Government has abolished the basic schools system and re-introduced the grade 1 to 7 primary and grade 8 to 12 secondary system. Education, Science and Vocation Training Minister, John Phiri made announced the development adding that community schools will be upgraded to primary status. Dr Phiri made the announcement on yesterday at a press briefing at his ministry in Lusaka.

Dr Phiri also announced that all existing colleges of Education will be transformed into universities. He said that has constituted a technical committee which has been tasked to produce a road map on the transformation of earmarked State colleges into universities.

Dr Phiri said the committee, which is chaired by the permanent secretary in his ministry, is expected to complete its work in 21 days. The colleges include Chalimbana, Palabana, Nkrumah and Copperbelt colleges of Education.

Dr Phiri said the committee is also expected to deal with the costing aspect of the transformation. He said Government has put in place a number of measures including the reintroduction of the conventional primary and secondary school education system and the construction of new universities to address the challenges the country’s education system is facing. Dr Phiri said one of the challenges has been a mismatch between reforms and the preparedness to implement them.

Meanwhile, Dr Phiri says Government will invest in national priority-driven scientific research to accelerate national development. “Government will as a matter of urgency develop a national research agenda to guide investment in science and technology,” Dr Phiri said.

He said this when he met his ministry staff and heads of institutions of higher learning at Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Authority (TEVETA) in Lusaka yesterday. Dr Phiri said under the MMD Government scientific research did not receive proper attention and this contributed to the under-development of the country.

“Under the MMD Government scientific research was not given the priority it deserves and to some measure the state of under-development of this country can be attributed to lack of investment and lack of a research agenda in science and technology,” he said.

Dr Phiri said research in science and technology in the country should be boosted to contribute to national development in a meaningful manner. He said to promote increased research in science and technology, his ministry will prioritise the teaching of science subjects in educational institutions at all levels and improve on current learning institutions as well as expand facilities for teaching science and technical subjects.

Dr Phiri said the ministry will also set up exclusive science and technical schools, colleges and universities. He said Government will revamp the National Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research by dismantling its debt and increasing the budgetary allocation to research activities.

Dr Phiri said Zambia should aim at making its economy knowledge-based to ensure higher levels of national development. “We should strive towards a knowledge economy. We all know that all leading economies in the world have become hugely knowledge economies,” he said.

The Education Minister said Government will work hard to ensure emoluments of lecturers and scientists are attractive and regionally competitive. He added that Government is aware that conditions of service of the lecturers and scientists in his ministry are uncompetitive and that this state of affairs has made it difficult for it to stem brain drain.

Dr Phiri said all Zambian children should have a right to a free, compulsory and quality education regardless of whether they come from a wealthy family or not.
He said Government will also empower youths with education and skills that will make them more productive.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

THE Patriotic Front (PF) on October 19 admonished United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema for his unrelenting schemes aimed at frustrating the PF and described him as a “selfish politician interested in championing personal gains”.

And the PF has urged MMD members not to allow former republican President Rupiah Banda to “auction” them to Mr Hichilema because he allegedly wants to save himself from the wrongs he committed against Zambians.

PF secretary general and spokesperson Wynter Kabimba said this at the party’s first press briefing after winning the September 20 general elections. “For Mr Hichilema service to the Zambian people only means one thing…he must be the president over all of us. This was his scheme in 2006 when he took over the UPND as president and in June 2009 when he invited PF into a pact with UPND.”

“His agenda is a personal one and our people should judge him for what he is…a selfish politician,” Mr Kabimba said. He said it is disappointing that Mr Hichilema and some UPND members have failed to understand the true meaning of President Sata’s “watershed speech” delivered in Parliament on October 14.
Mr Kabimba said Mr Hichilema has vowed to frustrate PF programmes within and outside Parliament.

He said this is Mr Hichilema’s second vow after the first one when he promised to work with MMD to ensure President Sata does not win the September 20 tripartite elections.

Mr Kabimba said Mr Hichilema is on record to have told Zambians during the defunct PF/UPND pact that he would never work with the MMD because Mr Banda and his ministers were allegedly corrupt.

He said today because Mr Banda has allegedly offered him the inheritance of the MMD “which he thinks will propel him to power in 2016,” the former head of State has become a saint to him.

[pullquote] “For Mr Hichilema service to the Zambian people only means one thing…he must be the president over all of us. This was his scheme in 2006 when he took over the UPND as president and in June 2009 when he invited PF into a pact with UPND.”[/pullquote]

Mr Kabimba said Zambians should not trust Mr Hichilema with powers of managing the affairs of the country. “In his typical bitterness and anger he went to MMD to try to prevent Michael Sata from winning the election. We thank God that Mr Hichilema’s evil intentions did not come to pass,” Mr Kabimba said.
He said President Sata won the election to Mr Hichilema’s utmost shock and disappointment from which he has failed to recover to date.

Mr Kabimba said it is not surprising Mr Hichilema has now moved to another scheme to block the PF from fighting corruption committed by the previous government.

He said the PF wants to know who gave instructions for the killings which occurred in Western Province, beneficiaries from oil imports arising from blatant breaches of tender procedures and people behind the auctioning of the gold which was in the custody of the Drug Enforcement Commission.

The PF wants to know the circumstances which led to the acquittal of former president Chiluba and his wife, Regina, the circumstances in which two Lexus vehicles costing K3.6 billion were bought and how the privitisation of Luanshya mine and other were undertaken and who determined the fees for the transactions.

Mr Kabimba said the PF wants to know if Mr Banda is a Zambian under the Constitution and eligible to stand as a presidential candidate in 2008 and if the MMD attempted to rig the September 20 polls.

He said if these matters do not worry Mr Hichilema about how Zambia was governed in the recent past then he is a wrong person to lead Zambia.

And Mr Kabimba has appealed to Government to consider compensating the families of people who lost their relatives and property during the disturbances and riots on the Copperbelt on September 21. He said these people should be compensated because they wanted to ensure the MMD did not again steal votes and frustrate the people’s choice for a new political leadership.

The Patriotic Front cadres this morning caused commotion when they disrupted a press briefing which was supposed to be addressed by party Secretary General Wynter Kabimba demanding to be given employment by the party.

The cadres also demanded that defectors from other political parties should not be allowed to join the party. One of the carders talked to said that defectors from other political parties are the reason why the party is not employing them.

The cadre, who refused to be named, observed that the party seems to be giving employment to people from other political parties who have never been there for the party. He said that the youths will ensure that only genuine members of the party are given employment by the party.

By press time, the Patriotic Front secretary general was said to be in a meeting with some senior UPND members who have defected to the Patriotic front.

QFM

President Michael Sata has apologised to Angola over the decision by the former ruling party MMD to side with the late former rebel leader Jonas Savimbi during the civil war in that country.

President Sata says he has sent First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda to apologise on behalf of Zambia to the Angolan government for the MMD government’s treacherous behaviour.

He described the MMD’s conduct against Angola during the civil war as greedy and fraudulent.

The President was speaking at State House Wednesday morning when he received letters of credence from Ambassador Designate of the Republic of Angola to Zambia Balbina Malheiro Silva.

President Sata says it is a shame that Zambia is not benefiting from the eight million United States dollar refinery that Angola has built.

He also says the Patriotic Front-PF government looks forward to opening up more trade links with Angola.

Earlier, Ambassador Silva reaffirmed Angola’s commitment to strengthening economic cooperation with Zambia.

[ZNBC]

 

Government has recalled 12 ambassadors and high commissioners including those in Kenya and Tanzania, said Foreign Affairs Minister Chishimba Kambwili.

Mr Kambwili told the media that the termination of contracts for the envoys was “with immediate effect” but they would be accorded a three-month period to prepare their return home in line with their conditions of service.

Among prominent ‘casualties’ are former Republican vice president Dr Nevers Mumba (High Commissioner to Canada), former president Rupiah Banda’s cousin Agness Ngoma (High Commissioner to Mozambique), Christine Lambart (High Commissioner to Kenya), late president Levy Mwanawasa’s aunt Marvis Muyunda (High Commissioner to Tanzania) and Zambia Army ex-commander General Isaac Chisuzi (High Commissioner to Namibia).

According to Mr Kambwili, others recalled are Professor Royson Mukwena (High Commissioner to the UK), ex-minister Marina Nsingo (High Commissioner to Botswana), Albert Muchanga (Ambassador to Ethiopia and AU), Reuben Musakabantu (High Commissioner to Malawi), Dr Sipula Kabanje (Ambassador to Zimbabwe), Anderson Chibwe (High Commissioner to Malaysia) and Alexis Luhila (High Commissioner to Nigeria).

The minister said former deputy chief executive of ex-ruling party – the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) – Jeff Kaande, who served as counsellor at Zambian Embassy in Japan and TV personality Doreen Mukanzo, who was first secretary for press at the mission in South Africa had also been recalled.

Sackings of diplomats were expected after their April 2011 meeting where then president, Mr Banda, thanked them for financing the MMD and urged them to finance his re-election campaign. Michael Sata, then main opposition leader now President, rebuked Mr Banda.

“That is the direct Presidential directive that those diplomats should divert money from their missions and send them to Lusaka for his campaign,” Mr Sata said then.

The body of a South African national aged 42-year who drowned at Victoria Falls was flown to South Africa yesterday, Southern Province police commanding officer Lemmy Kajoba has said.

Mr Kajoba said in an interview that the fire brigade in Livingstone successfully retrieved the body and was flown to South Africa yesterday.

The deceased was a director at Bell Dewar was attending the firm’s annual conference in Zambia at the Victoria Falls. He is said to have gone out for an early morning walk alone. He appeared to have lost his footing and drowned at Victoria Falls up stream around 09:00 hours on Sunday 16th October.

Southern Province police commanding officer Mr Kajoba said the deceased’s body was caught up in rocks before falling in to the gorge.

Meanwhile, Mr Kajoba said a 17 year old girl of Maramba township drowned at the Victoria Falls boiling point around 18:00 hours on Saturday.

Mr Kajoba said Juliet Mwamba of house number ME 171 Maramba who was in the company of friends slipped off while walking on the rocks near the river.

He said the body of the deceased was retrieved by the fire brigade and it was lying at Batoka hospital mortuary.

LOCAL Government, Housing, Early Education and Environmental Protection Minister Nkandu Luo has said some management personnel at Kabwe Municipal Council (KMC) will be asked to stay away from their offices to allow for a comprehensive audit of council operations.

Professor Luo said during an orientation meeting held with KMC staff, councillors and retirees in Kabwe on Monday that she would ask her colleagues from the ministry to conduct a thorough audit of the council’s operations in the last five years and that the results would enable the ministry to take clear action.

“This council is in very bad shape and is one of the councils which have a lot of issues with regards to management.

“The audit will not just be focused on finances but will encompass the auditing of road rehabilitation contract awards, as well as the management of parks and car washes and the results will be shared with everyone,” she said.

Prof Luo said she was saddened by the treatment of retired staff that went to inquire about their pay at the council, and the huge salary gap between the town clerk and casual workers.

She said all the leaders should reflect on their behaviour and urged all those who would continue in managing the council operations to change the way they conducted themselves.

Prof Luo assured the retirees that she would study means to pay off the K7 billion owed to them by the Government once the budget was tabled in Parliament.

Speaking earlier, Boyd Banda, who represented the retirees, appealed to the Government to consider getting rid of the entire management at KMC because they were allegedly corrupt.

Zambia Local Authorities Worker’s Union chairperson Nicholas Chitambala said KMC employees were among the worst paid and most victimised by management in Zambia and called for the immediate removal of the Kabwe town clerk, director of administration and director of finance.

[Times of Zambia]

IRATE miners at Grinaker LTA, a contracted company engaged by Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) in Chililabombwe, on October 18 attacked police officers with catapults during a protest over poor conditions of service.

The miners working at shaft number four engaged police in skirmishes and also blocked the Chililabombwe-Kasumbalesa road with stones but quick action by police dispersed them.

Acting Copperbelt police commanding officer Milner Muyambango said in an interview in Kitwe yesterday that the miners attacked the police officers after they were dispersed from KCM plant.

He said the miners blocked some township roads and burnt tyres but police immediately moved in to restore peace. “The miners in Chililabombwe this morning fought running battles with police, they started stoning the police officers using catapults after they were removed from the plant. The miners also blocked the road leading to Kasumbalesa but now the situation has normalised,” Mr Muyambango said. He said the police did not arrest any miner during the fracas.

And miners at China Non-Ferrous Corporation (NFCA) in Chambishi yesterday evening protested over management’s refusal to award them a K2 million salary increase. The miners blocked the road with stones but quick action by police prevented the protest from degenerating into a riot.

Acting Copperbelt police commanding officer Milner Muyambango said in an interview yesterday that 60 police officers have been deployed to Chambishi to maintain law and order. Mr Muyambango said the workers burnt tyres and blocked the road with stones but that no-one was injured.

“The workers at Chambishi NFCA have been protesting for three weeks now. Yesterday [Tuesday] in the evening they blocked the Kitwe-Chingola road. They burnt tyres on the road and put huge stones but no-one was injured,” he said.

Mr Muyambango said the protests in Chambishi and Chililabombwe have so far been peaceful and that the police have not made any arrests. He said police will continue maintaining law and order to protect lives and property in the communities.

[Zambia Daily Mail]