Mushimba Assures That Govt Will Maintain UNZA, CBU As Premier Learning Institutions

Minister of Higher Education Brian Mushimba says Government will maintain the University of Zambia (UNZA) and Copperbelt University (CBU) as the country’s premier learning institutions in the wake of the mushrooming of private universities.

Speaking on the sidelines of a Harvard Ministerial Leadership Training in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the minister said UNZA and CBU being the country’s oldest public universities have maintained high standards of quality education while at the same time maintaining a high ranking in accreditation with qualified lecturers.

Mushimba has however said the enrolment levels at the public Universities may reduce as people now have a wide variety of universities to choose from.

He has said government was concerned that only 20 percent out of the students who graduate from high schools are accepted in public Universities.

Mushimba said the ratio was worrying because students who leave high school were unable to get places into universities.

The minister has further bemoaned that only 20 percent of those accepted are female thereby disadvantaging the girl child.

He said Government was putting in place mechanisms to increase enrolment numbers to 80 percent in the next five years.

And on vocational training schools, Mushimba said it was unfortunate that some courses that were being offered by colleges were not relevant to the industrial requirement thereby making graduates stay home without employment after competing school.

He said it was important that colleges begun to offer courses that were relevant so that graduates are quickly absorbed into the labour market upon completion of school.

This is contained in a statement issued by First Secretary Press and Tourism at the Zambian mission in Addis Ababa, Inutu Mwanza.