Government has employed a total of 15, 485 teachers out of the 19, 519 who graduated from teacher training colleges between 2003 and 2006.

Education deputy minister Clement Sinyinda told Parliament today that of the 19,
519, 15, 803 teachers graduated from government schools while 3, 716 graduated from
private teachers’ colleges from 2003 to 2006.

Mr Sinyinda who is also Senanga MMD member of Parliament noted that 2003 recorded
the highest number of teachers graduating of about 4,741 from government colleges
while the private colleges recorded the highest number of graduates in 2006 of about
1, 104 teachers.

He further explained that of the 19, 519, 10, 467 were female and 9, 052 were male.

Mr Sinyinda was responding to a question from Opposition United Party for National
Development, UPND, Katombola member of Parliament, Regina Musokotwane who wanted to
know how many teachers graduated from teachers colleges between 2003 and 2006
countrywide.

And Mr Sinyinda said 15, 485 teachers were employed by government during the stated
years.

He however said no teacher was employed in 2003 due to government’s commitment to
reach the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, HIPC, completion point.

He also explained that his ministry expected all the teachers employed during the
stated period to have reported for work saying his ministry was however waiting for
a verification report.

And Parliament today heard that construction works on the D499 road in Gwembe valley
in southern province popularly known as the ‘Bottom’ road has started.

Works and Supply minister Kapembwa Simbao said the company contracted to work on the
741 kilometre road is already on site saying 97 kilometres from Chabbobboma to
Sinazeze would be worked on for a start.

Mr Simbao said Zambians should appreciate that work on the road has started after
over 20 years of lip service.

He advised Zambians to be positive in approaching matters of national development.

Government has assured motorists and members of the public that the country will continue having sufficient fuel stocks on the market during the time Indeni Refinery will be closed.

Energy permanent secretary Peter Mumba said in a statement that at the time of the
closure of Indeni this weekend, Indeni will have about 11.9 million litres of
diesel to last for 11 days and 4.8 million litres of petrol to last 10 days.

He said the said stocks are expected to last up to the end of this month.

Mr Mumba further explained that in addition, government through trhe Energy
Regulation Board, ERB, has requested Oil Marketing Companies, OMCs, to import
finished petroleum products.

He said so far the OMCs have committed a combined total of 52.0 million litres of
diesel and 20.0 million litres of petrol for the period November to December 2007.

Mr Mumba explained that the OMCs will ship in a total of 32.55 million litres of
diesel to last 32 days 12.5 million litres of petrol to last f31 days.

The energy permanent secretary noted that this fuel will be available during the
temporary closure of Indeni.

Mr Mumba said the next 60,000 metric tonnes of feedstock is expected in
Dar-es-Salaam on 24th November, 2007.

Indeni is expected to resume production by 1st December, 2007 saying the refined
products from the 60,000 metric tonnes cargo of feedstock will last the country
until the first week of January, 2008.

Other measures put in place is the shipment of 90,000 metric tonnes of feedstock
which is expected to arrive in Dar-es-Salaam between 15th and 18th December, 2008
whose refined products would last the country until the third week of February,
2008.

Mr. Mumba said with these measures in place, motorists and the travelling public
need not panic.

Indeni Refinery will on 18th November exhaust the 60,000 metric tonnes of petroleum
feedstock which was procured in September 2007 and the refinery will undergo a
temporary shutdown awaiting the arrival of the next consignment scheduled for 24th
November, 2007.

Meanwhile, United Party for National Development (UPND) has expressed concern at media reports that Indeni Oil Refinery in Ndola has run out of crude oil and is expected to shut down on Saturday this week.

UPND Vice President, Richard Kapita said the revelation is of great concern because
the country recently experienced fuel shortages which adversely affected many
sectors of the economy.

In a statement released to ZANIS in Lusaka today, Mr. Kapita said a similar
occurrence would devastate the economy.

He observed that the disclosure by Indeni officials that government has removed
Total, a shareholder in Indeni, from procurement process of crude oil, is
saddening.

Mr Kapita added that the decision taken by government has resulted in recurrent
shortages of feed stocks because government has single handily taken on the task
leaving out the partner, Total.

He charged that government needed to be serious in the manner it handles procurement
of oil, as it is the lifeline of the economy.

Mr Kapita urged government to look for long-term alternative supplies of crude oil
such as Angola which can be harnessed through the Southern Africa Development
Community (SADC) arrangement.

He added that there is also need for government to build more reservoirs at Indeni
in order to store more crude oil.

ZANIS

EVELYN Hone College of Applied Arts and Commerce (EHC) in Lusaka has been shut following the extended class boycott and worsening student unrest that undermined law and order at the campus.

The closure is indefinite but students sitting for final examinations will be allowed to return to campus on December 2, 2007.

Minister of Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Peter Daka, announced the closure of the institution at a press briefing at his office in Lusaka yesterday.

The minister was acting on resolution of the EHC board of directors, who resolved to shut the college at an emergency meeting on Monday evening.

“From 6th November 2007, there have been some disturbances at Evelyn Hone College where students have boycotted classes because of problems with water reticulation,” Mr Daka said.

He said the ministry had instituted measures to restore water supply and to solve the problems of sanitation in hostels.

“Despite these measures, students have continued to boycott classes and to behave in a manner threatening the college and its surroundings.

In view of this situation, I have decided to close the college with immediate effect,” Mr Daka said.

Mr Daka said the decision to close the institution was arrived at after efforts to reason with students failed.

He said Government could not entertain the student’s unruly behaviour because it had an obligation to protect life and property and to maintain law and order.

He said apart from safeguarding life and property, the closure of the college would also facilitate the rehabilitation of hostels, improvement of water supply and sanitation.

And Mr Daka said management at the college should have dealt with the water problem as an urgent matter.

He said the water problem should not have gone as far as it did because this was an indication that “someone was not doing their job properly.”

“Management was supposed to have handled the grievances of the students before the situation got out of hand.

When you ask people to work, they fail to do so.

This issue should not have gone this far,” he said.

On the students’ demands to have EHC director of academic affairs, Ellan Kamfwa removed, Mr Daka said it was not possible to fire a person based on hearsay, without any investigations and without giving him an opportunity to exculpate himself.

A Zambia Daily Mail team that rushed to the college around 06:00 hours yesterday found students packing their belongings in readiness for evacuation.

Management hired buses to ferry students to provincial centres.

Heavy traffic formed outside the college as some parents and students drove in and out to collect students’ belongings.

College principal, Sam Kangwa, said management had arranged for transport for all students from outside Lusaka to take them to provincial centres through out the country.

Most of the students did not have time to pack as they were awoken in the early hours of the morning by armed police who ordered them to pack and wait for buses at a central place.

Outgoing students union president president, Kelezo Lushako, said no one was hurt when police hounded them out of their rooms but that most of them were terrified by the heavily armed police.

He said students cooperated with police who also maintained their calm.

On Monday, the students held Ministry of Science, Technology and Vocational Training permanent secretary, Dr Buleti Nsemukila, hostage for one hour and Mr Kangwa for seven hours.

Meanwhile, Mr Daka has been directed to issue a statement in Parliament to explain the developments at EHC.

This came to light when a point of order was raised by Lusaka Central member of Parliament, Guy Scott (PF) who wanted to know whether Government was in order to ignore, three months ago, a Lusaka City Council’s report which described the water and sanitation situation at the college as a disaster.

Speaker Amusaa Mwanamwambwa ruled that the minister gives a statement.

The United Party for National Development (UPND) has blamed Evelyn Hone College authorities for failing to resolve sanitation problems at the institution which has lead to its closure.

UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma says the closure of the college will result in
academic time loss and impact negatively on the school calender.

Mr. Kakoma said the closure of the college has a negative bearing not only on the
students who are in their final year but also incoming students who will have to
wait longer because of the closure.

Mr Kakoma said this in a statement made available to the Zambia News and Information
Services (ZANIS) in Lusaka today.

He said college authorities are to blame for failing to sort out the water and
sanitation problem at the institution adding that the K150, 000 needed to sort out
the problem was too little and could have easily been raised.

He further said the ministry of Science and Technology, through the inspectorate
department should have moved in to sort out the water problem before the situation
worsened.

Mr Kakoma has however appealed to students in various learning institutions to
desist from damaging property each when they are aggrieved adding that disturbing
innocent motorists and residents in surrounding areas was an act of
irresponsibility.

He further urged the college management to be proactive and resolve the water and
sanitation problem at the institution so that students do not lose out on the
academic calendar.

Government yesterday closed the Evelyn Hone College indefinitely after a week long
of protests against poor water reticulation and sanitation at the institution.

GOVERNMENT has asked former president, Fredrick Chiluba, to exercise maximum restraint when commenting on issues such as the MMD’s loss in the Nchanga parliamentary by-election.

Chief Government spokesperson, Mike Mulongoti, who is also MMD chairman for elections, said yesterday that Dr Chiluba should speak sparingly because the people of Nchanga were reacting to some of the bad policies the former head of state left.

“Dr Chiluba was head of the MMD.

He should therefore speak sparingly. Some of the policies that are still being followed were left by him.

The people of Nchanga are reacting to old issues like the effects of the sale of mines under Dr Chiluba,” he said.

Mr Mulongoti, who is Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services, said Dr Chiluba should realise that he was among the people who were appearing in court for allegedly being involved in theft of public funds.

The minister challenged the former president to ask himself why he was appearing in court before he comments on anything.

“We would like to accord him respect as former president.

But if he wants to celebrate over our loss, he is declaring war on us and adding salt to a wound,” Mr Mulongoti said.

He said the reactions of the people of Nchanga were not new because they were based on old issues, which included the sale of mines under Dr Chiluba’s reign.

Mr Mulongoti said the MMD would continue to examine what could have led to its loss in the parliamentary by-election.

And MMD national chairman, Michael Mabenga, said in an interview from Mongu yesterday that it was unfortunate that Dr Chiluba had turned against the ruling party that he helped found and was now celebrating its electoral loss.

“It is very unfortunate that the former president should now turn against the party he helped to form and cheer at its loss in the Nchanga parliamentary by-election.

It is very unfortunate,” Mr Mabenga said.

Mr Mabenga said the ruling party had always been promoting democracy and would ensure that it established the truth about the alleged malpractices during the Nchanga by-election.

He said the party leadership was waiting for a detailed report from the team that spearheaded the campaigns on alleged vote-buying during the
by-election.

Last Sunday, Dr Chiluba held a press briefing at Lusaka International Airport shortly before leaving for South Africa for routine medical review.

The former president congratulated the MMD for being good losers in the Nchanga by-election.

He also congratulated the Patriotic Front for retaining the parliamentary seat that fell vacant after the opposition party’s member of Parliament, Charles Chimumbwa, resigned to join the MMD.

Dr Chiluba said the MMD should learn a lesson from their loss in Nchanga so that they could do better in future elections.

He said the beauty of democracy was that no one could force the people to support a particular candidate or political party.

Daily-Mail