The University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) has appealed to stakeholders to help in financing the institution, which has in the past few years been experiencing economic difficulties.
Speaking during a press briefing, UNZASU President Shadrick Mumba called on government to pay grants to the university on time in order for the institution to resume operations.
The UNZASU president disclosed that ever since the university officially opened in January for the 2019/2020 academic year, no lessons have taken place due to delayed salaries of members of staff.
This is something that has really affected the institution, and the people that are most affected are us students; because we have opened school and have not been learning. Students have paid for accommodation and have bought food, but the main reason they came for, school, is not being administered,
Mr Mumba said
Mr. Mumba has appealed to the government to formulate a long-lasting solution to the reoccurring ‘go-slows’ which have continues unabated in the past two years.
He has urged management to actualize other business ventures in order to help the institution run and finance itself.
The University of Zambia has the capacity to run itself, it’s about being innovative. We are challenging people in management, as well as students in academia, to write business proposals to see how best we can help our institution,
he said.
Mumba said that as Zambians, the university should be taken care of so that it continues benefiting the people of Zambia.
When questioned about the current situation at the University of Zambia, third year Demography Major Elvyn Kaputo said that it was frustrating as a student to attend class and not find lecturers present.
She added that students pay to get an education, which was not being provided, and might cause further extention to the academic year.
The university’s academic staff downed tools at the beginning of the academic year after their January salaries weren’t paid on time.