Students at the University of Zambia (UNZA) Great East road campus in Lusaka have started getting their increased meal allowances which have been back-dated to last month.
UNZASU president Solomon Ngambi has commended President Rupiah Banda for increasing student allowances by 50 percent and ensuring that the students receive the money.
Mr. Ngambi told ZNBC news that students are grateful to the President for fulfilling his promise.
He said students are particularly happy at the fact that meal allowances have been stagnant for the last four years.
President Banda recently directed the Minister of Education to increase monthly meal allowances for students from K3-hundred thousand to K4-hundred and 50 thousand.
[ZNBC]
1!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is RB personally in charge of the allowances or what?
Bauze RB 2011 preps first round RB 2 Sata/HH 0. First goal was allowance cuts. And this is the second goal. And the opposition have scored nothing. We lead 2 nill. We have certainly bagged UNZA. Now lets go to retirees, teachers arrears and CDF. Lets show them how to run a country. The economist is in charge
Just go and guzzle chibuku …
Why is the allowance only updated from last month when themselves are getting salaries updated from January? If anyone is going to reply to my post they should be objective not just kushooter for the sake of.
Really workers especially civil servants should also be given responsibility and other allowances that are given to these lazy politicians who reap were they did not sow.Come on RB the great economist look into this issue as weel.
…and be more productive: more women/more babies; more beer more trouble
Lovely People have to go now, will join you later in the evening.
thanx mr presdo,hope unza chaps wont misuse the money on beer and ladies.I WAS DISCPLINED THE TIME I WAS THERE!
What is 400pin???? They need something like a million or so…
Oh so he was really serious with the increaments for students?Hey PF & UPND call for an emmergence meeting,this is ‘bad news’ for you!The govt can afford 50% increament for such small allowances of 300 thousand but can they do a 50% increament to Resident Doctors where a junior doctor gets about K7m per month?
“UNZASU president Solomon Ngambi has commended President Rupiah Banda for increasing student allowances by 50 percent and ensuring that the students receive the money.President Banda recently directed the Minister of Education to increase monthly meal allowances for students from K3-hundred thousand to K4-hundred and 50 thousand.”Yapasa ba-monko naba moma paUNZA. Good job President RB Banda.How about CBU Students?However,has the Book Allowance been increased too?How much Project Allowance has been given as increment? Students need more Book and Project Allowances to allow them to carry out uptodate projects instead of recycling projects like ‘Bush Clearing near ZESCO Poles mitigating fires’.
So far I have not seen any comment from UNZA Monks or Momas, where are you guys?
That is a good development as you don´t have to forget us Zambian students In Cuba, Russia, China, etc. Life is has become very expensive here.
make good use of this money, no increased importing!!!
ok gud for them. Unfortunately zamtel employees have lost half their salaries!! Ba Anonymous kwena i need your take over this one
#14 Very Good , Thats of course a good development, hope they don’t forget us this side, the situation is tense this side, with the current economic situation, this aint that good. So when exactly is The president RB going to increase, these allowances, cause our Government is full of promises, promises started back in june.
#
13. your flag mossad-kgb, the monks and momas might be gunpointing for UNZA always has a crash programme due to the back to back closures that have rocked it since 1997, I think.
#14 and 17, I feel for us fellow Zambians and I hope we will soon see a statement that President RB Banda is directing the MOE to increase your stipends very soon.
Take care of yourselfs brothers and sisters. I am with you in spirit.
#
13. your flag mossad-kgb, the monks and momas might be gunpointing for UNZA always has a crash programme due to the back to back closures that have rocked it since 1997, I think.
#14 and 17, I feel for us fellow Zambians and I hope we will soon see a statement that President RB Banda is directing the MOE to increase your stipends very soon.
Take care of yourselves brothers and sisters. I am with you in spirit.
Always,
Maestro Hhehhehhehhe – Mugungulu H. Mwaanga.
We thank the Lord for the increament and all but our Govt should also mek it a policy to icrease these allowances (BCs) every year. the prices of comodities are really quite high thus the nid to uncrease the projcts, book and other allowances annually. sponsorship to universities shud also be increased to enable the less privillaged in society to attain a certain level of education. i personally believe that education is the root out of poverty.well done RB tho u can do beta than jes 50%. God bless Zed.God bless all.
Oh Yes Maestro you are right, its Exam time at UNZA, just remembered.
#21, mossad-kgb. Wonderful and keep well. Remember:
Zain operates like PF, Zamtel like MMD and lastly but not the list MTN’s practising of service delivery is synonymous to the mighty UPND.
MTN like UPND appeals to progressive subscribers who want real services that touch people’s lives. The work with efficiency, but keep a set of well behaved clients.
Have a great day you all. Be blessed with a benign Sabbath day the real weekend as Sunday is a week-start.
Imwe why do we hav two full cabinet Agric ministerz..kanshi,wat is hapenin in zambia..
#
23. your flag Gridlock, it is politics of appeasement and trying to balance tribes. My thinking is that Vice President George Kunda may be replaced by someone else after the NCC is done away with and a new Republican Constitution is coined to perve way for a normalised situation. Alternatively, Veep Kunda may be maintained in that Veep position while someone will be moved to MOJ and then the two MOA Ministered will be sorted out.
The major problem is the Veep and Ministry of Justice issue where George Kunda currently serves in both portifolios.
However, this ‘ANOMALY’will soon be fixed by President RB Banda.
#24 Maestro
Tht is a waste of resources,2 cabinet minstaz in the same ministry?then two deputies 4 each..wat a country.im totaly disgustd by ths circus..
It is a good developmment but the students need a higher allowance of about K700,000 per month
Here I get 415 Euros plus a flat and internet. Yes !
#25. your flag Gridlock, definitely this behaviour is a serious waste of resources, but TRIBALISM balancing entitles that the President RB Banda has to somehow keep Minister B. Machila.
I totally do not support this trend of doing things. I am willing even to be led by a Cabinet without any Tonga person as long as all the Zambians in that Cabinet can deliver to all of us Zambians from all walks of lives, colour, background of originality before being Zambian Citizen, foreigners and indeed all the 72 tribes include Tongas who may not be represented in such a hypothetical Cabinet.Anyhow, one day things will normalise My friend, I am now going on a Sabbath RECESS. I wish you all the best.
when I read stories like this I remember why the west look down on us and why racists cannot imagine a powerful country led by black people. it is good that UNZA students have more money but can someone tell me why the president is personally making statements over the same? doesn’t UNZA fall under ministry of education? why do we have to go to state house to get anything done? don’t we have an MP for munali who is supposed to champion and fight for UNZA? last time I was home I realised finally that even if I wanted to see my MP, he doesn’t even have an office in Munali for me to picket! our parliament is asleep most times. just compare to UK where opposition really make them sweat.
cont….we need a new constitution please!!! one where the president is just that…a president, not manager, boss and the big man all in one. we need to have MPs that do there jobs! I am not very hopeful of a new 50+1 constitution before 2011. Can the guys at home tell us if at there is any news? please LT, lets have as much focus if you can on the new constitution. Some of us want to come back home but get depressed at the situ on the ground……..
Baby C
Ati what is K450000 its a lot of moneyby Zambian Standard for students they dont need money to sponsor there family back at home its not employment they dont pay rent or utility bills give them a million each and some of them will forget why they are there for.
not bad RB!!!
#29 gelogelo
True to ur observations,iv nt sn much tht as mp’s offices..and the issue of the presida being the mr everything 4 the country is realy nt gud..and worse off,we c pipo saying thankyou to hm,its nt hs money bt our money frm taxpayerz tht he is simply re-distributing..4 real cumin bak here is a very difikot decision,even wen 1 js goes to visit otsyd,cumin bak is dreadful..
Good evening everyone
$90 a month is above poverty line. Those UNZA students will drink thmeselves to death in Cockpit and Kalingalinga. That is Tax payers money and it should be spent wisely by all recipients. I hope the awards for meal alloowances are given on merit.
28. What tribe is Bradford Machila?
Parental advise to unza students.
That is tax payers money.kuposako amano guys.impia tatutola.okey.
36.pumby
He shud b a tonga..
#28 is the only tribalist why does he always comment about tonga ministers get a life man i am tired of your whinning
Well let’s give at least some credit where it is due as much as i agree with most bloggers who feel that it should be handled by the Minister of Education or the MP for Munali and that it is an entiltlement and not a favour. At least one of the promises has been delivered.
#35 if they buy chibuku or kachasu the benefits wil trickle down to the poor barman or kachasu brewer.thats development dear.
Gridlock am begining to like your contributions.
Hey, Good to hear That RB has increased meal-allowances for Undergraduates at UNZA, that increment is long overdue….
There have been serious changes on economic front, so RB has just done what is long overdue…
Good start
Stanford Kabwata
#42 pumpy
Thanx mate,i try to b as objective n truthful as i cn..
Shame on RB. How can he increase allowances for students at an outdated university. I’ve always said that institution, UNZA, must be shut down for good and the infrastructure turned into a referal hospital. The courses they offer are meaningless to the needs of our economy. They can spare ridgeway and the school of education.
RB should have chanelled the cash to ZICAS or CBU were there’re meaningful courses.
Tonga bull
Is economics,public administration,development studies,engineering,agric ecnomics/science/engineenering,vet mdecine meaningles to our country?if you say yes,then i ur very unfortunate,UNZA is very important to zambia..the courses there are difrent to the ones at CBU(tho sum are the same)and totally difrent to ZCAS,so try to despise UNZA js 4 the sake of it..
Its a good step Dr RB and hope there will be no more stories of riots and closures. Honestly how many universities do we have that we are failing to keep up the standards. you should also have asked your nigerian counterpart how he is managing to take care of more than 28 universities. Any way congrats for your step in the right direction, dont lose it.
#46 leave tongu bull alone he is hallucinating from drinking mabisi spiked with masau fruits. He is chatting fraff and doesn’t want to be taken seriously
Lindizyani(unzamoma)
I have just noticed that RB now looks handsome, he’s getting a all lot better thanks to nyama soya hes being served at nkwanzi house.
Right now there is a riot in Jos, one of the major town in Nigeria, just because one candidte lost a Governorship election. The town is on fire, people are fighting!!
Is that a country where u are seeking help RB surely????????,
Pliz pliz pliz RB dont bring Zambia into disrepute??? The Nigerians are failing to govern themselves ???? what investment will they broing in the country, raping women, frauad, fighting and robbery?. Am disappoint with you Mr president, for time, i dont feel proud to be Zambian bcoz of RB.
sorry blogger, am just digusted with RB on this topic, we are discusing BC with UNZA monks and Momas here! Man Kunde, BC has been increased!!!
# 51 I feel you bro you seem to share the thoughts with me over RB desperate lobbying of foreign investment from Nigeria a country failing to govern them selves and charecterized with alot of issues they shud first solve before they invest in zambia.
YABA, Another blow to the PF.
They better revise their strategy. RB 1, PF 0.
On a serious note, it is good that Mr Rupiah Banda has increased the meal allowance for UNZA students. We hope this will help them in their studies. I know how hard it can be to be at university and not have money and it is not a good feeling.
We now hope Mr. Rupiah Banda is looking into increasing the salaries of civil workers like teachers, doctors, nurses, etc.
We also hope Mr Rupiah Banda is looking into providing incentives for local investors and also the CEEC issue.
Good move Mr. Rupiah Banda.
Manje ba UNZA, behave yourselves ala. Noti va ma riot everyday. Next time ba zamu mangani.
Before RB and ministers fatten thier pockets, they should first consider paying teachers and nurses their out standing housing allowances Just like he has done about UNZA Students.
This is a good development
But I would have loved to see RB increase Project allowance and more money is chanelled into research and development.This is a critical area for development of our country.
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#56 Uhhh iwe ni chinsi icho??
What off CBU and students on scholarships abroad??? #56 ya tebya znao, shto za dirmo??
450 pin ( US$100 ) that is what RBB spends on his dog a day,God when are you coming?
ba RB bakamba, ati how kuno kaili? Due to economic crisis, the price of vodka has gone up by 50%. Kwayamba ukutalala kuno, more vodka needed. Tulundileniko naifwe… nangu ka 1600 fye.
THANKS MR PRESIDENT.THATS THE THING. U PROMISS U DELIVER.KEEP IT UP MWA.VIVA SIR.BUT DONT FORGRT US.KA 1600$FYE.AND TELL THOSE PIPO TO GIV US THE MONEY IN TIME.
Shame on PF and kingcobra who thought RB was full of promises and little action. what do you have to say on this Mr president who will never be.
RB has done a good thing by increasing their meal allowances BUT the real issues at UNZA and CBU are to create the learning environment. look at the status of the library, the lecturers who use notes from 1966, the technical resources and then talk about research. Then we shall say he has delivered. Appeasing kids with sweets or buble gum is a very short term solution. We don’t need that. We need University education in its totality – A package that makes a graduate have confidence to deliver his skills to the nation.
muleke no kulya monk sause! big up RB….
RB,also remember the zed students in foreign countries esp in russia where these guys suffer due high cost of living…..surely they need vodka to manage the freezing temperatures esp now that winter is on,lol monks in diaspora.
i am a former unza student. but this does not stop me from suggesting that the government should come up with a formula of making the students pay back the money with interest. in an economy like zambia’s there should be nothing for free. even here in the states they make us pay back every cent they loan us after we graduate. so far the u.s. government has lent me $48,000.00 toward my tuition which i wil start paying back six months after i graduate whether i find a job or not. i which the zambian government should come up with a similar formula, may the students will stop thinking that they are entitled.
They say half a loaf is better than nothing but he should have backdated it to Janaury or so. Next he should keep the subsided farming inputs promise because small scale farmers in a dire straits now?
#66 good for you because you will not stay without a job for six months after graduating. Now consider the poor zambian who will stay for two years without a job after graduating with distinctions. More over even if you were to be so unfortunate that you dont get a job, you are in an economy were you would even raise the money through casual jobs. Remember to compare the like with like.
Your name carries a good message, study hard.
The Ministry of Education through the Bursaries Committee increased the allowance. It’s no feat of RB. RB must however be commended for allowing the increase coz LPM had refused to do the same not long ago. UNZA Meal Allowance has been moving upwards as follows:
2000—–K100,000
2001—–K150,000
2003—–K225,000
2005—–K300,000
And now in 2008 its been moved to K450,000. Can someone good in arithmetics please calculate when the increase has been biggest since 2000.
Good move RB
#69 Hunter, what do you hunt dear? As per your request and taking into consideration that we must compare like with like, here are the results. In 8 yrs i.e from 2000 to 2008, there has been a total increase of 350% meaning if it were constant it would have meant an annual increament of about 44%. Therefore the fact based on your data is as follows:
2000 – 2001. 50% increase in one year above the 44% annual average
2001 – 2003. 50% increase in 2yrs below the 88% two year average
2003 – 2005. 33% icrease in 2yrs below the 88% two year average
2005 – 2008. 50% in 3yrs below the 132% three year average.
therefore the most sound increament was in 2001 and the worst in 2008.
easy man i am only suggesting that meal allowances and all moneys given to the students should be some form of loan which should be paid back regardless. this way tax payers money will not go to waste.
This is not solve a problem in any way. rather shifting and reshufling problems. They burst in no time wait and see
Countrymen we need road maps in achieving this.
#72 of course your suggestion is a good one but practically difficult if not impossible in our third world economy with almost 100% unemployment levels. Anyway its a good stance you have towards tax payers money.
umuntumutwe and Easy Man, UNZA BC is no longer free. It’s in form of loan, this scheme started in 2004/2005
easy man then instead of these students paying in cash, the government should make them do some form of community service may be with a non governmental organization, or with a government department in their area of study. that way we kill two birds with one stone-the students pay back and gain experience at the same time. this community service should be a graduation requirement so that it can be undertaken during the students duration of study. this way the government wont be cheated.
Good point #77. Good to hear that #76, what are the pay back terms?
Abaume ba RB . Now UNZA students have more money in their pockets.
KK used to send youths in foreign mission. Rb and VJ are such good examples. What is wrong with govt picking a good number of graduates, train them and send them into foreign mission.Foreign service must be for professionals. We must stop this rot of sending any Jim and Jack into foreign service. RB must critically check on this matter and ensure that only qualified professionals are sent into foreign mission i.e from the lowest officer up to ambassadorial level
that is a positive move in the right direction. next should be the retirees then reduction of PAYE. Then I will say BRAVO RB !!
@76, On payback terms I don’t know how it will be done, but I doubt if this scheme will ever succeed.
Speaking as Grad from YUNZA,the meal allowance is supposed to be earned by the student through some form of work while one studies.How can we rationalise pay without work in this age and era? How much longer are we going to go paying out this so called allowance and how much is it going to cost us if not how much has it cost us todate? The other alternative would be loaning out this money which could be recovered as one starts work. Here again Govt woild have to ensure that such beneficiaries get jobs to be able to pay back the loans. We need to start accounting such expenditure.
#71 Easy Man
Thanx bro for your analysis.
Now your question: “What do you hunt dear?” I hunt ladies coz I like sampling. Age 17 to 24.
ifwe
i wonder what kind of economist do we have in Zambia.e.g in Russia they tend to say they have increased the allowances of students but in reality they do nothing.they play on our minds
in 2006 till date students get $200 per month.Bread in 2006 used to cost 5-7 rubles today it cost 19 rubles.so even if there is an increment of 50% it means nothing.we need 100% increment.that’s why Zambia still remains the same and wont develop because of people in position,they are irresponsible and jealous.
ELYO YAPUMA, YOU CHAPS! YOU SHOULD NOW STOP STONING PEOPLES MOTOKAS
DURING YOU DEMOS,THEY HAVE PAID YOU THROUGH THIER TAX CONTRIBUTIONS.
mossad-kgb you cant have a loan without legal conditions that bind both the lender and the lendee. here is a question for you if you still insist these moneys are a form of loan, why then do they call them allowances? allowance and loan are not synonyms. you might ague that its just semantics or that my arguement is professorial, but you may also agree that when these ‘loans’ are given the students dont sign any legally binding agreements to pay back at a certain period in time. in any case what collateral do the students sign up in case they default. make sense to me mossad-kgb.
#84 Hunter careful with your sampling lest you sample the unsampleable.
#87 I had to look for a dictionary to understand your comment, pliz try to make it plain. You are in a good profession keep it up with your studies.
@87, The Govt came up with a policy to completely abolish the grant scheme & introduce loan scheme.The “loan” scheme was introduced in 2004/5, meaning at that time it only affected those who were in 1st yr, Seniors students continued getting grant or allowances until they graduate. Those who enrolled after 2005 were put on a loan scheme. The “loan” & “grant” schemes have been running side by side till the latter is abolished.We expect the 1st group of students on loan scheme to graduate any time soon. Every year students that are on these scheme sign forms from the Bursaries commitee. On whether the government has capacity to recover this money,I do not know the mechanism it has put in place
so mossad-kgb you do not have first hand data on this ‘loan’ system except your sophomoric speculations. advice to you; “it is an wise to stand up for a cause you do not fully understand”. you have failed to make me understand how this is a loan that must be paid back. by your own admission the govrrnment might not even have the means to enforce the conditions of the loan. as they say here in the states; “put your money where your mouth is”.
#5 bafimbaka bali tumpa sana, they break innocent pipo’s rides when they want to prove a point forgetting that the same innocent mangwam pays taxes which in turn the idoits at uNZA get as meal allowances. back dating the meal allowance for the idoits to january is like sqeezing the ball*s of tax payers who have fallen victim to these thugs from the copperbelt purpoting to be students.
Gridlocks i agree with you man. I think the tonga bull must have flanked at UNZA thats why he is talking like that, aliwa!How could Law,PA,DS, Mass com,Social Work,Economics, Engineering,Mining Eng, Geology,Etc be irrelevant to a country that is just beggining to pick its self up? Kwena Tonga Bull you are dull.
@91, This loan scheme was introduced when I was in my final year. Hence it never affected me since I was already on “free” bursary scheme. Everyone on free scheme at the time loan scheme was introduced remained on that scheme. Ask any 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th year UNZA student on GRZ bursary, they will tell you that its a loan. Why they call it an allowance I don’t know may be its same old song pa Zed where the majority still refer to any toothpaste as Colgate.
# 66 I LIKE YOUR IDEAS it is high time student loans were seriously implemented. in this time and age there should be no hand outs, for any services, simply because hand outs in whatever form are not sustainable. students must pay back in one way or another.The problem I see with our culture,is that getting things we haven’t worked for or begging is not viewed as embarrasing, some times people think it is their right, that is why people are generally lazy!
Cheers RB, but lets now look at other promises made during Election Campaigns such as reduction in fuel pump prices bearing in mind that fuel on the international market has come down by more than 70%. Why has ERB delayed to pass on the benefit to the consumer?
Am not a big fan of RB, but I think Job well done. I married a former Rumpeni from Soweto and later ridgeway campus. It is still hillarious when he rumpenizes the kids, some times his patients.
and no…. both kids and the patients dont understand bemba.
Naga ifeee, iwe chi Banda????
Banda is a real polical dribbler he knew unza wil demostrate against his salary increment hence tuma 150pin to shut them up , umukulu mukulu
36. Pumpy, I hope you are satisfied that Machila is a Tonga through someone’s contribution on the question you asked me.
a sheer waste of resources at the rax payer”s expence. just develop dinning facilities for these chaps… anyway we all know its a move designed to shut ’em up in case they want to make noise about the politicians pay rise. abash old UNIP tactics!
BA PRESIDO, WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER STUDENTS ON BUSARIES WHO ARE IN OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE TURKEY, CHINA, RUSSIA CUBA ETC…? IS IT STILL THE SAME $200 PER MONTH?
#91,mossad may not have given you the kind of info you want but the truth is students at both Unza and CBU are now getting loans and they vary from 100% to 50%.There’re a lot of paper work that is done by students at the bursaries office in Lsk and some of them are contract forms.Ask anyone at Unza or CBU.
baby c u are right 400 000 pin is not big cash!!! dey need some thing like 1 metre
103 wat loans are you talking about? loans on paper yes. there is no mechanism to recoup the monies watsoever and 104 stay put if you dont pay tax. i was a student at CBU a couple of years ago and i know wat i am talking about. to hell with economics of apeasement please!
Th increament of BC is welcome.Hope its not only for UNZA.
N WAY COMODITZ HVE GONE UP BT NOT ENOUGH BT WE RECOMEND U SIR