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Future of Zambia’s democracy lies in voting - Storella

Future of Zambia’s democracy lies in voting - Storella
By Darious Kapembwa in Kitwe
Wed 01 Dec. 2010, 04:01 CAT

THE US envoy to Zambia says the people who have registered as voters hold the key to the country’s democracy. Ambassador Mark Storella urged the young people to register as voters in numbers to enable them to participate in next year’s elections.

Ambassador Storella made the remarks when he toured the Copperbelt University (CBU) on Monday. He challenged the students to take part in public life.

“I have learnt that 900,000 have registered as voters countrywide and 188,000 have registered from the Copperbelt so far, which is the highest according to the Electoral Commission of Zambia. What you young people need is to prepare yourselves to take up the leadership mantle in the country,” Ambassador Storella said.

The voters registration exercise officially closed yesterday but the elections body says it might re-open the exercise in March next year if funds are available.

Ambassador Storella said US President Barrack Obama believed that African youths had the potential to transform their continent through education.

He urged the students to take advantage of education to explore ways of enhancing Zambia’s economic transformation.

However, Ambassador Storella said infrastructure remained a challenge to scholars in Zambia.

He said Zambia had lagged behind in terms of development because of the landlocked syndrome.

Ambassador Storella said lack of infrastructure in institutions of learning like CBU where six students occupied a single room was not healthy.

However, he hailed CBU management for continuing to partner with cooperating partners to improve standards at the institution.

He said there were many opportunities for partnerships in education in the United States.

“What we have learnt is that we cannot do what Zambians want to do for themselves, but we can help,” Ambassador Storella said.

And CBU vice-chancellor Professor Mutale Musonda requested the US government to help CBU partner with US institutions to develop capacity in mining and instrumentation engineering courses.

Prof Musonda said the university needed more infrastructure development projects and technical support in order to respond to industry requirements for graduating students.

Prof Musonda disclosed that KLE University of India and CBU had signed a memorandum of understanding to introduce a medical school for CBU as a joint venture.

He said the new medical faculty would run two programmes: general medicine and dentistry to be conducted at Ndola Central Hospital starting in April 2011.

Prof Musonda said the Indian university had also written a proposal to the government requesting to run Ndola hospital as a teaching hospital on concessional basis.

He said CBU had repositioned its research structure to suit developing trends in the education sector and industrial demands.

“We only have a school offering diploma in dentistry in Lusaka now we think this memorandum of understanding with KLE offers an opportunity for the country to train dentists up to degree level,” he said.

Prof Musonda said there was very little being done by the private sector to equip libraries or computer laboratories with the necessary materials to enhance students’ learning needs.

Labels: CBU, MARK STORELLA, MUTALE MUSONDA, VOTER REGISTRATION

posted by MrK @ 3:19 PM