We're doing badly in education, says KK
We're doing badly in education, says KKBy Chibaula Silwamba
Monday May 28, 2007 [04:00]
WE are doing badly in education, Dr Kenneth Kaunda has said. And former Namibian president Dr Sam Nujoma has said Africa's political freedom will be meaningless without economic independence. Featuring on a special Africa Freedom Day programme on ZNBC Television on Friday, Dr Kaunda said the education sector in Zambia was performing badly. "We can't hide that we are doing badly in education. We need to work on that one," Dr Kaunda said.
He said when Zambia became independent in 1964, there were only 100 university graduates, of whom three were medical doctors.
He said his government had to introduce free education and by the end of UNIP's 27-year rule, there were over 35,000 university graduates.
"We had made education free so that we make people ready for responsibility of self-governing," Dr Kaunda said. "Really, education is key and I would encourage our government to push education. Education must come first."
Dr Kaunda said youths were the future of any nation.
He said without proper education and job opportunities for youths, the leaders would leave empty places.
"All of us as leaders must emphasise the importance of youths in our society, without that we will not succeed," he said. "We need to genuinely involve youths so that they participate in what is taking place in our country." Dr Kaunda also said he was confident that HIV/AIDS would be wiped out in the world.
And Dr Nujoma, who was linked via the phone from Namibia, said Africans should now fight for economic independence. "We liberated ourselves from the shackles of colonialism and imperialism. We are now concentrating all our efforts to the second struggle for economic independence because our political freedom will be meaningless if it is not accompanied by economic independence," he said.
Dr Nujoma paid tribute to Dr Kaunda, the UNIP government and Zambians for their support during the liberation struggle of other southern African countries. He said Zambia provided refuge to most freedom fighters from countries in the region.
"The UNIP government headed by Dr Kaunda offered us military training in order to confront colonialism in Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa," Dr Nujoma recalled. "We pay great tribute to those heroes and heroines on the African continent who made great sacrifices."
He recalled that Zambia braved bombardment from the Apartheid government in South Africa and Ian Smith's government in Zimbabwe. "The history of liberation of Africa will never be written without mentioning those African visionaries such as Dr Kaunda, Julius Nyerere (Tanzania), Kwame Nkrumah Ghana)..." he said.
Dr Nujoma ended his contribution with a slogan: "Long live the OAU! Long live the AU!"
And academician John Mwanakatwe said rich countries and their agents are exploiting poor and heavily indebted African countries. Speaking during a radio programme on Africa Freedom Day dubbed 'listenrite to Shoprite', Mwanakatwe observed that many African countries were poor and their freedom was compromised.
"Representatives of rich nations or their agents tend to exploit poor countries in Africa from time to time," Mwanakatwe said. "In my view, in spite of this disadvantage, all countries in Africa should continue to celebrate Africa Freedom Day."
He said some countries in Africa had not enjoyed peace from the time they gained independence.
Mwanakatwe said the battle against poverty was yet to be won. "Much still needs to be done through hard work, dedication and honesty by men and women who lead us from time to time at various levels - political, commercial and religious levels in our country. Undoubtedly, the reduction of poverty in our midst in Zambia today will be a difficult task. Otherwise, freedom and independence will be meaningless if poverty levels are not reduced, albeit gradually, in the years ahead," he said.
"Zambians should consider carefully the contribution they can make to the improvement of the quality of life of our people both in urban and rural areas. For without Zambians themselves working hard to improve the economy and develop our country, the alleviation of poverty among the majority will remain a pipe dream. Without alleviation of rampant poverty in our midst in years ahead, the celebration of "Africa Freedom Day" will eventually become meaningless."
He said the freedom fighters' desire was to use the freedom gained to raise the standards of the people. Mwanakatwe observed that youths nowadays were dangerously pre-occupied with harmful undertakings such as drug trafficking, hooliganism and misuse of modern technological facilities such as television and computers.
Labels: EDUCATION, KENNETH KAUNDA, SAM NUJOMA, UNIP
posted by MrK @ 4:46 PM
4 Comments:
"For without Zambians themselves working hard to improve the economy and develop our country, the alleviation of poverty among the majority will remain a pipe dream.
This is an important point.
History tells us that the most successful cures for poverty comes from WITHIN. We can get people from outside to come and set up economic zones and even gives us loans and foreign aid, but all these things for their benefits can also hurt. They can discourage effort and plant a crippling sense of incapacity. Even worse strip out all our assets. As we say "the hand that receives is always under the hand that gives".
History tells us that the most successful cures for poverty comes from WITHIN. We can get people from outside to come and set up economic zones and even gives us loans and foreign aid, but all these things for their benefits can also hurt.
The question as always is - who owns what? Follow the money. Why would foreign corporations develop Zambia? How do they justify that to their shareholders?
They can discourage effort and plant a crippling sense of incapacity. Even worse strip out all our assets. As we say "the hand that receives is always under the hand that gives".
That is why I am so in favour of having loads and loads of local economies. The MMD envision a Zambian economy developed by a few foreign corporations. I envision an economy of millions of mom and pop stores, family farms and family businesses.
Those are very hard to disrupt, no matter where the global economy is at. Social and economic stability is what we should aim for. Not FDI, not foreign companies taking over the economy, etc.
They also spread out wealth across the entire society, instead of concentrating wealth in the hands of a tiny elite (as in the USA, among other countries).
"I envision an economy of millions of mom and pop stores, family farms and family businesses."
Indians have been able to do this wherever they have been.
The question is why aren't we able to do the same?
Is it really policy or is it just a cultural thing?
I remain agnostic on this one.
It is not cultural, it is legislative. Look at the millions of tutemba. It isn't cultural.
The problem (one of them) is that this huge tax level is driving entire businesses into the grey circuit.
The MMD is busy trying to attract FDI, while at the same time neglecting the fact that the very thing that make an economy attractive for foreign invesment, is what makes it attractive for local businesses:
- low taxes
- infrastructure
- support businesses and services
- safety
- an educated workforce
- low interest rates
- easy access to land
- short time to set up a business (absence of red tape, no corruption)
- good bankruptcy protection
India's economy did not take off until it got rid of the massive bureaucracy set up by the British.
So it isn't cultural. In fact, if you think of Africa during the Middle Ages, you think of massive markets.
With a business being little more than an agreement to limit risk to the owner, and to distribute profits among shareholders, there is no way that a large percentage fo tutemba's can't be officialized.
With greater access to capital and fewer constraints, these are the companies of the future. If only 10% of the one million tutemba's could be turned into official businesses employing 10 people, that would create a million official jobs.
Their operations may be humble, but they have a huge strength in numbers.
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