Higher Education Minister Professor Nkandu Luo has with immediate effect indefinitely closed The Copperbelt University.
This follows days of rioting by students which has resulted in the damaging of property at the institution.
Professor Luo said the Michael Chilufya Sata School of Medicine, Foreign Students and Graduating students are not affected by the closure and will continue with their studies.
Speaking at a media briefing in Kitwe, Professor Luo also banned the Copperbelt University Students Union and has given the students up to 18 hours to leave cumpus.
The Higher Education Minister said although it was not her desire to close any University, she has been pushed to take action because of the bad behaviour of students who are suppose to be intellectuals.
She disclosed that despite them apologising to President Edgar Lungu on Tuesday for their bad behaviour, the students were yesterday planning to set ablaze the maltipurpose hall.
Professor Luo has described the behavior of the students as hooliganism which will not be condoned.
She has reiterated that students at the institution must be surcharged for the property destroyed.
Professor Luo said Government and Management at the University will not release any money to repair property.
She has further direcyed management to ensure that disciplinary action is taken against identified students that took part in the riots.
What does this person want to achieve, from Nkwame Nkruma now the war is at CBU, if you have realized one thing, where ever she goes she steers up problems, when people wanted to reject her as MP, I felt she was being unfairly treated, but now I have seen the UGLY side of her.
This is very sad. The University of Zambia got rid of Luo because she has always been very destructive. Unfortunately, she has a very uncaring Boss in Edgar.
After hearing the ranting and the desire to close CBU and UNZA from the President earlier in the week I would not be surprised to hear that the architect of those riots were deliberately sponsored by PF to find an excuse to close the institution. Next is UNZA. Watch this space.
The real reason for closing CBU is because govt has not money, they cant pay fees and meal allowances.
By closing the university and not paying meal allowances to students and tuition fees to the university, Luo hopes that the government will save some money. Excessive spending and huge debt is finally catching up with Zambia.
This has nothing to do with rioting. This is the worst leadership Zambian has ever had. EL is an empty tin, a shell!
@Mwape, I agree with you. The trouble is abene bakasaka ka ndalama can only dish out that money to PF campaign teams not CBU and UNZA. And these are people who claim to have passed through UNZA. Maybe he’s Mutaware after all.
The Zambian students do not appreciate the free education offered by the government and think that the government has money to spend carelessly. Those who do not understand prof Luo are indisciplined leaders and lecturers with hidden agenda and have no regard for orderly. I completely blame this culture of indiscipline on opposition political leaders of today and to some extent, some ruling party leaders. Provision of education is not cheap bane! The indiscriminate opening of public universities must be revisited. This must be done in line with the developmental required skills. In regard, therefore, colleges of skills training must be supported and upgraded. The skills must those needed for national development. I wish Prof Luo was made Minister of Higher Education twenty years ago!!…
ROKA
who told you education is free in Zambia ??
The closing CBU may not be the best but guys and l know most people who condemning Luo are upnd. Upnd like to destroy property it is a well known fact, not that students are upnd, but most of the are. Going back to cbu issue student have the right to protest any day or any time, but they have absolutely no right to destroy any property be it private or public. The behaviour of destroying property has nothing to do with luo’s Beauty. The same property they destroy, they will need it when they return back to school. Ba upnd stop supporting stupid behaviour, tomorrow your HH or katuka will on the press condemning the closure instead of advising students to learn to negotiate or behave like mature people.
We are looking at a Professor who is a failure
She has destroyed higher education
For those supporting LUO and LUNGU for the closure of CBU, what you should know is that as we discuss, the entire cabinet of Lungu is in Luanshya dishing out money to would-be voters, PF cadres and drawing allowances from government coffers. They are doing all this whilst lecturers at UNZA and CBU have not yet been paid their March salaries. There are other government workers like those at ZAMPOST and RTSA who have also not been paid. Then there are so many first years who have been turned away from CBU because government cannot give them loans. There are also many first years at UNZA who are in the same situation awaiting responses to their appeals for loans.
Good decision. Ubupuba too much with these fake students whose parents bought their places.
5-Why is a technique is to determine the root cause of a problem by repeating the question “Why”.
Why was CBU closed? – Becoz students rioted
Why did students riot? – Bcoz of Govt underfunding
Why did Govt underfund CBU? – Bcoz Govt is bankrupt
Why is Govt bankrupt? – Bocz all the money is going to debt service
Why is all revenue going to pay debt? – Bcoz PF over-borrowed
Why did PF Govt over-borrow? – The low quality of leadership in PF was only interested in stealing through kickbacks from Chinese loans & they wanted to zembeleka voters that they are hard working kansi its Chinese money & Chinese contractors.
Some of these comments are preposterous. I support students protesting peacefully but damaging property is a no no. Some of you slap your children for accidentally breaking a glass cup or dock your maids salary for breaking a plate but you want government to just sit by and watch these uncultured students destroy public and private property.
Prof. Luo did good to close that place. And please don’t open it until their parents repair the damage. This is a common sense decision and has nothing to do with Prof. Luo’s looks.
Dr Chilufya the crook and this wicked professor Luo are competing to out do each other in destroying the next generation …their boss as usual is somewhere else at the airport admiring his new $80 million aircraft thinking of where to fly to next already he has thought of another 3 days in Luapula immediately after arriving from CB.
Like I have said before on this topic, rioting and destroying property is selfdefeating, period; full stop!!!!
And the property these student “hooligans” are destroying does not belong to them alone. It belongs to every Zambian boy/girl child who wants to attend that school now or in the future. So yes, identified culprits of the riots should be made to pay to repair/replace damaged or destroyed property. I remember in my Secondary school days in Zambia, this was what used to happen….you riot and damage property, you will not be allowed back until you pay the assessed surcharge.
I have witnessed plenty of student “DEMONSTRATIONS” even here in America. But rarely, if at all, do they turn into riots and destruction of college or private property. To begin with, it would be the…
CHARACTERS WHO
Let the Students account for their actions. Riotous behavior must end indefinitely some day.
Send them home for who knows how long.
Continue…..
Police and prosecutors visiting you and not the college President or education Minister/Secretary. Because that kind of behavior here is considered criminal and nothing else.
That was like magic LT, WM. Thanks a lot.
Enough is enough we the public, the tax payers won’t be your victims of your problems with the government. I personally don’t like the behaviour of our government universities.
It seems it’s only okay for the students to be hooligans when they are doing it for the party, and bad when self serving.
After the booing this week when she visited what do you expect…these people have become very drunk with power!!
Closing the school isn’t a solution, the issues at CBU have been brewing since Nkandu became Minister and Naison Ngoma Vice Chancellor. Nkandu Luo lacks wisdom, I don’t know how she can lead. May be the blood that was spilled in Mutendere during campaigns still haunts her. She doesn’t care because she now afford to send her relatives to Seychelles. It’s life in the marrow where it is sweetest. Nkandu behaves like she is in her 20s, it’s like she has never seen life. Some of her decisions leave astound. These are the people confusing Edgar, just like she confused Sata that a Bisa can be Mwine Lubemba, chapaluko! Chitimukulu knows who Ngoshe Mukote was
Enough is enough we the public, the tax payers won’t be your victims of your problems with the government. I personally don’t like the behaviour of our government universities.
They used to say Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely!
That is not true!
Power only exposes the corruption in character!
Nothing wrong with power! It’s failure to relate with power! Three good tests for character are: Power, Money and access to Sexual Favours! All fallen leaders have failed on all the three tests!
They dont have anyone to tell them otherwise …their boss himself is not a leader just a playful Chawama drunkard.
There is a story about Zairean President Mobutu Sese Seko which sums up the arrogance and gall required to ransack your homeland and not lose a night’s sleep. In an interview on American television the Mabuto was asked about the size of his personal fortune. Could he personally pay off his country’s multi-billion dollar debt? Mobutu answered that theoretically that was possible – but how could he be sure he would ever get his money back?
At the time Zaireans would have been asking themselves just that question once the reality of the Mabuto’s departure had sunk in. How would they have ever recovered the billions stolen from the nation?
Luo is a very dull professor on planet earth. Since she became Minister of Higher Education she has achieved nothing but she has been a proud witness of roliots because she has no meaningful policy for higher institutions. Educated F**l.
I agree , this a very dul.l professor ……she is one who insists in telling people that the proposed nuclear research Center for medication and other sciences is for generating and supplying electricity
IF YOU WANT TO SEE HOW DULL IS GIVE THEM A BIT OF RESPONSIBILITY, NOT TOO MUCH.
Correction
IF YOU WANT TO SEE HOW DULL ONE IS GIVE THEM A BIT OF RESPONSIBILITY, NOT TOO MUCH.
Isn’t this the same Minister who strongly vowed just some 2 days ago that she will not close the university no matter what? And to the intellectuals at CBU and UNZA please breaking property is not the solution. If there’s a problem sit down talk about it and find solutions. I would also suggest to this government that why don’t we start appointing acting Members of Parliament for vacant seats?….so that those resources are channeled towards more urgent and needy areas while bye-elections wait?? MPs without constituencies like Mumbi Phiri,Godfridah Sumaili and other nominated MPs can represent those areas while sourcing for funds to hold bye-elections
Situations make some change in plans! VIVA NKANDU LUO!!Suggest the inclusion of law in the constitution!! This is what CK was trying to do until Musenge sold him. However, CK has no strategies before acting. When CK was expelled, he should have kept quiet!! Since he joined those leaders without a vision for, he has become visionless!!!
which constitution allows that having acting MPs
Now I have believed that some people with ugly faces have ugly hearts too. Any way, what can come out of ugly faces? . icicena ici chibi.
Thanks for closing the school. These guys are intellectuals who should solve problems in a more civilised manner
She is even lenient..Those characters deserve a stiffer punishment to deter them from engaging in such nefarious and abominable acts again..
For as long as students resort to riotous conduct and damage public property purposely there is no way the university can remain open.
The same students will never break their parents property for their inabilty to afford to give them money for school.
It is time Government stops handling student loans/money issues and leave this to be between financial institutions and students/ parents.
“….Professor Luo has described the behavior of the students as hooliganism which will not be condoned….”
Yet lungu let’s PF cader thugs control the police and do as they like, attack who they don’t like and literally be untouchable ….
You see PF , there a saying ,
“Monkey see , Monkey do.”
You know where they get this behaviour
spaka, it is not PF, but all the leaders, especially those in opposition, Some of them boat thier formulas such as sesheke and mapatizya. Don’t insult the police, they work under a very difficult condition as they are squeezed by the community, all politicians, but they are needed to maintain peace in the country. A government which tolerates chaos doesn’t mind about the safety of the vulnerable citizens. In addition, it has an agenda of its leaders amassing wealth under confusions. This is what is prevailing in war-torn countries!
ROKA
I am not blaming the police, I am blaming the corrupt theif lungu….the police touch PF thugs and get sacked.
You are so right
Fibi ifi bamudala ba Luo
EVERYONE SHOULD SHOULDER THE BLAME HERE: THE STUDENTS FOR BEING SO DESTRUCTIVE, THE LECTURERS WHO HAVE BEEN STRIKING SEVERAL TIMES AND THE MINISTER FOR CLOSING THE INSTITUTION. SURELY THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD FIND A LASTING SOLUTION TO THE WOES OF OUR UNIVERSITIES…SAD INDEED. THAT’S WHY SOME PARENTS DO NOT WANT TO TAKE THEIR CHILDREN TO UNZA OR CBU.
Whatever is happening in this country is a time bomb. There is tension everywhere. The cost of living is too high, no jobs, delay of salaries, high taxes everywhere. Kaya….
Don’t say that, you will be labelled a tribal UPND ….
Spaka what do you mean? Don’t you want even to spend a bi, cost sharing? Yes, you may say it is not free, but whatever we contribute as individuals is not enough to cater for teachers’salaries, teaching and learning requisites, water and electricity bills… if all were considered whatever, we are could not sustain these. From 1970 till 1990/91, education was neglected, pupils had no desks, chairs and so on. The standards noise dived. Spata, you will see what education will be after this new directive. Back to 70s!!
As students we fought Kaunds on behalf of Chiluba, then fought Chiluba, Levy and Rupiah on behalf of Sata. This time. …no need to say but we have remained the same.
ROKA
It is you saying education is free…..in this climate of high taxes , no jobs , I am pointing out that education is actually not free….
If there were jobs available then I would class the fee paid as free education.
Mid last year son of my friend’s neighbor with two fellow CBU students went to Shoprite. They got a sausage each and got a drink from the shelf. Instead of going to the till section to pay they decided to eat the stuff hiding behind the high shelves. After eating they tried to leave the shop but were stopped at the exit. They were asked to pay but couldn’t and were handed over to Kitwe Central Police where they were detained for some days until their parents came to their rescue. What surprised people is that this boy is given K1,500 per month by the father to use while in school but still went to steal a miserable sausage.
Kleptomaniacs.
Charity begins at home. Bad behavior begins at home.
Inculcate morals an values from home.
Sorry for you CBU
I came, I saw, I conquered. It is pointless derailing education progress for our brothers and sisters just because you have seen that your children are not affected. Closing institutions of higher learning, is a sign of failed leadership. You call yourselves professors but you cannot conquer simple issues that affect our universities. You have seen and knows the circumstances that affect our universities but you have kept on hiding your faces in the sand like proverbial ostriches. Where is the Munyama enquiry which you instituted to probe universities unrests? Commission of enquiries just gather dust and takes a lot of tax payers money but no action is executed. It is a big shame!!!
THE BIGGEST MISTAKE DR KAUNDA MADE WAS TO EDUCATE MOST OF ZAMBIANS.WE KICKED HIM OUT OF POWER IN 1990.
But these new dictators know that keeping the masses uneducated ,poor and turning them into loyal cadres will ensure their stay in power.
This action is straight from the African dictators handbook.
IF YOU EDUCATE A RIOTOUS NIGGA WHO BREAK PUBLIC PROPERTY THROUGH AND THROUGH, YOU GOT YOURSELF CHAPS WHO MISAPPROPRIATE AND MISAPPLY PUBLIC FUNDS. NOTHING GOOD COMES OUT’A RIOTOUS ROGUES AND ELEMENTS
Teach these chaps manners, morals and good behavior.
What Schools Don’t Teach.
Hahahahahahaha @ Ndanje khakis your post has made my day! Such is life..
School life is full peered with mob – psychology.Furthermore,as along as ANGLO- AMERICAN sponsors students on these two higher learning institutions MISBEHAVING OF STUDENTS will NEVER END.
( I know that spaka will always object this fact just to protect protect black manifesto for UPND)
You are now seeing the shadow of HH following you everywhere …..just the other day 500 students were told they wind get student loans and should go home…. was that because oh HH ??
At first I thought it was the usual delay of meal allowance that had caused the riots but alas it’s over poor results. Surely how can one in his normal self support such? Bane nangu mapolitics. What can the administration do if student fails his exam, especially continous assessments. It simply means that student was just playing around. I don’t support closures but damaging property because one failed an exam doesn’t make sense at all.
Sounds more like reality show is catching up with us. This clearly has nothing to do with riots. Its all about not having money to pay tuition and meal allowances. Chinese Kaloba is backfiring on us pretty hard. Why allow others to continue at the same university? Yes because foreign students have paid to the University and may withdraw their money if they are told to pack and go.
What a disaster!!!!
Zambians are good at reacting and that is exactly what is happening. Most of the students did not participate in the riots, in fact this academic year is almost done. What can push these youths to those levels must be investigated. It is likely those who have reached a point where closure or expulsion will not make any difference, their future at CBU is doomed anyway. These are children who have not attained the New CA threshold in most courses, or those who were hoping consideration for bursaries but mgt just told them that there is no hope and should just find money or leave the campus. Protest can be made, but breaking property must not entertained at all. Look at the number of those arrested against CBU population! A decision should have been to punish perpetrators and i bet most…
But peacfull protests are not allowed…..
I wonder how foreign students and those graduating will not be affected by the closure of the university. I thought they would still be affected in one way or the other
Students protesting against Continuous Assessment (CAs) is really shameful…Only UPND sycophants and zealots and enemies of progress will support the nosense. HH was suspended at UNZA with a leaked paper so we shall here him shortly supporting the dull students
Well…you can’t sit back and let people riot and create chaos. They asked for it. If you value your educational opportunity you would not burn your place of study down. There is NO JUSTIFICATION for damaging university property.
It’s self defeating. If you say you want more money fro. The govt for salaries and food allowances, why create extra cost needs by burning buildings down? Where are you going to study? Madness. Why engage in political matters when you should simple put your head on the block and study hard? It’s silly games, pushing the govt and engaging in opposition politics. They cut their noses off to spite their face. Look now…..!!
A law should be passed that if students riot and cause malicious damage to public or private property whether at universities, colleges, schools, those found wanting should be given a hefty fine and jailed for five years. That is when these silly students will learn and sit down. They have been treated with kids gloves for a long time.
How does oe rush into condemning the Students and their Lecturers?
In the periods when there was real commitment to running the Education sector, no Lecturer ever withheld their labour and later on refused to prepare exams.
PEOPLE THE COUNTRY IS NOW BROKE, THE ECONOMY SCREWED!! Kuliye Ndalama m’dziko, soon and very soon, they will start to print money here; wait until all the EURO Bonds mature; there will be nothing left here. Mzayamba kudya bana banu
Kleptomaniacs.
Charity begins at home. Bad behavior begins at home.
Inculcate morals an values from home.
Closed indefinitely…..so is to stay home indefinitely???
Very intelligent woman indeed.
She has done the right thing.
Why destroy PROPERTY OF THE PIPO OF ZAMBIA?
Let us charge those hooligans for the loss.