UNZA Students Warn PF Government On Deducting Repairs From Bursaries

University of Zambia

University of Zambia students have dared the government to proceed with its decision to deduct money from their bursaries in order to recover the costs for infrastructure that is damaged during students' protests on the removal of subsidies on maze and fuel.

The students interviewed said this would fan more protests because the government was being selfish in the way it was appropriating public resources.

Some students said the protests against the removal of subsidies on maize and fuel had not ended because the government had remained adamant with its position on the matter.

Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu had announced that the government would be deducting funds from students' bursaries to recover rehabilitation costs for broken infrastructure.

"As government, we have always advised students to find amicable ways of resolving issues on which they feel aggrieved such as designing a forum and inviting government representatives and indeed other stakeholders to explain on matters of concern unlike taking to the streets and destroying property belonging to innocent Zambian citizens.

In this vein, students will from today and onwards take responsibility for all damaged University or College property as well as private property by recovering from them costs of all such damaged property through their bursaries or any other means available, in addition to prosecution. Recoveries will be done through managements of the responsible institutions. In this respect, if students involved are not singularly identifiable, then the whole body-mass of students will be subjected to contributions toward the recoveries," Lungu said.

But the development has angered University of Zambia great east road students who sad that the government must find better ways of engaging the students, instead of resorting to dictatorial measures.

Joseph Mwala said t would be irresponsible for the government to deduct funds from all the students because it was not everyone who engaged in demonstrations. He said even though it was not everyone who demonstrated, t was within the students' rights to air their grievances because it had been proven that public protests were the only language the Patrotic Front (PF) government understood.

"We take to the street because demonstrations are the only way in which we communicate with the PF government. They don't know what dialogue is. We shall continue to demonstrate and let them go ahead to deduct our money from the bursaries. That s when they will get even more reactions from here. The students are very disappointed with the turn of events," he said.

Mwala said students' facilities were in a mess but the government officials were lavishing themselves with tax payer's money instead of spending it on the people.

Another student James Kosamu said the government must go ahead and implement its decision, but that would not deter the students from reacting to wrong government decisions.

He said dictatorship would not be of benefit anywhere, but that it would merely fan anarchy in the Zambia because the masses were feeling the hard economic times.

"It has never been heard of for the government to start recovering funds from the student bursaries. Let them do it and they will just be sponsoring more trouble because of course students would be affected," he said.

When announcing the decision to cut students bursaries, Lungu said it was the PF government's desire to inculcate a culture of adherence to law and order as well as engaging government by dialoging on contentious matters in a way that does not endanger lives or property of innocent members of the public. Students should understand that they went to school to learn and not to cause confusion or lawlessness.

But a student Mervis Mambwe said the government had never provided an opportunity to dialogue with the students. She said it was incredible for the Home Affairs Minister to be preaching dialogue when the government had often refused to listen to the students.

"There is not dialogue that the government has ever encouraged. This government has never tried to meet our union leaders. Even those who used to support the PF have realised that this regime is not taking them anywhere and we are protesting with them," she said.