Zambia: Lecturers demand reopening of closed universities

Kitwe – Lecturers at Zambia's Copperbelt University have demanded that the institution be reopened following its closure last week after students went on the rampage, protesting against non-payment of food and book allowances. According to The Post, the lecturers slammed the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) government for its failure to tackle issues affecting the students. The southern African country's two top universities, the University of Zambia (UNZA) and Copperbelt University (CBU), were shut down last week on Wednesday due to intensified rioting by students. The PF, however, maintained that the two institutions were shut down due to students' criminal behaviour.While addressing Zambians living in Italy over the weekend, President Edgar Lundu said government would keep the institutions closed until the students learnt a lesson "of being appreciative of their privilege".

 Copperbelt University's Academics Union acting general secretary Sydney Sichilima, however, said the closure of the university was a ploy by government not to address students' problems. "We as a union are not happy with the closure of CBU because this has happened twice in an academic calendar and all this is wrongly done and ill-timed because they [government] are not sorting out the issues that affect the institution," Sichilima said Sichilima also took a swipe at Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu for wasting tax payers money that could be used for educational development.