Luapula children shun school for ‘finkubala’

HE DESCRIBES them as slimy but tasty; and between October and November every year, four-year old Mwango (not real name) dashes into the bush to catch caterpillars.

Mwango who lives in Katungulu in Chief Munkanta’s area of Kawambwa in Luapula Province says caterpillar catching a source of income and relish for his family. His whole family is engaged in the trade which he describes as tiresome but beneficial.
Like Mwango, the locals and their children in many parts of the province engage in caterpillar catching as a means of survival of their families.
This came to light when the Media Network for Child Rights and Development (MNCRD) embarked on a sensitisation campaign of the province with the hope of making the Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECCDE) policy more profound.
Unfortunately, this is done at the expense of education; particularly early childhood education which was introduced earlier this year.
Upon its ascendency to power, government pronounced that early childhood education should to be compulsory to all children irrespective of status and background. This was followed by the establishment of centres in all government schools countrywide.
The strategic sensitisation campaigns done by MNCRD were conducted in Mansa, Mwense, Samfya, Kawambwa, and Nchelenge districts. Luapula Province has one of the lowest access to early childhood education services at seven percent at national level.
It is hoped that with the introduction of early childhood education services in all government schools, this figure will rise. However, this policy is likely to suffer setbacks due to caterpillar-catching which is one of the main occupations of the locals in the province.
And that is why Luapula Province Education officer Smith Bweupe noted with concern that caterpillar-catching is likely to act as a hurdle to the ECCDE policy.
This is because most children in these areas normally abandon school in preference to catching caterpillars.
He further noted that even some parents leave their homes and take their small children with them to the bush in search of caterpillars.
“It is disheartening to see mothers with their babies and younger children strapped on their backs going into the bush to catch caterpillars. And this trend is common in October and November depending on the area,” he said.
However, Mr Bweupe was quick to say he has engaged district education board secretaries in the province to sensitise parents on the importance of not to engaging their children in the caterpillar catching business.
He said parents also needed to be sensitised on the importance of early childhood education.
“Caterpillars will always be there and that is why I am saying it is important that parents are made aware that children should not be sent to catch caterpillars at the expense of education,” he advised.
Meanwhile, Mr Bweupe said on average, the ECCDE policy is faring relatively well as there are 88 early childhood education centres in Mansa.
He also disclosed that for the policy to be succeed, the province requires over 1,000 teachers but Government only managed to send 100 with each district receiving ten.
“We were given 100 early childhood education teachers but only 100 were sent to Luapula Province and each district received 10, which is not good enough because the need is overwhelming,” he said.
The sensitisation campaign also saw Kawambwa District education board secretary Patrick Soko adding that the early childhood education policy had been well received by parents in the district.
Parents were particularly happy because they now have some where to leave their children as they carry on with their other duties.
He however, cautioned teachers against beating children and ensuring that they take good care of them in order to gain the trust and respect of parents.
“Parents should be able to entrust their children with teachers, knowing too well that the person I have left their children with is able to take proper care of them,”
“Once parents gain the trust of teachers then the ECCDE policy will be more effective,’ he noted.
And Provincial Education Standard Officer for Open and Long Distance Learning Julius Kabungo said the ECCDE policy can only be sustainable if there is political will. And parents should also be able to sustain the early childhood education programme.
He said communities should as also supplement Government efforts by raising money to pay teachers,” he said.
Early childhood education should not be a luxury meant only for those who can afford but even the vulnerable children should have access to it.

Women shun politics

MARRIED women in Western Province are shunning active politics for fear of being divorced; the Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) has said.
ZNWL Western Province board member Bridget Akalaluka said in an interview that cultural hurdles have continued impeding women’s participation in politics.

She lamented that society see women who stand to address the crowd as disobedient. “Men find it cultural misfit to see a woman standing before a crowd and worse still before men to address them,”
“There is need to sensitise people here in our province on the importance of women participating in politics in line with the SADC protocol on gender and development,” she stressed.
And ZNWL Southern Province board member Joyce Musha reiterated calls that men should be sensitised on the need for their wives to participate in politics.
Ms Musha said married women in rural areas fear to be divorced if they attempt to take part in politics.
She said women should therefore be encouraged to take part in politics to boost their numbers in decision-making processes.
“The other challenge we are having is that, most of our women are not educated and that makes them shun politics,” Ms Musha said.

‘Ng’ombe school needs material’

NG’OMBE School Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) chairperson Margret Tembo has called on Government to aid the school with learning materials to cushion the rising demand for quality education in the community.

Ms Tembo said at a Madison Insurance-sponsored child motivation ceremony in Lusaka that the school enrolment has gone up to 604 from 564 last year. While demand for adult literacy has also gone up with 124 scholars.
Ms Tembo said “the school lacks desks, text books and computers in the newly-established laboratory to cater for the rising demand for education in Ng’ombe community.”
The ceremony saw Patson Kaweme and Saviour Nkonde receive awards for scoring the highest at grade seven and nine, respectively.
However, Ms Tembo said despite the challenges, the school is still the most preferred in the community due to outstanding the performance it has recorded over the years. “We are doing exceptionally compared to some high profile schools,” she said.
And Madison General Insurance Company head of Public Relations Kelvin Mwale pledged to continue supporting the school because of the remarkable successes pupils have continued scoring.
The realisation of the awards ceremony acts as an inspiration to pupils to strive to get better results.
“Mr Headmaster, we are proud and encouraged that some of pupils you nurtured and produced from this school have progressed to different secondary schools and have continued to shine brightly in their education,” he said.
And Ceaser Sakala, a grade eight pupil called on other companies to emulate Madison General in ensuring pupils from community schools realise their dreams.
She said “this colourful ceremony is a reminder to many of us that the sky shouldn’t be the limit but we must work hard at school as a way of alleviating poverty in our community.”

Chief Chipepo allocates land to women

CHIEF Chipepo of Southern Province says he has started allocating land to women in his chiefdom because they are the major producers of food.

The traditional leader said he has taken the mantle to empower women with land because they have potential to eradicate hunger in any given society when empowered.
He has since attributed the bumper harvests recorded in his chiefdom to women.
He is of the view that “very few men in my chiefdom produce food and that is why I have made it mandatory for women to own land.”
He added that women farmers have also been encouraged to form clubs where they will be assisted with farming inputs and equipment.
The chief also expressed happiness over the reduction in gender-based violence (GBV) in his chiefdom. He has initiated a by-law where any man who beats his wife is also flayed by palace guards.
“We always beat the perpetrators of GBV for them to feel how their wives feel when they are beaten,” he said.
Meanwhile, the traditional ruler further expressed happiness over people’s adherence not to marry off their young daughters.

Lusaka pupils donates to Heifer

PUPILS at the American International School of Lusaka (AIS) have donated K7,000 to Heifer Zambia with view to end hunger and poverty among families in Mumbwa.

Heifer Zambia has since last year been running a programme dubbed ‘Read to feed with AIS, where pupils raise money for vulnerable families through reading.
Speaking at the presentation of funds during the week, Heifer Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Manager Siphiwe Kaponda said the funds received will be used to help families in Mumbwa with livestock.
Ms Kaponda disclosed that about 10 families will be helped with livestock this year.
She said “we will soon arrange a field visit to Mumbwa with the pupils at AIS where they will have an opportunity to see the families.”
And Terry McGuire, a teacher at AIS said the Read to feed programme has not only helped in improving the lives of vulnerable families but also improved the reading culture among pupils.
Ms McGuire expressively said pupils in the seventh and eighth grade took part in the Read to feed programme.
She has since pledged to continue working with Heifer Zambia in their endeavour to eliminate hunger and poverty in Zambia.
“Our pupils were happy to take part in this programme, it is a good for the improvement of their reading,’ Ms McGuire said.
And Linnea Bidder, an eighth grader said she felt compelled to take part in the programme because she has the heart for the vulnerable.
Linnea said her reading culture has tremendously improved because of the programme.
“I managed to read 10 books in a row and for every book I read, my parents gave me a K5,” she said.

Finland seeks more women in politics

FINNISH ambassador to Zambia Pertti Anttinen is concerned about low levels of women’s participation in politics in Zambia.
Mr Anttinen also said Zambia should recommit itself to enhancing gender equality through various regional and international instruments.
“At the local government level, only six percent of councillors are women while at the national level, women representation is at 11.4 percent,” Mr Anttinen said.

He said this in Lusaka yesterday during a send-off press briefing for three women councillors and two aspiring councillors to Finland on an exchange programme.
The Finnish Embassy and Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) have embarked on a three-year project called `Women in governance’ implemented in Lusaka, Kabwe, Kapiri Mposhi, Mpika and Choma.
The exchange visit is aimed at enabling the Zambian delegation and their Finnish counterparts to share good practices on gender equality and promoting women’s political participation at local level.
And Zambia National Women’s Lobby chairperson Beauty Katebe said the councillors are from five political parties.
Gift Kapila, who is aspiring to be a councillor for the Forum for Democracy and Development (FDD) ticket, said she will use the opportunity to learn how women politicians are faring in Finland.
Ms Kapila pledged to share what she will learn in Finland to encourage women to participate in politics.

Uncertified seeds affects crop yield

CHIEF Chipepo of Southern Province has observed that farmers in rural areas record low crop yields due to uncertified seed they purchase from bogus sellers.

And the traditional ruler has called on Government to monitor and regulate maize seed imported into the country.
Speaking in an interview at the Civil Society Organisation (CSO) seed law workshop in Lusaka on Thursday, Chief Chipepo charged that the uncertified maize seed being supplied on the market grows like grass.
The traditional ruler said rural farmers have for a long time been subjected to uncertified seeds which has resulted in their recording of low crop yields.
“Rural areas always face problems when it comes to the issue of seed. Many people come to rural areas to cheat our farmers with all sorts of fake seeds which instead grow like grass,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, Chief Chipepo said the 2013/2014 farming season yield has been poor arising from the poor management of the fertiliser input support programme.
“The FISP programme was poorly handled in my chiefdom and this resulted in low crop yield.
“We have since written to Government complaining about how badly the FISP was managed and they have promised to mitigate the problem,” he said.
He has since urged Government to consider consulting chiefs over the FISP because they are the custodians of the people.
“Chiefs know who real farmers are in any particular area and so it is imperative that we are consulted in the FISP programme,” he said.
And chief Chipepo said farmers in his chiefdom have started selling their maize despite the absence of a new floor price for maize.