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UNZA budget allocation disappoints Prof Simukanga

UNZA budget allocation disappoints Prof Simukanga
By Patson Chilemba
Wednesday February 06, 2008 [03:00]

UNIVERSITY of Zambia (UNZA) vice-chancellor Professor Stephen Simukanga has said the university may opt to increase school fees if government does not reverse the K74 billion allocation in the 2008 budget. Commenting on the allocation to UNZA, Prof Simukanga said he was disappointed with government’s allocation to the country’s highest institution of learning.

“We are equally concerned because this is not even enough for our net. For instance, the net pay for this month is K8 billion. So we have to find about K2 billion to subsidise,” Prof Simukanga said. “That’s why you find that our outstanding bills stand at K250 billion. K120 billion is for ZRA (Zambia Revenue Authority). The rest is for the retirees and contractual obligations.”

Prof Simukanga said he agreed with finance deputy minister Jonas Shakafuswa that UNZA be turned into an autonomous institution so that it could charge ‘cost reflective fees’.

He said running a public university was very difficult.
“Although there is this issue that usually when the budget is out, it’s unlikely to make changes, for me an option would be to increase the fees,” he said.
On University of Zambia Lecturers and Researchers Union (UNZALARU) president Evans Lampi’s statement that there would be trouble at the campus if the K74 billion is not reversed, Prof Simukanga said management was equally disappointed with the funding.

“But my appeal is that let’s sit down and look at the issue together and if it means increasing the fees, then we can do that,” he said.
However, Prof Simukanga said UNZA management had raised the issue with the Ministry of Education and hoped that something positive would come up.

Labels: 2008 BUDGET, STEPHEN SIMUKANGA, UNZA

posted by MrK @ 3:28 AM