University of Zambia Lecturers and Researchers Union -(UNZALARU) has thanked the government for awarding additional loans to 2-thousand 7-hundred and 80 students at the University of Zambia.
UNZALARU General Secretary KELVIN MAMBWE says the new dawn administration has listened to the cry of the people and provided additional funding for more students to access University education.
Dr. MAMBWE says the move by government is commendable as it has never happened for such a big number to be given loans on appeal.
He told ZNBC news that going forward government should provide Student Loans based on vulnerability and not the point scored by a student.
Dr. MAMBWE said vulnerable students should be given the loans as long as they meet the criteria for entering the University.
Meanwhile Dr. MAMBWE has urged Management at UNZA to use the additional funding in from students loans to improve the work environment for the workers and learning environment for the learners.
He said management should also work at providing a pay rise following the additional funds from the government.
Yesterday, the Higher Education Loans and Scholarships Board awarded additional student loans to 2 thousand 7-hundred and 80 first year students at UNZA for the 2021/2022 academic year.
Board Senior Corporate Communications Officer CHISELWA KAWANDA said this entails that for the first time, over 5-thousand first year students have been awarded student loans at One university in one academic year.
GRZ is being selective by favouring education loans to Unza students only, when we have other public Universities such as CBU & Mulungushi (with fully-fledged University Councils) plus up-coming Kwame Nkrumah, Mukuba and Levy Mwanawasa Medical University (whose Councils are yet to be established). Students being admitted to University of Lusaka, Open University, Cavendish, and Apex Medical University deserve to benefit from Tax-payers’ support because these private Universities are also contributing to provision of higher education , especially taking into account that the 3 Public Universities (CBU, Unza & Mulugushi) cannot absorb most students yearning for higher education. Besides, Government has transformed free scholarships to a Loan-Scheme to drive a revolving Fund.
Our government is working for the people of Zambia. Lets continue delivering on our promises while other talk
Thank Faith
And were are those that were marching to state house? Are they not from this campus or it’s a different one? Tell them to start consulting firms , GRZ is not a job machine – go to private sectors for jobs you educated beggers. Black mountain miners in abt jobs too and GRZ cannot ignore a thousand people for the sake of 49 people jst because they are holding a bursary degree in their hands(which they haven’t even repaid back). Remember there is no bursaries at Black Mountain so u folks already ve an upper hand