The Ministry of General Education has announced a reduction in user fees in Colleges of Education across the country to K800 per term.
Announcing the development at a media briefing in Lusaka, General Education Minister David Mabumba said students in Colleges of Education both boarders and day scholars will now pay K800 as general purpose fund.
Mr. Mabumba has however, clarified that those in boarding will be required to pay an additional K1,0000 for accommodation and feeding which will bring their total fees per term to K1,800.
He further announced that students will now be required to make a one-off payment of K500 for their practice, stressing that this will only be applicable to those students who will qualify to go for the teaching practices.
The Minister says the new fees will be effective 13th may, 2019 when the second term for the year 2019 commences.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mabumba has reminded school managements to adhere to the new reduced user fees for pupils in public and grant aided schools.
He says K150 and K200 are the user fees for schools in rural and urban areas respectively.
Mr. Mabumba stated that those in boarding schools will be required to pay an additional K1,000 for feeding and bed space which will bring their total fees to either K1,150 or K1,200.
He has since directed the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary to have the user fees for both colleges of education and public and grant aided schools printed in newspapers as a way of raising awareness and guiding parents.
Now PF is running out of ideas.
K1000 is too small to feed a person for 3 months
Wait and see the standard downward spiral at these colleges. Without dealing with why these fees were hiked in the first place, this move is band aid.
Its just chipante chipante no objectivity …
Great move PF! Well done. Guide us now on private colleges which charge us close to 3000 per term! Eish
Good move but in Choma some schools there saying that there missionary boarding schools they cant reduce school fees. Please help us
The most useless policy ever. Schools and colleges are not regularly funded by this gov. K1000 boarding fees translates to K10 per day per student. Now user fee for K200 will not pay PTA paid workers including some teachers in science because this gov has not employed enough. To the uncritical eye this looks like a good idea. But let us wait for food riots, riots against power black outs in schools etc.
In a country where very few people pay income tax which can be used to provide the so-called free education, charging paltry user fees will not enable the provision of quality services.
True
Politicking without consideration on how these colleges will find money to feed these adults can be suicidal. Feeding an adult at the rate of K8 per day does not make sense. In addition no funding from government. But these are Ministers who are supposed to guide properly and doing the opposite.
What a disaster!
Please help us here in Choma there is a college called coweth is under University of Africa they don’t want to change fees. Tutions fee is k 3000, TP – k1.400, lalibray is K 250 and recreation fee K 100. Please help us to talk to this prevent institution.
Go to a government school. That’s a private institution
Good move, in private colleges now we are paying k3000, some price with student on teaching practices and those in college. But my question is why paying so much money you are not in college?, please help us.
….yeva izakosako….let’s wait and see….it will be worser than beans, kapenta, cabbage . …abana imibili shalanyafulaka
We’ll use toll fees to sort out the deficit
Mr Minister SOS school in Lusaka insists that your reductions a just a pipe dream as they will still continue with their high fees in the name of keeping standards, so you must engage the head teacher whose vision is different from that of govenment
So, what the minister is saying is that all this long they were just stealing money from the students if colleges can operate at such a low cost.
Useful
Nice drift! But what about those with pending balances for last term’s payment, is this policy affected by such? because to me it looks like this is bringin confusion
Why some colleges in copper belt are not reduced the user fees and they are busy cheesing students from classes