‘Re-opening universities good move’

THE Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) has praised Government for re-opening the University of Zambia and Copperbelt University.
In March this year, students from the two universities protested over delayed payment of meal allowances which led to the closure of the institutions by the Minister of Higher Education Micheal Kaingu.
And ZANEC has further commended Government for rescinding its earlier decision to suspend the meal allowances for students on Government bursaries.
In a statement posted on Facebook, ZANEC executive director Grace Manyonga implored Government to call student unions and other stakeholders to a meeting that will bring lasting solutions the higher institutions are facing.
“We further call on both the Ministry of Higher Education and the Students Union’s to initiate a periodic platform through which they can dialogue on issues affecting higher education in particular and education in general and not wait until there is a crisis,” Ms Manyonga said.
She furthermore thanked Parliament for the introduction of the Student Loan and Scholarship Scheme Bill will be presented to the house before the dissolution of the current Parliament.
And Ms Manyonga also called for the improvement of infrastructure and other needy areas affecting the higher learning institutions.
“As a Coalition that works for the promotion to accessing quality education for all in the country, ZANEC calls upon the Ministry of Higher Education and successive governments to pay particular attention to needy areas affecting higher learning institutions such as the deplorable infrastructure and continued timely payment of lecturer’s salaries,” she said.

Early childhood education given priority

GOVERNMENT says it remains committed to the expansion of early childhood education in the country as evidenced by the recent creation of a directorate in the Ministry of General Education.
Ministry of General Education acting permanent secretary Christine Mayondi, however, said, access to early education is still low in the country as shown at Grade one entrants.
Speaking during the Zambia Preschool Association (ZPA) graduation ceremony recently, Mrs Mayondi also called on private schools in the country to work closely with the Teaching Council of Zambia to upgrade the general standard of education.
Over 300 students from various colleges affiliated to ZPA graduated with certificates and diplomas.
“To the grandaunts let me say, you have chosen the right career for yourselves. However, let me caution you that working with little children requires patience, dedication and sensitivity,” she said.
Earlier, ZPA board chairperson Faustina Katiyo said early childhood education must be appreciated by all because it improves the wellbeing and development of a child.
Mrs Katiyo also revealed that all ZPA affiliated colleges have scrapped off early education courses and will only be offering three year courses.
She said the move will enhance quality education among both the learners and little children.
“We also want to affiliate ourselves with the Teaching Council of Zambia and the Zambia National Union of Teachers so that our teachers can have better representation,” Mrs Katiyo said.

Number of female voters pleasing’

THE women movement is happy that more women than men have registered as voters in readiness for the August elections.
Electoral Commission of Zambia senior public relations officer Sylvia Bwalya recently announced that out of 1,695,580 who have registered, 850,771 are women and 844,809 are men.
In an interview, Zambia National Women’s Lobby board chairperson Beauty Katebe described the development as uplifting to the women.
Mrs Katebe said this will translate into more women being appointed to decision-making positions.
She, however, implored women to vote for fellow women in the upcoming elections.
“If we fail to have a lot of women being voted into office, then it will mean we are for the notion that women are enemies of each other and do not uplift one another,” Mrs Katebe said.
Meanwhile, Mrs Katebe said the triple V campaign that was held last year by the lobby and partners on the importance of voting are yielding results.
She said women and youths were encouraged to register as voters and help bring change and contribute to national development.
And Sylvia Bwalya said this development shows women are ready to take up the challenge.
Ms Bwalya also said women are also ready to exercise their right to vote.

Commit to fulfilling SDGs – UNICEF

UNITED Nations Children’s Fund country representative Hamid El-Bashir

UNITED Nations Children’s Fund country representative Hamid El-Bashir has challenged Zambians to commit themselves to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals targeted at ending child marriages.
Speaking during the official launch of the civil society on ending child marriages in Zambia recently, Dr El-Bashir said early marriage practices in Zambia are an act of desperation by both parents and the girls.
He said poverty is the major driver of early marriages in the country and said Government must critically look to ending it if the fight against the scourge is to be contained.
“There must be increase in accessibility to quality education and we must address domestic violence and define gender roles,” Dr El-Bashir said.
And Deputy Minister of Gender Dorothy Kazunga said concerted effort is needed to end child marriages in the country.
She called on more co-operating partners to help fight the scourge that has robbed millions of girls of their childhood especially that Zambia still holds the highest rates of early marriages in the region.
“Child marriages is a serious challenge the entire world is grappling with and it robs a girl child of an opportunity to get educated and contribute to national development,” she said.
Meanwhile, Plan Zambia country director Samuel Musyoki praised the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for forming a civil network that will see to that child marriages become a thing of the past.
Mr Musyoki said CSOs and Government have the potential to end child marriages in the country.
He said stakeholders must be willing to share their best practices and lobby and advocate for the scourge to end.
“I’m urging Government to speed up the implementation of the action plan that will end child marriages and increase investment in the education sector,” Mr Musyoki said.

‘Pass law on early marriages’

SENIOR Chief Madzimawe of the Ngoni-speaking people of Eastern Province has urged Government to pass the legislation that will compel all traditional leaders not to abet early marriages.
Chief Madzimawe said there are some traditional leaders who are not speaking against early marriages, making the fight against the scourge difficult.
Speaking during the launch of the civil society network in ending child marriage in Zambia recently, the traditional leader stressed that the fight against early marriages is serious in his chiefdom.
He said “for example, my entire chiefdom is against early marriages but some perpetrators sneak out to other chiefdoms where it is condoned thereby perpetuating the scourge.”
Chief Madzimawe also called on the members of Parliament who will be elected during the August elections to ensure that they pass the Traditional Leadership Bill that will spell out what a chief is supposed to do.
Speaking at the same function, Chieftainess Mwenda of the Tonga-speaking people of Chikankata district of Southern Province said early marriages especially in rural areas should not be difficult to fight as traditional leaders have power and authority to banish perpetrators.
The traditional leaders said chiefs can use power and authority under the chiefs Act to fight early marriages.
She called on other chiefs to take girl children to her chiefdom which has many training colleges and schools.
“Girl education is important and once girls are educated they have potential to contribute to national development,” the Chieftainess said.
And Chief Macha of the Tonga people of Choma district in Southern Province said he is one of the unpopular chiefs in the area because of the law he passed against early marriages.
The traditional ruler who has a smallest chiefdom in the province said, early marriages are not condoned and a penalty is always given to all found guilty.
He also called on Government on make the educational system in the country attractive to schoolgirls.
“The government must build schools within communities and school girls walking long distances to access education,” Chief Macha said.

Chiefs lead campaign against early marriages

Chief Madzimawe

HER advice to young girls that they should not be lured into early marriages because men are liars sent the crowd into laughter as they listened to her story at Intercontinental Hotel recently.
Ennie Mwiinga (25) of Chibombo district shared a story of how after getting pregnant was enticed into getting married that left her with nothing but regrets.
She said marriage is the worst nightmare for young girls especially due to the physical and emotional abuse they are subjected to.
“My husband would beat and insult me. All this happened when I was doing my grade nine and I couldn’t concentrate in class because all I could was dwell my thoughts on the torture I was undergoing and on my child,” Ennie said.
Currently, Ennie is on a girl power project under the auspices of Plan Zambia which is empowering girls withdrawn from early marriages with life sustaining skills.
Over 700 million girls and women globally like Ennie have been married before the age of 18.
In Zambia, 45 percent of women aged 25-49 percent being married before the age of 18, one of the highest rates in the region.
The practice of child marriage defined as a formal marriages or an informal union before the age of 18 is a reality that continues to affect many children globally.
In response to the continued prevalence of the practice, the Zambian government has launched various campaigns against the vice and has signed various treaties to fight the scourge.
Early marriages in Africa normally carry the face of rural girls who are either married off by their parents or themselves due to poverty.
This is why some chiefs have fiercely come against the scourge with hope to completely wipe it out from both their chiefdoms and the nation at large.
One shining example of a traditional leader who has earnestly fought early marriages at its core is chief Madzimawe of the Ngoni speaking of Eastern Province.
With the province having one of the highest early marriages rate at 63 percent, the traditional ruler has taken the fight personal saying girls must at all cost get an education because they have potential to contribute to national development.
His recent score against the scourge was when he managed to withdraw 15 girls from marriages this year in February and ensured they get back into school.
His remarkable success has seen him open a ‘Madzimawe foundation’ that will open up safe houses for girls withdrawn from the marriages, draw up mentorship programmes, and raise awareness against the scourge.
“The Madzimawe foundation came after we trained 85 school girls in a mentorship programme and the response we got was overwhelming. Their head teachers gave us feedback that they noted some changes in the schoolgirls and for me that was motivation enough,” chief Madzimawe remarked.
Another way the passionate activist fights early marriages is having influential female figures that can act as role models talk to the girls and inspire them to aspire for greatness in life.
However, the fight does not always come without challenges, the traditional ruler was quick to point out that girls themselves are a hindrance to the fight as they are not willing to come out of the marriages despite the seen challenges they face.
Chief Madzimawe noted that there is need to change the mindset of the girls and sensitise them on the consequences of early marriages.
He said police fail to persecute such cases because girls themselves are hostile and do not want to provide information needed by the police.
“We also face financial challenges that make it hard for the girls to complete their education. When we withdraw the girls, it is hard for us to put them back into school because we have no resources and some of them end up either staying home or getting back into marriages,” he lamented.
Another gallant fighter of early marriages is chieftainess Mwenda of the Tonga people of Southern Province.
Chieftainess Mwenda who is also God’s follower said her strength and support to fight the scourge comes from her headmen who despite being men know the importance of sending girl children to school.
The traditional leader who is a nurse by profession and ambassador against early marriages in Southern Province said she is in herself a role model to the girls.
She said “a role model doesn’t have to be that educated but as long as they are in good standing with society, they are fit to be role models. I was modelled by my mother and grandmother.”
Chieftainess Mwenda last year managed to withdraw 300 girls from early marriages and helped enrol some at Chikankata Nursing School.
She also called on other chiefs involved in the fight against this scourge to always take the girls withdrawn from marriages to her chiefdom to be enrolled in various colleges dotted in the province.
And chief Macha of the Tonga speaking people of Southern province said he has come up with a law that penalises parents who marry off young girls in his chiefdom.
He penalises people in accordance with the provisions within the chief’s Act that gives the chief power to punish anyone found wanting.
The traditional leader said he is unpopular in his chiefdom because of this policy.
“I’m however appealing to Government to build schools which are within the reach of pupils. Pupils are subjected to long distances and it is obvious that along the way girls can be lured into relationships along the way either to school or home,” he said.
It is undoubted that the involvement of traditional leaders in the fight against early marriages has potential to wipe out the scourge. And it is hoped that other chiefs can come on board and together they can and must speak with one voice against the vice.