Rupiah tells pupils about his girlfriends

Rupiah tells pupils about his girlfriends
By Chibaula Silwamba in Lukwesa, Mwense
Sun 14 Feb. 2010, 04:00 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda on Friday revealed to Lukwesa High School pupils in Mwense district that he was very popular with girlfriends and drunk a little bit during his youth days.

And President Banda said not everyone could be a degree holder. Addressing pupils of Lukwesa High School, which has just been built at the cost of K23 billion, President Banda asked the pupils to be disciplined if they were to succeed.

He said he and his ministers were sons and daughters of peasants and had humble backgrounds.

"This man Luapula Province minister Dr Boniface Kawimbe here is a son of a peasant. I think education minister Dora Siliya is one of the few whose parents were educated too, but not as educated as her," said President Banda as he touched the shoulder of Siliya, who smiled shyly and looked down.

President Banda said everybody had the opportunity to become something, provided they disciplined themselves.

"At your age, I did everything that you do at your age. I drunk a little bit, I had girlfriends.

I was very popular with young ladies, although now I don’t think anyone of you would think I am worth looking at twice," President Banda said. "I was just like any other young person. Those who looked at themselves, who disciplined themselves, who listened to their teachers and their headmasters, who listened to their parents even if their parents were illiterate, those who did that are today the leaders that are sitting in front of you. I am asking you please do the same; emulate them, it doesn’t cost anything."

President Banda urged parents to educate their children.

"There are parents who will tell you, ‘I won’t take my son to grade eight, to secondary school because it’s too expensive’. Yes, it is true, education is very expensive. But can you imagine the alternative to education? It is ignorance. Ignorance is more expensive than education," President Banda said. "What is our task now, you, your generation? In my humble opinion, your task is to develop this country.

And in order to develop this country, you need to be properly educated. You cannot all be doctors, you cannot all be degree holders, you cannot all be engineers, but you need to be educated because even engineers they require people to work with in order to succeed and those people have to be properly educated too."

President Banda explained to the pupils that his parents were uneducated but through the education they gave him, he was now head of state.

"By the way, some of you are wondering, that man who is standing in front of you, what kind of background did he have? Where did he come from? What were his parents? Hear me! My mother’s name was Sarah Banda Zulu. She was totally illiterate.

She is no more now. She never went to school, even for one day," said President Banda. "My father, Bwezani Banda, whose name I have taken in the middle of my name, was also uneducated. He went up to Standard three and today I am President of this country.

That is the country I want where anyone can rise to their fullest potential in whatever field they specialise in. From you, will come the future leaders of this country."

President Banda said his target was to improve education standards and infrastructure for the current generation and posterity.

"Your children need schools," said President Banda, who earlier toured the modern school, which Siliya said cost K23 billion to build.