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Zambia is miles away from MDG on poverty – Mushili

Zambia is miles away from MDG on poverty – Mushili
By Mwala Kalaluka
Sun 03 Oct. 2010, 04:01 CAT

THE Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) advocate in the Zambian Parliament, Mark Mushili, yesterday said the country is still miles away from achieving the MDG goal on poverty reduction by 2015.

And Mushili said Zambia's representation at international fora on MDGs has remained irregular because of the uncoordinated manner in which the country is monitoring progress on MDGs. Commenting on the just-ended UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) held in New York, Mushili, who is also Ndola Central PF member of parliament, said poverty levels were still very high in Zambia.

“Where are we as a country?” Mushili asked. “During the meeting that we had in Abuja, one of the resolutions that we had is that we must kick out poverty at all costs. It was unanimously accepted that there must not be any excuse whatsoever not to meet the MDGs, particularly the one on poverty reduction by the year 2015. It (poverty) must be kicked out.”

Mushili said the MDGs advocates in most of Africa’s parliaments agreed during the meeting in Abuja that African countries should do everything possible to reduce poverty to at least half of what it was in the year 2002.

”I think we are far away from meeting the MDG on that one (poverty reduction) as Zambia and I don’t foresee that being achieved by the year 2015,” Mushili said. “We could be talking about the inflation being brought down to one digit but for people in the rural areas and even in the urban areas the poverty is still very high.”

Mushili said currently Zambia did not have the wherewithal to create employment opportunities that would help in the reduction of poverty levels to at least half of what it was in 2002 by 2015.

”I know that sometime back we were somewhere at 30-plus where illiteracy is concerned,” he said. “So we do anticipate that by 2015 we would have brought down that illiteracy by somewhere around 15/16. We have tremendously done very well in the field of education. I can confidently say that we can meet that goal. By the way, I am the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, now just been elected.”

However, Mushili said the quality of education was still a source of concern despite the increased construction of classroom space.

“While we are constructing the classrooms here and there, we are not doing enough to construct staff houses for teachers,” Mushili said.

He noted that the above situation highly de-motivated teachers and that subsequently it would touch on the quality of education being given to the pupils or students.

“That affects, eventually, the quality of education,” Mushili said.

He said he was in the process of forming a Parliamentary Caucus on the MDGs, as was the case in some other African countries.

”There are about three or four countries in Africa which have Parliamentary Committees on the MDGs and in other countries there are caucus committees,” Mushili said. “I was surprised that here in Zambia there is only one person at the Ministry of Finance who is responsible for MDGs. All in all, what I am saying is that there has not been a system, it has been more or less left open that each ministry is going to be responsible for the goal that falls under that ministry. We are lacking coordination; hence even our representation in foreign countries is very irregular.”

Mushili said through the help of the UN System he would soon apply to the National Assembly to allow the formation of the Parliamentary Caucus on MDGs.

“All that is remaining is to officially launch the committee,” said Mushili.

Labels: MARK MUSHILI, MDGs, POVERTY

posted by MrK @ 1:20 PM