Maravi

LETTERS - Education, Youths and Shares

Education in Zambia
By Hilary Mulenga Jr,Lusaka, Zambia
Wednesday May 07, 2008 [04:00]

Central Province senior education standards officer Benson Banda’s lamentation on the education system in Zambia (Sunday Post, May 5, 2008) should be taken seriously by relevant authorities. His assertion that our education system only goes as far as allowing pupils to memorise for the exams but not to think cannot be closer to the truth.

John Dewey, the American pragmatist and father of experiential education movement, once said that education is life itself. One would wonder just how much our education system has the capacity to support life.

However, the problem is not with the pupils but with the curricula especially for our primary and secondary schools. There are so many irrelevant things that pupils are taught and these have no bearing on their life, especially upon completion of their courses. This is partly because there is no realistic approach to the courses that students are allowed to take.

To use Dewey’s ideas again, education should be progressive. This means that it should have curricula focused on the improvement of an individual and the society in which he finds himself in. It is not a fallacy if, looking at our education system, one says that it has fallen short of improving our country. So much remains to be seen in terms of improving the standards of our education especially in line with our needs at the moment.

Education, as the saying goes, is the key to success. Zambia can only develop with a viable education system. This can be achieved only when those in authority take things seriously and revise our curricula to suit the needs of our country today.
Otherwise, we will always lag behind.


http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=41314

Youth empowerment
By Mulenga Fube
Thursday May 08, 2008 [04:00]

Allow me space to express my views through your paper over the president of the New Generation Party's comment on the Youth Empowerment Fund in The Post of Monday May 5, 2008.

In the first place, I would like to appreciate the idea of the Youth Development Bank - it's brilliant.

I do not want to be economical with the truth but the comrade is out of touch on the Youth Empowerment Fund for the following reasons: he does not seem to know how far the youth movement have gone in pursuing the funds; the comrade seems to have over-interacted with the government’s school of thought on the matter to an extent of becoming a victim of tranquilising statements; and it appears to me that only Siulapwa knows the criteria of accessing the funds and where the funds are.

He should not think that Lusaka is Zambia and the youth in the countryside need the same resources, that's why they responded in numbers when there was a call for applications.

It's surprising and a mockery of the worst kind for Siulapwa, who we all know sees nothing wrong with the current arrangement under the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission(CEEC), to encourage youths to take advantage of a fund whose accessibility is not clear.

The comrade should inform the youth about the new procedure to be followed since the youth only know of those forms they have already filled in at a great cost by Zambian standards, for they involved consultants to attend to those youth-unfriendly forms sold at K10,000.

Having a casual spirit with a care-free attitude on this matter will not achieve anything but just provoke those who have taken a wait-and-see stance over Youth Empowerment Fund.

Bwana do not over-stretch our patience by giving out-of-touch opinions after having coffee at plot one. The problems of the youths in this country cannot wait for CEEC to put its house in order because from the newspaper adverts, they are still putting things in place.

Siulapwa needs to know that the youths are still waiting for the government to tell them where it has taken the 2006 and 2007 allocations reflected in the Yellow Book in the midst of abject poverty among the youth, who are the majority in our national population pyramid.

The explanations given so far are not logical, satisfactory and justifiable given the status of young people in our nation. Siulapwa should not be blinded by his interaction with the powers that be. Instead, he should join us in the real world. I wish he had a better and uncompromising vision for youths.




http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=41313

Investing in shares
By Logan C Nyasulu
Thursday May 08, 2008 [04:00]

It is very delightful to see many Zambians rushing to the various receiving points for the Celtel IPO.

It is a sign that many Zambians are waking up to the need for them to empower themselves through the various means of self-empowerment available.

Bravo to Celtel, the Lusaka Stock Exchange (and associated stock brokers) who are doing a commendable job sensitising people on the benefits of investing in shares.

At the same time, I want to alert the public on the importance of diversification or the concept of ‘don't put all your eggs in one basket’. Spread your money among a multiplicity of investment options or media. That way, you also spread your risk.

I want to particularly highlight investment in real estate. Real estate can provide you will with a good diversification vehicle in relation to stocks or shares. Real estate will give you a guaranteed income in terms of rentals as well as a guaranteed capital growth in terms of the property's capital value.

Real estate is also not subject to the fluctuations typical of shares. Watching the stock market daily summaries, one cannot help noticing the price fluctuations. Real estate is relatively safe from these fluctuations. Of course, real estate has its downside.

Consult a qualified real estate practitioner before you invest in real estate.

Labels: EDUCATION, YOUTHS

posted by MrK @ 12:32 PM