By Paul Lwando
Ndola
SOME 10 years ago, in the wake of the tragic death of former Finance Minister, Ronald Penza, this writer penned an obituary in this same newspaper and the focus was on Penza’s days as a student activist at the University of Zambia (UNZA) in the early 1970s.
The spirit of the obituary was to eulogise the heroic role, which UNZA students historically played in fighting political oppression and bureaucratic intransigence. It meant to provide a voice for a voiceless citizenry that was prevailed upon by an-all-mighty State machinery prone to the arbitrary control of a clique of self-interested individuals.
During that period, Penza was secretary general of the University of Zambia Students’ Union (UNZASU), in which capacity he organised a march to the French Embassy in Lusaka, to protest against the French government’s decision to supply sophisticated military weapons, including Mirage fighter jets, to the apartheid regime of South Africa.
The students reckoned, and rightly so, that this high-handed move by the French would seriously set back the struggle for the liberation of southern Africa and spawn general political instability in the region. The then UNIP government, although principally in agreement with the students’ position, was understandably apprehensive about the political ramifications of this unbridled diplomatic assault on a major European power like France.
Therefore, even though UNIP and its government were then positioning themselves as the citadel of the regional liberation struggle, they forcibly blocked the student procession, with riot police being deployed for the purpose. Students, on their part, refused to budge, and what ensued was teargas, gunfire and mayhem, during which one student climbed the mast at the French Embassy and tore down that nation’s flag.
Whatever the political fall-out followed this violent confrontation, history has honoured those students as having, in their own rambunctious way, contributed to the long, tortuous process of dismantling the apartheid regime and liberating southern Africa.
In reflecting on the recent disturbances at UNZA, during which two students sustained police gunshot wounds while agitating for increased allowances, this writer could not help but marvel at how drastically the constitution of student militancy has evolved over the years.
The long and short lessons of the Penza obituary are that it can never be written for contemporary student activists. For Penza was a person whose reputation for student militancy was buttressed by a lofty pursuit of political and ideological ideals for the betterment of greater society!
The debate on the adequacy or inadequacy of student allowances without venturing into the highly-charged debate on the adequacy or inadequacy of student allowances is always fraught with undue emotions, intrigue and bureaucratic rigidity, in addition to being highly-charged.
In contemporary times, hardly a year goes by without news of student unrest at one or both of the country’s public universities (that’s discounting the new, yet to be baptised Mulungushi University).
Indeed, this perennial tale of woes has assumed such permanency that the problems at UNZA, and by extension the Copperbelt University (CBU), begin to look intractable and gain acceptance as some sort of inevitable nuisance to be lived with. This is not only an unfortunate but dangerous eventuality! The problem of student unrest, and other associated maladies, is a soluble one, if only all stakeholders could openly and honestly put their minds and energies to it!
Perhaps it would be worthwhile to examine the nature and background of student unrest in Zambia. Just how and why do ordinary, law-abiding boys and girls straight from grade 12 suddenly transform into rampaging, stone-throwing rioters?
During this author’s time as a student leader, he became fascinated by this question and embarked on a background research, which gleaned him interesting historical insights into student militancy at UNZA.
Planting the seed
In the fashion of most post-independence African states, generally characterised by a gravitation towards totalitarian modes of governance, the head-of-state also assumed direct headship or control of key state or parastatal institutions. Thus, in Zambia, the Republican president also became Chancellor of the University of Zambia. This arrangement was to spawn two unfortunate traditions, which persist to this day, and which in large part, account for the institution’s endless troubles in dispute resolution.
Firstly, all disputes at the institution – disputes which could be routinely resolved through ordinary bargaining and negotiation mechanisms within any organisation – found their way to the office of the Head-of-State, or the Chancellor, as the disputants always referred to him. Thus, emphasising his chosen role as the institution’s ultimate buck-stopper!
Therefore, State House became an extension of the university management, something akin to the board chairman of a company assuming the responsibility of signing salary cheques. The seat of republican authority thus, became a clearing house for the problems associated with the running of the university, be they about students, support staff, lecturers or management itself; and all these stakeholders naturally felt free to “seek an audience with the chancellor any time”.
This development had the unfortunate effect of rendering redundant, the established structures, systems and boundaries of managing the affairs of the university, both at institutional and ministerial levels.
Well thought-out long-term strategies as well as professionally crafted operational plans at these two levels could easily be dismissed with a presidential wave of the hand if political expediency beckoned.
Management of the university thus became something of an adhoc affair, dangling on the string of political largesse. To this day, it has to take the Republican president to step in and promise to “look for money” to bridge budgetary shortfalls for UNZA and CBU, as happened recently. It is also possible for the UNZASU president to demand an audience with the Head-of State, in order to discuss student allowances and police brutality.
The second aspect of the State-university arrangement was that the university, like all other key institutions, was seen by the political authority not as an independent entity with an autonomous mandate, namely the free and un-tethered pursuit of knowledge, but as an instrument for furthering the agenda of the politico-bureaucratic regime. In other words, the university was not supposed to generate or propagate any ideas or innovations outside of, inimical to, or contemptuous of, the political leadership’s ideological orientation.
But inevitably, mutual suspicion and often-outright hostility, developed between the State and the university. During that period of anti-imperialist hyper consciousness (which often-times approached stark paranoia), the UNIP government sought to have absolute control over anything that had potential to condition the thinking of citizens.
In the growing militancy and anti-establishment tendencies of UNZA students, therefore, government soon perceived a threat, which it ‘traced’ to Marxist propaganda purveyed by expatriate lecturers at the institution.
On its part, the university establishment strongly detested the overly patronising attitude of UNIP and government towards the university, which it saw as constraining its universally acknowledged mandate of providing an environment for free learning and objective generenable production at the plant to finally take off.
[Times of Zambia]
I wish this analysis had also covered MMD effect on UNZA. UNZA experienced the most unrests and closures under Chiluba. It would be nice to know why. That’s the only time we heard of student violence against fellow students. It’s the only time we read of accustions of students been directly sponsored by plot 1 to push the MMD agenda at the insitution. I wish this article had gone far enough to put this into perspective.
I have never seen a unversity in the world, which closes like Unza. This culture must stop.
The lasting solution is to close it permanent and turn it into a model hospital for metal retarded grade 12, so that no ruffirs can have a change of going to university.
University politics during Pauls term in UNZASU had already tilted towards student self interest.During the massive Copperbelt retrenchments of the 90s UNZASU was conspicously absent.Young minds which ought to be steered into a search for peace and justice at home and abroad,solutions in Science and technology, just cannot do so at UNZA.Politics of ‘hand to mouth’ are the character of UNZA. And this extends also to the lecturing staff.Govt must make its’ stand clear on BC.The current sytem of a grant to students which is not recoverable is not sustainable.
Paul a fair attempt at analysign the problem. As observed by #1, where is the Chiluba factor because interestingly Chiluba was the first president to create a full Chancellor who was not the state president but the University even ran worse that was the case with Kaunda. So what was Kafupi’s role especially that he was the architect of brown envelopes which these kids are now holding in highest esteem an the expense of private citizen’s propoerty. This is my suggestion to the UNZA management, at regsitration, can all students pay an insurance premium so that the University can compansate the victims of their client’s behaviour. Otherwise the analysis above is not complete.
#4, the BC issue has since 2003, I think, been transformed to a loan system.
While some of us had BC numbers, students now have loan numbers. The only thing I am not aware of is how the loans will be recovered for I am sure the first set of Bursury loans system have since graduated – most of whom are working for KCM.
As for this analysis, #1 has raised a good point about extending this presentation to the MMD regimes of both Drs. Chiluba and Mwanawasa. May be the authour must start working on PART 2 of the same title.
i study in russia under BC.we have had alot of grievances ranging from top-up allowances,medical policies,immigration and customs charges,depreciating dollar and appreciating rubble to rising accomodation fees..during my reign here 2 education deputy ministers in their capacity as BC chairman have flown over on a fact finding mission.their response on both occasions had been “we will look into it.”up to now nothing has ever changed.i dont support violence but i think that is the languge our government understands.
Just a perpendicular thought:
What is the Ministry of Science and Technology doing to make sure science and technology research is taken seriously at our universities? Is there any link between the Ministry of Education and the aforementioned one that can help us start making positive strides in producing PhDs and MScs that are needed to propel our economy forward?
What is the main difference in the operations of these two ministries as regards our GRZ and the wellbeing of Zambian Citizens?
Analysis:history of UNZA has nothing to do with science and technology
#9. I clearly wrote “perpendicular thoguht” to the topic at hand!
.Hichilema said Zambia had failed to improve the education system to compete with other countries at world level despite having gained independence 44 years ago…. “I thought visiting the students who were shot at by the police was more important than listening to music and eating cake at State House. So I went to visit the students at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH),” said…. the condition of Nasilele and Chisala, who were admitted to UTH last Friday is stable. The students have even been moved from the low cost ward to the high cost ward after Hichilema paid K2 million when he visited them on Sunday.
ht tp :/ /maravi.blogspot. com/2008/05/levy-should-admit-failure-in-education. html
Thank you HH, God bless you.
Lwando, thanks for the historical analysis though your approach seem to fall short of proper historical analysis. could it be lack of space? The 1996/7/8 academic years experinced two long closures, the first had 8 months and the 2nd had 7 months…I lost almost two years of making dollar during this phase. what a rotten institution!
The govt of the day must priotise higher learning as a key to natioal development.Amamane ekoyali they just don’t want to do the right thing.
Warm hearted #13…i had the same experience as you..though i disagree woth you on the last comment “What a rotten institution!”…you should put the blame on the short fella who is alleged to have spent $2m on clothes and jewellery and who kept ordering Wazakaza Nguni(MHSRIP)to beat the hell out out of students and damage UNZA property…..Lwando,thanks for the analysis
Warm hearted #13…i had the same experience as you..though i disagree with you on the comment about UNZA being a rotten institution…you should put the blame on the short fella who is alleged to have spent $2m on clothes and jewellery and who kept ordering Wazakaza Nguni(MHSRIP)to beat the hell out out of students and damage UNZA property…..Lwando,thanks for the analysis
I also think the MMD has failed where as education is concerned and the sad thing is that education is a key factor of development. Even our education system is WEAK(from grade 1 to 12). I don’t support violence either but it seems it’s the most effective language the gvt understands. I wonder if the gvt have a n education plan ….
The two Universities should explore ways offinding new innovations that would attract money for research and development.It is also a great way when the schools form partnerships with other universities to increase UNZA and CBU’S credibility.
The only way to run UNZA properly is to make it autonomous. Let it charge its own fees and let it generate is own income. Thats how universities are run all over the world even where I am teaching now. I know people can still pay the fees even they reach K10m per semester coz as at now, parents for example are paying as high as K5M-K6m per child at Mpelembe secondary sch, and as high as K3m at Lake Road Primary sch. Now why should people pay K1m at UNZA. Also there are just too many support staff (secretaries, clerks, acountants, etc) doing nothing at UNZA. Imagine, there only about 350 Lectures and over 3500 support staff. Where on earth can u accept such a thing?
shat up unza we are also hungry.
UNZA is a rotten institution, look at the lot here that are products of the uni.
HH is spot on…
“Hichilema said Zambia had failed to improve the education system to compete with other countries at world level despite having gained independence 44 years ago…”
I know its difficult to acknowledge a blindspot but the reality is that most of you only wakeup once exposed to other vasities after masters, phds or whatever improvement course.
New Passports next month
The Issuance of new passports is expected to start next month.
Home Affairs Permanent Secretary, Susan Sikaneta said the government has already put into place necessary logistics such as equipment for the entire process which kick start’s in July.
She told ZNBC news that training and recruitment of staff who will mann the new office is expected to start this month end.
The Home Affairs Permanent Secretary noted that Zambia decided to join the international community by bringing in a new passport with sophisticated features that cannot be forged.
It is important to learn from other countries how run education sectors let us not polities education.
Zambia should not run UNZA like AFRICAN UNIVERSITY it time improve education in zambia, If gvt cannot improve education sector today tomorrow we will be in problems. Let leave zambia better and not bitter.
RIgHoj comment4 ,
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