State plans big for education

By Francis Maingaila
Lusaka (18-03-18)The Zambian government is contemplating to introduce a career pathway in all technical secondary schools that will enable students with desires to learn skills to spend an additional two years after completing grade twelve to acquire skill competency.
High Education Minister Prof. Nkandu Luo told journalists at the PF Interactive Forum held at Chrisma Hotel on Sunday that careers skills will be taught to all students in technical secondary schools across the country for the purpose of helping acquire skills without going to the college first.
“The government intend to put up a premium skill development centres in all technical secondary schools where students will be exposed to  various skills at an early in life.”
Prof. Luo added, as students progress in education and make a decision of the course they want to take in life, they will relay on the skills learnt and acquired at an early stage for their future career development.
According to Prof. Luo  after completing grade twelves, students that desire to master the marked  skill will have an additional two years for them to acquire competency and  will be awarded not only a diploma but also tools to enable them set up businesses in their areas.
“At graduation students will be give tool which they will carry with them home and set up small industry and begin to make money as they wait to further their careers life.”
She disclosed that technical schools will be built in provinces to prevent students from travel long distances in search of skills development centres.
Prof Luo also disclosed that the government has began the process of redefining the National Institute for Scientific Research (NISR) which she said will work side by side with the planned establishment of a nuclear centre in Lusaka.
She suggested that nuclear science is an important branch of medicine whose the presence in Zambia will prevent government from importing experts abroad to deal with complicated cases.
She said the government has sent Zambian experts abroad to train in various fields in nuclear science.
“Zambia is in a hurry to speed up the research process on nuclear science to discover the causes of diseases troubling the people in Zambia.”
Additionally, Prof. Luo stated that the government has established a higher education authority that will clear the mess in the country’s academic system.
“This branch will set the bench mark of the lecturer that will be tasked to teach in the higher educations in Zambia.”
She said the minimum qualification for lecturer at the University level will be a Masters, PhD and professorship.
“The government is also recreating the status of the universities to that it can reclaim its lost glory.”
Meanwhile Prof. Luo has linked strikes and riots that have taken place in the country universities in the recent past to massive political infiltration.
She complained that preliminary investigations has revealed that most of the people rioting in schools are not students.
She said the government is fast working on modalities depoliticizing the higher learning institutions.
She said soon the people organising to riots in the universities will be exposed for making the learning environment difficulty.
She said the Universities is not a place to teaching students to pass examination but rather a development centre where the young people are prepared for the world.
“The government therefore will not allow any one to disturb the learning environment in the universities across the country.”