By Winston Muleba II, NDOLA
A statement trending on various social media networks in Zambia that university graduates should throw away their degrees otherwise they risk dying poor has divided
young people's opinions.
Some youths are alleging that most of the educated people in Zambia are poor because they fail to take advantage of odd businesses or jobs.
And other youths are saying that a degree is very important adding education is not necessarily an antidote to poverty, neither is it a ticket to wealth.
Responding to this debate, some youths have taken the matter upon themselves to air their views to a length height.
Ziya Theo says he is yet to come across a field of study whose aim is to teach the student how to generate wealth.
“The aim of education is not for one to be wealthy but to be functional. The skills acquired in the process of education are, by nature, transferable to different aspects of society,” he says.
Theo adds that it must be noted that not everyone desires great wealth.
“Indeed, I dare say, no one needs a great deal of wealth. A life led with the sole aim of acquiring wealth is most likely to be an empty pursuit, even in the unlikely event that one might successfully obtain their desired level of wealth,” he says.
He says if money to people's undertakings is like blood in the body, one would infer that no one can survive without it.
“Whilst we cannot survive without it, could anyone then say that our bodies exist to make blood? Of course not. Our existence is of greater meaning and we serve a higher purpose,” says Theo.
Mwaba
Mutale also explains that majority of the educated earn less than K8,000 for a salary before tax and other deductions.
“When the deductions are put into consideration, the net salary comes to around K6,000. The net salary then suffers from loan deductions of up to K2,000 leaving the salary at around K4,000. The landlord then demands for his K2,000 and monthly shopping takes away
K1,000 leaving one with a K1,000. The bus will demand for K600 going to and from work and relatives get another K700.
The whole salary is gone and borrowed money starts operating. The borrowed money includes short loans and
salary advances,” he says.
He says the difference between poverty and prosperity is property.
“A prosperous person has property to his name while a poverty stricken person has no property to show. Using this. understanding, therefore, most of the degree holders are poverty stricken, borrowing money to buy chicken and chips, pizza, and a car. The biggest excuse for getting paid such low amounts of money and having to sit and work for another person for 30 days is the degree that one possesses and that’s all. This has made most of the degree holders very poor to poverty stricken and will die that way most likely,” Mwaba says.
But Theo says to most Zambians, one cannot claim to have made it in life if they don't own land.
“It need not be a farm or large plot. A
mere 20m x 30m in one's name separates the adults from the kids. To this end, many have bought plots from Meanwood,” he says.
Mwaba further says a degree holder does not know how to generate money unless that money is generated for the employer.
“A degree holder is so dependent on the salary that he can do anything to get a job but will not think of starting a business of his own to employ others adding that a degree holder is not prepared to sell chips on his or her own but is very happy to work for hungry lion; a degree holder is not prepared to sell popcorn in the street but is very happy to work for Vodafone outlet in a tent by the road side wearing white caps and red shirts thinking they have made it in life; a degree holder is not prepared to sell second hand clothes on their own but is very happy to be employed by DAPP which the business of selling second hand clothes,” he says.
And Edson M. Chilala points that as a consequence of academic accolades and achievements, most of the people have tended to choose the things to do
especially businesses.
“We can do under the pretext that we are above this kind of Job and business. Because we work for Corporates that have existed for long and have proper structures, we too assume erroneously that we must begin from there. Unfortunately, for most of us, our resources can't allow it so we keep waiting for the 'right' time and opportunities to begin implementing our dream enterprises and empires. And that Ladies and gentlemen is that catch. There's no such thing as the right time. Begin with what you have wherever you are placed,” he says.
Chilala stresses that the educated should stay humble, learn from the 'uneducated', start small and do whatever it may take to realize their dreams.
Mwaba also says an average Zambian degree holder because of pride and ego of wanting to seat in Air conditioned offices and wear ties and heals 'is not' prepared to make K20,000 or more because of not thinking straight and clinging to papers that aren't serving them any use.
Adding to this debate, Susan Mulongoti says most graduates have an attitude problem about their ‘level’ and what they can or cannot do as a graduate.
“Having a degree is very important but at the beginning when you have limited resources, it can indeed stand in your way.
How so? Here are just 3 ways:(I) You may have to do odd jobs which some educated people feel ‘this is beneath me.’(ii) You may want to start business from ‘your level’ but your resources are only enough to start from a different or ‘lower’ level. This causes many to keep putting off the idea of starting a business because they believe they don’t have enough capital to start. No, they don’t have enough money
to start their dream, big business but there is a business they can start with what they have. It’s just not at their ‘level.’(iii) It might be harder to save money,” she says.
Susan says as a degree holder, one may be expected to live a certain lifestyle in accordance with their level.
“But what if moving to a cheaper area, downsizing or selling your car is the only way you can raise money to start your dream business? The pressure from your peers to live according to ‘their level’ becomes a hindrance,” she emphasizes.
She adds that to start a business graduates don’t need a degree.
“To grow a business, that's when they need a degree. This is why so many bosses are not educated. They start a business but at some point they will need specialized knowledge and they have to employ degree holders,” says Susan.
Contrary to the popular belief that Zambians are primarily wage slaves who only look to their employers, Theo says official statistics indicate that less than a fifth of the country's workforce are formally employed.
“The other 80+% are either engaged in some entrepreneurial pursuit or working closely with and for an entrepreneur. If we are a nation of entrepreneurs, why are we so poor? The answer to this question is multifaceted and anything I say is unlikely to be complete. However, a lack of education is one of the main drawbacks we face. In order to grow to an appreciable extent, most business undertakings require specialized knowledge either from the proprietor or their employees,” he adds.
Theo cites examples of how some graduates have leveraged their knowledge to extend their influence over collective lives as Zambians.
“Bwalya Chiti, a lawyer with vast corporate experience gained from employers such as ZSIC and NIEC is credited with facilitating the first mobile phone provider in Zambia back in 1997,” he says adding that Telecel was sold to MTN in 2005.
“When one needs bloodwork done, their doctor is likely to refer them to Nkanza Laboratories. The late Prof. Neil Nkanza, one of Zambia's first pathologists, leveraged his knowledge and connections to start an outfit that has for many years provided a service which is trusted by most medical personnel and men seeking to know why junior looks more like the neighbour than themselves. Meanwood company was started by Robinson Zulu, a former banker who holds a degree in economics, a masters in finance and an MBA. His work at ZANACO and DBZ exposed him to high level corporate transactions. As an independent consultant tasked to help Galaun Holdings restructure their debt, Zulu came up with an audacious venture which saw him buying huge tracks of agricultural land in Lusaka city, which he then had rezoned to residential status, split into thousands of bite sized plots and the rest is history.”
He points that a number of other educated Zambians have leveraged their knowledge to great effect; Carl Irwin (Zambeef), Rajan Mahtani (Finance Bank), Monica Musonda (Java Foods; Eezi noodles) and many other educated brothers and sisters have seen the work of their minds touch some aspect of life of millions of Zambians.
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