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Zambia: Help Reduce Poverty, Unza Graduates Urged
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The Times of Zambia (Ndola)
11 July 2008
Posted to the web 11 July 2008
UNIVERSITY of Zambia (UNZA) vice-chancellor, Professor Stephen Simukanga has urged graduates to use the wisdom, knowledge and skills they have acquired at the university to help reduce poverty in the country.
Prof Simukanga warned the graduating students against using their qualifications for selfish ends.
The vice-chancellor said this during the 38th graduation ceremony held at the UNZA Great East Road Campus in Lusaka yesterday.
"Poverty could be seen to have been reduced in this country if the knowledge and skills that you have acquired can be utilised in such a way that the Zambian society benefits," he said.
He said there was need for the graduates to work towards improving the Zambian society.
"While you will be improving upon your livelihood, do not use your qualifications for selfish ends," he said.
Prof Simukanga urged the graduates to be aware of the HIV/AIDS pandemic as it had seriously affected the levels of human resources in the country thereby affecting development.
Prof Simukanga said the country needed the contribution of graduates to achieve the 2030 vision and become a middle income country.
A total of 1,853 students graduated with certificates, undergraduate diplomas, bachelors degrees, post graduate diplomas, master's degrees and PhD degrees this year compared to last year's 1,741.
Prof Simukanga said the issue of funding to the institution was the key challenge.
He said the main business of the university was teaching, research and public service and those resources were generated from the activities to sustain the operations of the institution.
He said being a public institution, the Government wanted the fees to be affordable by most students.
Prof Simukanga said in order to keep the tuition fees at affordable levels, more resources needed to be made available to the institution through the grant from the Government.
On accommodation, Prof Simukanga said the graduates experienced various difficulties as there was inadequate hostel accommodation.
He said the increase in the student's enrolment over the years did not correspond to the improvement in infrastructure.
"Student hostel accommodation has been outstripped by the increase in student enrolment, leading to congestion in hostels as some have opted to illegally squat with friends," he said.
Prof Simukanga said more than 50 per cent of the students were currently not accommodated.
He said UNZA stood to benefit from the 2011 All African Games as 12 hostels would be constructed at the Great East Road Campus and would accommodate more than 1600 students after hosting the event.
Speaking at the same function, UNZA chancellor, Jacob Mwanza bemoaned the brain drain at the institution as a result of mass exodus of academic staff for greener pastures.
Dr Mwanza said the issues raised had impacted negatively on the reputation of the university.
He said funding from the Government had continued to be below the actual expenditure of the institution's operations.
Education Minister, Geoffrey Lungwangwa also attended the graduation ceremony.
Meanwhile, Education Permanent Secretary, Lillian Kapulu has urged newly graduated veterinary doctors to use the knowledge they had acquired to help fight animal diseases
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Ms Kapulu said in Lusaka on Wednesday during the swearing in ceremony for UNZA veterinary doctors that the control of animal diseases posed a threat to Zambia's livestock industry and new doctors had the challenge of finding solutions.
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| Copyright © 2008 The Times of Zambia. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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