Former Copperbelt University Students’ Union (COBUSU) Council Chairperson Gershom Nambuyo Phiri has urged the Government to increase the number of students benefiting from higher education loans and scholarships.
The Higher Education Loans and Scholarship Board has awarded loans to 2,481 first year students at the University of Zambia for the 2021/2022 academic year from 10, 682 applicants.
Some students left out on higher education loans and scholarships have since protested in Lusaka saying they were eligible too.
Higher Education Loans and Scholarship Board – Senior Corporate Communications Officer Chiselwa Kawanda argued that budget constraints, failure to attach necessary documents and completing grade 12 before 2017 were some of the reasons for not picking all the 10, 682 applicants.
Only applicants with 5 and 6 points have been awarded student loans at the University of Zambia for the 2021/2022 academic year.
But Mr. Phiri, who is also a good governance and human rights activist, said the Government must ensure that all qualified students are given educational loans and sponsorship to attain tertiary education.
He said attaining higher education at universities and colleges should not be a preserve of children from elite families.
“It is unfortunate that the UPND Government wants to turn higher education into a preserve of the rich. This year’s bursaries and loans award is a mockery in its worst form ever since the bursaries committee was set up. This is the worst decision and experience that school leavers can have. Many school leavers have been left out meaning we are going to have many people who should be in university roaming around the streets especially that they cannot even get any small jobs to work as shopkeepers because most of them have been taken by graduates,” Mr. Phiri said.
“I want to appeal to President Hakainde Hichilema to quickly intervene in this matter. On the aspect of education, it is the best weapon that can be used to invest in human capital to develop this nation. Unfortunately the UPND has so far demonstrated to be the worst Government in terms of awarding these loans so far. I am going to tell the President that it is the highest level of wickedness for his government to turn education into a preserve of the rich,” he said.
Meanwhile, Educationist and Leadership Movement President Dr Richard Silumbe has urged the Government to ensure that all qualified students are given educational loans and sponsorship to attain tertiary education.
“We urge the New Dawn Government to get serious in ensuring that all qualified students are given educational loans and sponsorship to study at UNZA, CBU etc,” Dr. Silumbe said.
“These students who are protesting today because they have been denied educational loans/Sponsorship to study at UNZA despite having distinctions, are a workforce we will need in the near future,” said Dr. Silumbe.
“Let us work towards preparing a productive workforce for the future,” he added.
According to the Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board (HELSB), of the 10,682 applicants, 6,150 are male while 4,532 are female representing 58% and 42%, respectively.
Of the total number received, 10,485 applicants are eligible for the award of student loans while 197 are ineligible, representing 98% and 2%, respectively.
The ineligible applicants are as a result of completing Grade 12 before 2017, non-attachment of required documents to the student loan application, having been already awarded students loans at other Universities and being non-Zambians.
1,340 of the total awarded applicants are male while1, 141 are female representing 54% and 46%, respectively. Further, 1,040 students awarded are from rural districts while 1,441 are from urban districts representing 42% and 58%, respectively.
All the Thirty-Nine (39) applicants living with disabilities have been awarded student loans representing 1.6% of the total awarded applicants.
The Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board (HELSB) is currently supporting a total of 8,539 students at the University of Zambia.
There are a lot of competing needs, give the new government time to sort out these things, the damage done by the PF will take years to repair. Be patient please, we were all patient with the PF when they said more money in our pockets and for ten years there was nothing
next will be farmers protesting for cheap fertilizer at 250 and so on
Problem is this is supposed to be a loan and not a grant which is supposed to be some sort of revolving fund so that future generations also benefit but here most beneficiaries disappear after getting their degrees.
These loans should be made available to all institutions of higher learning directly from the ministry of finance. This is good debt we can agree with even if presented to your friends from the IMF. Students loans should be included in the budget.