If MPs, Ministers and Presidents children studied within Zambia the education sector would be prioritized - COBUSU

By Staff Reporter, NDOLA

Copperbelt University Student Union (COBUSU) says it is disappointed with the manner the Patriotic Front (PF) Government is running public Universities, the Copperbelt University (CBU) in particular.

CBU students are wondering why it has become a tendency or norm for government to pay or attend to students calls or challenges after demonstrations or protests.

“Why is it so difficult to source funds for students allowances and so easy for by-elections?” students wondered.

“We do not take pleasure in protests. We request the Government through ministry of higher education to pay students allowances,” COBUSU said.

COBUSU has therefore, appealed to Government asking what 'sin' they might have committed for them to be subjected to a process of kneeling, demonstrating or protesting to get their meal, accommodation and project allowances.

In a joint statement made available to WM Media, COBUSU President, Humphrey Mwenya and Academic Secretary, Samuel Mumba said students have for the past two months been calling for their project and accommodation allowances but their calls have yielded nothing.

“The Government has done more harm than good to CBU students because from the inception of this academic year, we have experienced major setbacks in our quest to acquire quality education we hope for. We would like to state that if CBU records a highest failure rate in the academic performance of students this year, let the Government be ready to embrace the curse,” COBUSU officials stated.

COBUSU states that a number of students have been left homeless due to their failure to pay boarding house rentals which ranges from K500 to K900 per month.

“The accommodation allowance we are begging for is not even sufficient enough to cover the expected annual rentals. Per year, students on 100% loan scheme get K1, 000, those on 75% get K750, 50% get K500 and 25% get K250 and the average expected annual rental fee is K4, 500,” COBUSU explained.

COBUSU further explained that from the statistics given and backed by the economic status of our nation, one can judge how much CBU students are suffering.

“We have thousands of students doing their research projects and as we go on a one week break, the University expects us to do data collection, but how do we carry out this academic exercise without the project allowance being given to us? Because students do their data collection in different and far places and without money resource, this will prove futile. In scientific, physical or biblical terms, the government cannot prove to us that they do not have money, but let them come out clearly to say they don’t have money to sponsor education,” according to COBUSU press statement.

COBUSU has also charged that the PF Government has money except that misplaced priorities are at the centre of daily governance.

“As students we wish there was a policy that prohibit Members of Parliament, Ministers and Presidents from sending their children to Universities abroad. Only then can they learn to prioritize and better the education system in Zambia,” COBUSU said.

COBUSU has since challenged line ministries to urgently find lasting solutions to the payment of student’s allowances and other problems that carters across all Zambians.