Today marks exactly 90days since the battle of brilliance (CLOSURE OF CBU) begun. We have undergone the waste ranging from being apologetic or just carrying the blemish for “few rampant and unruly” students who went amok when the battle of brilliance reached its hottest peak as well as accepting our fate and take full responsibility of our actions.
Yes this is an academic struggle that befell us each and every single semester because we have always been faced with :
- Lack of Proper learning facilities such as ; laboratories, fully furnished lecturers theatre and classrooms.
- No adequate study space and unequipped small capacity library only accommodating less than 200 students against thousands of enrolled students in a university.
- Lack of a conducive academia demotivated by lecturers wrangles with management, delayed lectures salaries, go slows
- unfavorable academic policies such as the ever raising tuition fees , 50 percent CA threshold exam eligibility
- inconsiderate number of enrolments per year
With all these pending issues yet to be addressed , our beloved University still owes ZRA and NAPSA over K660 million in remittance of statutory obligations. But when a brilliant mind talks of all these problems it is faced with and decides to raise genuine concern over these very cardinal issues , it is fought a thousand times. Instead of finding amicable ground to iron out arising matters, we all have decided to ignore and vowed not to speak about the societal perception of a brilliant mind. The brilliant mind has been depicted as foul overshadowing it’s superb intelligence and positive impact it has on our society. A setback which predominantly it needs to recover from.
A CRY FOR EXPELLED UNION LEADERS
In our 90 days of self introspection and regret of some of the actions a brilliant mind took which were not supposed to be the way of ironing out issues like damaging property worthy millions , our thoughts trickle down to the injustice that we have inflicted on our dear brothers and sisters who took a bullet to serve our interest and keep most of us (students) alive in this battle of brilliance.
A back trail of their action still beats our human conviction that these leaders, their intentions were not ill framed but meant to resolve matters at hand after a possible fall out with management to agree on the exam eligibility of students (50% CA threshold) and payment of tuition fee by students who were in denial of exam writing for falling to reach 80% payment threshold.
Our own postmortem carried thus far within 90 days still indicates that riotous behavior is highly unacceptable and it’s something that we greatly regret. We have to put an end to this barbarous act in no time soon.But also we have learnt how imperative it is for authorities to address the matters that precedes this fall out and consequently lead to this immense misunderstanding between students and school management.
It all started as a class boycott but alas culminated into unrest resulting into damage of property. But here is our food for thought , we all know that each and every institution has got it’s own rules . Here is what CBU student hand book revised 2017 stipulate on calling of class boycott by students.
“45. Any union official or member of the student representatives council who calls for a class boycott or demonstration without the consent or approval of the student body through a secret ballot ” vs charge ” shall be suspended for 14 days not exceeding one term from the academic year or any further action maybe taken against such a person depending on the extent of the case as determined by the DC”
“48. When a common student calls for class boycott” vs charge ” shall be expelled from the university”
In our own point of view the union conducted a secret ballot , the boycott was unanimously agreed upon by every son and daughter of the mighty Copperbelt University to avert the fate of not sitting for final exams by a good number of us who were not eligible due to Senate set standards which we still think and firmly believe needed to be revisited .
Surely which charge here suitably fits to be slapped against our leaders ? Isn’t expulsion too much for our poor colleagues? I leave it here..Remember ” whatever is done in good faith deserves a helping hand “.The case of our union leaders is no different, it deserve a hand of help by remaining united and advocate for reinstatement our colleagues .
Lastly a brilliant mind appeals for consideration of its academic fate by sympathetically opening the university CBU as soon as possible.
#OUR FEET SHALL TAKE US THERE
By Mathews C Chanda
Senior student /ex- union leader at the copperbelt university.
Politicians have nothing to lose. Their children are getting the best education outside the country. A docile nation will always get a raw deal in everything. Countries, like Hong Kong,know their rights. They don’t tolerate nonsense from politicians. It is high time Zambia reached that level. Politicians have continued abusing and stealing owing to our docility. A docile nation cannot achieve anything. Politicians should know that they get their mandate from us. They are supposed to respect the electorates. Not the way it is in our nation. Politicians are more powerful than electorates. It is high time we were awakened from slumber as a nation. We need to put these politicians on their toes. They are supposed to wake for us not the other way round.They are even stealing with impunity…
This PF government thinks it is saving money by keeping CBU closed.
Running of a university (or a college in the case of CBU) is expensive.
And for UNZA to confer Lungu a Doctorate while CBU is still closed baffles me.
And when Trump calls you sh1t hole countries, you say he is racist.
ATI a brilliant mind, kuti waseka hohohohohohihihihipwepwepwepwe. Only memorizing textbook theories to pass the exams qualifies to be a brilliant mind? Are you out of your mind?
This makes for sad reading to learn that a university student has been denied access to an education for this long. But what I would like to say to the brilliant students of the two universities is that the way you have been handling your disputes has been plain wrong. As “intellectuals,” it would be more appropriate to call for a peace nonviolent sit in and not throw stones. At the centre of the culture of the two institutions has been the “chilailai mentality.” This has to stop. That s**t doesn’t happen in developed nations. Remember as youths, we are the hope of our nation both in terms of minds and hands to carry mother Zambia to the next level. Therefore let us avoid self destruction.
Who told you that when you go to University you will be talking on behalf of NAPSA and ZRA?
Who told you that you will be part of the decision making organ of the University when you are admitted there?
You are a child!
Go and learn
Endure like your father does even when there is no mealie meal at home.
Finish school and leave that institution and become a Parent.
@Ken … that is a very simplistic reaction and it learly shows a lack of understanding of what Universities are for (one of which is to release and cultivate free critical thinking of everything universal)
Ok! Go ahead Mr. Brilliant.
Stone Thrower. Ati Brilliant mind
It is such minds where you think u are untouchable coz your a university students. Brilliance is knowing the school is managed by the some tax payers whom properties is always targeted to show discontent by people who literally depend on arms to go to school
I am with you Samba…but how does one teach a naughty child who seeks forgiveness when seriously confronted with their bad ilk-some reactions? When God finally comes to judge us…are we going to say “forgive us Father, we did not what we were doing?” Brilliant mind, I cast away my sympathies for now. I feel your pain…but feel what we feel by being thankless stone-throwers.