allowance you get as sitting head of state? Twapapata ba Lungu remove all allowances

  5. THE ZANASU WE KNOW. WE THOUGHT U WERE PF EXTENSION BT WE WERE WRONG. U GUYS ARE FEARLESS FIGHTERS. PLS DONT MEK HH YO ENEMY. HE CARES 4 POOR. WORKING 2GATHER WE CAN REINSTATE MEAL ALLOWANCE 2021. 4GET PF, 4GET LUNGU, THEY CARE LESS

  6. Jay Jay spare us pain. Lungu cares more any youth and student than HH. Hichilema was in SA bad mouthing Zambia at mines indaba when Lungu been working for these youtjs here

    • There re no Chinese in ZANASU. Diggers told u how compromised UNZASU is but Zambians must thank God ZANASU speaks its minds. UPND will never attack ZANASU even when we disagree with em, they thought HH was enemy bt maybe eyes ll now truth is sinking. Lungu ll meet Chinese coz of bribes. He ll meet artists coz comedy is part of PF governance style. He has resisted seeing students coz he dislikes intelligent discussion.

    • What do I care about what HH does? @Mwinga I dont know why you are responding to this clown he is probably the same childish knob-head from the thread above he is so infatuated with other bloggers that he forgets who he is responding to…I bet he has children but comes on here to behave like one.

    • Look above you think you can engage in a sober debate with such silly foooools…too lazy to even write full words who think everyone is an opposition party member.

  7. A piece of loaf is better than nothing. After all some of these beneficiaries come from families who can manage to pay tuition fees. Some they spend ¾ of BC on something and not meals. Very few spend it for the intended purpose.

  8. Only leaders who don’t appreciate the challenges families go through in Zambia would make such a decision. But I have said the purported abolishment of meal allowance is a public stunt by Luo to try and make herself good that she has powers and students are at her mercy when she has none. But who has allowed her to behave like that? The Bigger fish.

    I interact with students from UNZA and CBU and hear what they say. Most feel ZANASU represent them better than own Unions. Warranism revolution has failed. Just talk show

    SIC

  9. For now Nkandu is comfortable, she can even afford to send her relatives to Sychelles for education or even award them scholarships. When she’s out of the system in 2021 she’ll come to face these decisions, she’ll feel the pinch. Zambian politicians get finished like Chinese bolingo. Let’s just wait and see

  10. ZANASU’s views are absolutely correct. But the other student leaders quoted from other universities are sell outs who have been bought by the corrupt government using stolen money to disadvantage thousands of our Zambian youths including future ones.
    THE HEARTLESS NKANDU LUO AND EDGAR LUNGU SHOULD BURN IN HE’LL. That money is not your money, it’s our money meant to educate our children of our Land Zambia.

  11. Jay Gay, trib.al I have not responded to you today. Thought I should give you space to demonstrate your trib.al ways! I am satisfied though that I have forced you into a tight corner regarding your trib.al god although you can hardly disguise it. Okay ama trib.als good night….kikikikikiki

  12. Political partisan has undermined what UNZASU once used to stand for in our time. I used to live like a working class. Once we were paid three months meal allowance at once however within three weeks we were broke as campus was littered with all sort of beer canes. Finance Bank, ZNBC and Dora Siliya can testify. We demonstrated in the fourth week and government had no option but paid us and that saw the beginning of monthly payment I am proving the power of independent solidarity.

  13. When other nations are investing heavily & prioritizing education – PF are just focused on corruption. In today’s modern world – Education is the key.

  14. UNZASU leaders and UNZA Radio Station Manager were each paid K1350 to go parade at ZNBC Studios to issue. So where this money coming from? You sell first years over K1 pin guys. mulibako no luse?

  15. Students tend to riot when meal allowance is delayed. So GRZ has done the right thing picking up those expenses students paid for and having them pay for their meals instead. Students brought this restructuring of the bursary on themselves.

    Govt commitment to underprivileged student bursaries remains the same otherwise. Not putting cash in the hands of students is the best thing to have happened. No more rioting, cash excitement to have beers, drugs and some vices this cash put on young people.

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