MMD's Maopu divulges using DEBS position for political ambition
By Mwala Kalaluka in Luena
Thu 15 July 2010, 04:00 CAT
THE MMD candidate in the Luena by-election Mwangala Maopu has disclosed how he used his government position as District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) for Mongu to propel his desire to become a member of parliament.
And Mongu district commissioner Jethro Mumbuwa, a civil servant, on Monday stood at an MMD campaign meeting in Luena’s Miulwe area and denounced all the opposition political parties that are contesting the by-election.
Meanwhile, Western Province MMD chairman Simasiku Namakando described Charles Milupi, who is re-contesting the Luena seat on the Alliance for Development and Democracy (ADD) ticket, as a foolish shepherd.
During a campaign meeting at Sikalelo village of headman Sambo in Miulwe area of Mongu, Maopu told a sizeable crowd of MMD cadres that he had been working with them since 2006 to upgrade Miulwe Basic School and allocate more teachers there.
Maopu who spoke in both Silozi and Sikwangwa said he worked with the then education minister and now Luena by-election MMD campaign manager, Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa, to upgrade the schools in Luena.
“We have held several meetings when I used to introduce myself at the time I was DEBS so that we do great works,” Maopu said. “It is not the first time that I am working with you my parents. I have worked with you in my work as a teacher. I am here to work with you.”
Maopu said in March 2006, when he was still a civil servant as a DEBS, village headman Sambo, whom he described as a parent, told him that the people of Miulwe were aware of his good works and he had intentions of going to Parliament.
“He told me that ‘from the areas where you have been, we have heard a lot of good things from you and we want you to do that for us before you go to Parliament. We want you to upgrade Miulwe School, then after we shall tell you go to Parliament,’” Maopu said.
“Most of the teachers who are there Miulwe School came there when I was DEBS…at the time the Minister of Education was Prof Lungwangwa here.”
Maopu campaigned that as DEBS, he brought a government-supported feeding programme in schools in Luena and the food was sufficient to a point that children did not just eat at school but carried some of the food home.
“Today, our children are not starving,” Maopu said.
He disclosed that just a few days earlier, he facilitated the payment of school fees for some grade nine pupils of Miulwe Basic School that were unable to meet the requirement.
“Or is there anyone whose child has not been paid for?” Maopu asked the cadres who responded in the affirmative.
“This time I have come, your own child… we want development as you saw when I was DEBS.”
Earlier, MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga said the people of Luena should vote for Maopu if they wanted to gain access to the government’s development agenda.
“We have seen that you the people of Miulwe and the whole of Luena you need to be told the truth,” Mabenga said. “If you are with an MP who is in government, things will be easy. But for 15 years you have been in opposition. What has Chrispin Sibetta done for you apart from his endless arguments?”
Mabenga said Milupi had abandoned them in the bush because he failed to honour his five-year commitment to the people of Luena by resigning from Parliament.
Prof Lungwangwa said the people of Luena had no development because they had an antagonistic parliamentarian who formed a weak link between his constituents and the government.
And Mumbuwa, who is former commissioner of prisons, said Milupi’s party did not want democracy and development.
He likened Maopu, on the other hand, to a girl coming of age.
“The party that Milupi has formed stands for Anilati Development ni Democracy (I do not want development and democracy) and that is why he resigned. If he wanted democracy and development, he should not have been independent and he should not have resigned,” Mumbuwa said. “The Pact are Pretenders Anarchists Come Together. The Pretenders are the PF and the anarchists are UPND. They are beating up people. ULP is United Lazy People’s party. They are lazy that is why they were chased from the UPND. I do not even want to mention UNIP because it is at the cemetery.”
Meanwhile, Namakando said the people of Luena should reject Milupi because he is a foolish shepherd who had abandoned them in the bush after claiming that he was better placed to lead them.
Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, CORRUPTION, DEBS, MWANGALA MAOPU
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Chinsali DEBS urges accountability in use of donor resources
By Thomas Nkanga in Chinsali
Tue 27 Oct. 2009, 04:00 CAT
CHINSALI District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) James Mwanza has called for accountability in the usage of donor resources received under the Public Private Partnership.
Mwanza told participants to a Campaign For the Girl Child in Education (CAMFED) two-day annual general meeting held at Chinsali Girls High School that donors were highly concerned at the manner their taxpayers money was being used saying there was need to instil the lost confidence.
Mwanza said beneficiaries should inculcate knowledge of hard work in female pupils who were receiving bursary schemes from Grade One up to tertiary levels from CAMFED saying the donors were very concerned at the poor results being reported.
He explained that CAMFED had continued to pour in financial resources to promote the education of the vulnerable female pupils in rural areas so that illiteracy was overcome.
Mwanza said the onus was on teachers to improve their teaching methods and standards.
Mwanza cited the recent Science camp sponsored by CAMFED held at Chinsali high school for girls in which 100 Grade 11 female pupils from Sioma girls in Shangombo and Luella from Milenge districts joined their friends in Chinsali to try and demystify the challenges paused to girl children who end up discouraged to take science and mathematics.
He said the science camp was an eye opener for many vulnerable female pupils who interacted with role models who have been sponsored by CAMFED to various levels of education using taxpayers money from donors.
Mwanza explained that CAMFED had gone a step further in constructing classroom blocks in selected schools and providing learning and teaching aids and other equipment such as computers.
He said the donors were receiving aid from Credit Suisse, aimed at uplifting the education standards of the underprivileged female children who had no financial support for school needs living in rural areas.
Mwanza urged participants to properly scrutinise their action plan and budget for 2010 so that as many vulnerable female children as possible in dire need of education support but have no resources are identified and assisted to acquire bursaries.
Labels: DEBS, DONORS, TRANSPARANCY
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Donations for gifts to Dora annoy Nchelenge teachers
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Sunday, August 16, 2009 3:59:51 PM
TEACHERS in Nchelenge district have expressed displeasure over their District Education Board Secretary’s (DEBS) decision to demand financial contributions from schools to buy gifts for education minister Dora Siliya who is expected to tour government projects in the district.
But Nchelenge DEBS John Kalifungwa could neither deny nor confirm the matter. Teachers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Kalifungwa went round the schools collecting K100, 000 from each of them for the purpose of buying gifts for Siliya.
“The money was being collected last week on Tuesday without the money being receipted for. The minister was expected on Thursday but the programme has changed, she is coming on Sunday [today]. The figure that is being targeted to be raised is K5 million as a gift to the minister of education,” said a teacher working in Nchelenge.
Another teacher said instructions came from Luapula Province education officer Florence Kanchebele for the DEBS to collect funds that would be given to Siliya as a gift or used to buy a gift that would be presented to her.
“Ms Dora Siliya… will be in Nchelenge on Sunday but the issue is that the DEBS office is going round schools collecting K100, 000 per school in order to raise K5 million to come and give it to Ms Siliya as a gift for her touring of Nchelenge to inspect government projects,” said a Ministry of Education official in Nchelenge.
“Nchelenge has more than 36 basic schools and over 20 community schools. Instructions are coming from Mrs Kanchebele, the PEO in Mansa [the provincial headquarters] for what the DEBS is doing for Ms Siliya.”
Another source complained that this was abuse of public funds in rural schools that are financially handicapped.
“This is plundering of public resources. You can imagine, for rural schools a K100, 000 is substantial,” a civil society official said.
When contacted for comment, Kalifungwa declined to comment on the matter referring the queries to Kanchebele.
“I have no idea. Only the PEO can comment,” said Kalifungwa before cutting the phone line. “Get the information from the people who told you that.”
And Kanchebele confirmed that Siliya was supposed to visit Nchelenge but her programme had been postponed.
“She would have come but that one has been postponed to some other time,” said Kanchebele and immediately cut the phone line.
Labels: CORRUPTION, DEBS, DORA SILIYA, JOHN KALIFUNGWA, TEACHERS
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SESTUZ chairman calls for countrywide strike
Written by Edwin Mbulo, Charles Mangwato and Zumani Katasefa
Sunday, May 31, 2009 4:04:15 PM
SOUTHERN Province Secondary Schools Teachers Union of Zambia (SESTUZ) chairman Collins Malambo has called for a nationwide strike demanding improved conditions of service and 25 per cent salary increment.
In Choma, public service workers in Choma have resolved to go on strike tomorrow, to press the government to conclude long-awaited salary negotiations.
And in Mpongwe, pupils at Mpongwe Secondary School on Wednesday night protested and camped at the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) office to show displeasure over the work stoppage by their teachers.
Addressing teachers, nurses and civil servants who gathered at Victoria Hall in Livingstone in a protest dubbed 'national mourning,' Malambo said that some government workers who were opposed to the workers' strike merely wanted to protect their jobs.
"All we are saying is that we want better living wages. When I started going to school, teachers were well dressed, but now look at me dressed in a t-shirt. Even flying is luxury while some workers who just sit to sign vouchers fly out to buy clothes and even change wives like they are buying shirts," he said.
Malambo said he had been informed that even police officers were in support of the nation-wide strike but could not join due to the nature of their work.
"I appeal to all the workers who have not joined the strike to please join us. Don't fear because you have my unwavering support and you shall not be intimidated. If politicians want to intimidate you, let them come to me I'm ready to be arrested. This strike is for all government workers and we shall be on strike until government gives in. Don't listen to some politicians who just want to protect their jobs because the President himself is quiet because he is till studying the issue. In Monze we told the DC to just shut," he said.
Malambo told the over 500 workers that this was there golden chance to get what was due to them.
"Anything can happen anytime. Even me I can die as I go back to Monze and my children will have to join the long queues of dependants who want to be paid what I suffered for. Let us not take leaders as God given. We have just given them a chance. And please know that this government has no intentions of even dismissing you because that is why they are silent. Don't listen to overzealous politicians who just want to make political capital out of our needs. Leaders are not above us, we put tachem in power," said Malambo.
In Choma, public service workers resolved to go on strike tomorrow.
This is according to a joint statement released to ZANIS by Civil Servants and Allied Workers' Union of Zambia branch Secretary, Peter Phiri and National Union of Public Service Workers branch chairperson Macford Chiboola.
The two union leaders said their members had noted with regret at the way the government had been using delaying tactics in the ongoing negotiations for improved salaries and conditions of service.
The civil servants are demanding not less than K 450,000 across the board as salary increment while not less than K400,000 as housing allowance, adding that all outstanding housing allowance arrears must be cleared not later than June 30, 2009.
In Mpongwe, pupils demonstrated against the teachers' strike action.
Mpongwe DEBS Lita Muzenge confirmed the development in an interview saying that the pupils were complaining about the prolonged strike by teachers in the area.
"Yes there was a protest. They (pupils) were complaining about the teachers' strike," said Muzenge.
Muzenge said the situation had now returned to normal but said teachers had continued with the strike.
Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) Mpongwe district chairman Penias Kalala also confirmed the protest by pupils.
Kalala said teachers in the area had vowed not to report for work until the government addressed their demands.
Teachers in Mpongwe, Kitwe, Luanshya, Kalulushi and Masaiti districts downed tools almost a fortnight ago demanding fixed band allowance and a salary increment of not less than 25 per cent among other things.
Labels: COLLINS MALAMBO, DEBS, SESTUZ, STUDENTS
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