Youths and University Life...are they a Nuisance?

JULIUS NYERERE once said "a university is an institution of higher learning; a place where people's minds are trained for clear thinking, for independent thinking, for analysis, and for problem solving at the highest level." Nyerere was giving credit to the role higher education plays in attaining national development.

In the same vein, the Zambian government crystallised a long term higher educational goal so as to meet society's needs for high level human resource vis-à-vis national economic growth that would be spurred by the skilled workforce. All this is driven by a mission statement, as proclaimed in its motto, service and excellence, which is stated in the plan as “to meet the needs of individuals and society through excellence in teaching and learning.”

Integrating hig

her learning in the economy was to provide specialised skills in various productive areas of the economy and to enhance expertise training and productive work. Higher education was seen as a way of enabling students to achieve a standard of functional education that would equip them to live productively in society, and to possess occupational competence in a skill or group of skills.

This realisation prompted the establishment of the University of

Zambia (UNZA) in 1966, which is now the oldest university in the land. The university was built with great passion from a number of Zambian citizens who wanted the country to grow both economically, socially and politically. The citizens passion led them to make a lot of sacrifices just to have the university standing and in full operation. No wonder UNZA is termed the ‘people’s university’; it was built out of contribution from poor people in the villages and many other well intentional people of Zambia and elsewhere in the world. Villagers sacrificed livestock such as goats, chickens, pigs and other saleable personal property they possessed. This makes the university something mo

st Zambians are proud of.

Upon its completion, UNZA opened its doors to 312 students when it became operational to supplement the 107 university graduates the country had at independence in 1964. The numbers rose to over 1 000 in 1970 and ten years later stood at over 4 000. It was envisaged that eventually the total enrolment would level off at about 8 000 students. This, is the actual case now.UNZA has got slightly over 8000 students.

The first President, Dr David Kenneth Kaunda was installed as Chancellor on 12 July 1966, in the presence of representatives of more than fifty other universities and some two thousand guests. The University

began with three Schools: Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences, but as facilities developed and needs were recognised new Schools were added including Law in 1967, Engineering in 1969, Medicine in 1970, Agricultural Sciences in 1971, Mines in 1973, Business and Industrial Studies in 1978, at Ndola Campus, Environmental Studies in 1981 at Ndola Camp

us, and Veterinary Medicine in 1983. By 1994, UNZA had a total enrolment of 4, 592 students and cumulatively had awarded more than 16,000 degrees, diplomas and certificates to graduands since inception.

Despite financial constraints the education sector has experienced, student enrolments at UNZA have risen steadily, an indication that achieving university education is still recognised as the key to the country’s economic development.UNZA runs both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and has been a key centre of research in the country. It ha

s played host not only to Zambian students and researchers but also to students and researchers from neighbouring countries especially prior to attaining their independence. Since its inception, many thousands of students have graduated from the institution.UNZA has contributed to the growing number of professionals and industry, both locally and internationally.

To date, UNZA has continued to be a centre of excellence and knowledge by:

•Fostering a wide variety of teaching and research that maintains, renews, promotes, advances, disseminate

s and assists the application of knowledge, and develops intellectual independence

•Providing a stimulating environment in which students may develop lifelong learning skills;

•Serving as a repository of knowledge and expertise, and accepting its role as a critic and conscience of society;

•Creating partnerships with the world of work, other institutions of higher learning and the civil society;

. and strengthening its services to society, by putting its knowledge and expertis

e at the service of national development and the wider African and international communitiesSometimes referred to as the land of the Goma Lakes, UNZA is known for its beautiful manmade lakes-the Goma lakes. These lakes were named after the first black vice chancellor Professor Lameck Goma one of the renowned scholars of the university.

The institution now has nine schools including Agricultural Sciences, Education, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Law, Medicine, Mines, Natural Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine. Different programmes are offered in the

se schools.On the 10th and 11th of July, 2008 during its 38th graduation ceremony UNZA saw over 1800 students graduate figure that has risen by a large margin compared to the 1741 that graduated in 2007.The number of graduands increased by 6 percent this year.

UNZA though it produces what people may term ‘future leaders’ has been looked down on by most members of the country and perhaps the world as a whole. The university has been labelled with a reputation of having intellectuals that are not really good at their academics but at causing civil unrest in

the country especially in the town where it is located, Lusaka.

However, demonstrations and protests at UNZA have got a long history to them. Since the opening of the first academic year session at UNZA in March 1966, students have shown concern over a variety of institutional and national issues. For example in April 1970, in the manner of trade unions, students threatened massive demonstrations for bursary increases and carried out demonstrations against the university administration on such issues as accommodation, notification procedures and bookstore facilities in April 1971.

Students have not drawn back from national political involvement as well. For example, in the past studen

ts on various occasions demonstrated against the Smith regime’s shooting of African freedom fighters in Rhodesia in April 1966 and Britain’s intentions of resuming arms sales to South Africa in July 1970.Moreover, particularly significant, is the student role as an informed critic by the way in which they determined which politicians were to be invited to speak at the university campus and by denouncing of government policies. In 1967, for instance, student body president Henry Chanda accused the Zambian government of being reactionary

and refused to establish a branch of the United National Independence Party (UNIP) at the university, they exhibited an independence of external control displayed by no other group within the system.Moreover, in the past these student demonstrations carried a lot of meaning in that they usually achieved a common good .For example,the heroic role, which UNZA students historically played in fighting political oppression and bureaucratic intransigence. It meant to provide a voice for a voiceless citizenry that was prevailed upon by ‘an-all-mighty’ State machinery prone to the arbitrary control of a clique of self-interested individuals.

As Paul Lwanda states, “during that period, Late Ronald Penza was secretary general of the University of Zambia Students’ Union (UNZASU), he organised a march to the French Embassy in Lusaka, to protest against the French government’s decision to supply sophisticated military weapons, including Mirage fighter jets, to the apartheid regime of South Africa.The students reckoned, and rightly so, that this high-handed move by the French would seriously set back the struggle for the liberation of southern Africa and spawn general political instability in the region. The then UNIP government, although principally in agreement with the students’ position, was u

nderstandably apprehensive about the political ramifications of this unbridled diplomatic assault on a major European power like France.Therefore, even though UNIP and its government were then positioning themselves as the citadel of the regional liberation struggle, they forcibly blocked the student procession, with riot police being deployed for the purpose. Students, on their part, refused to budge, and what ensued was teargas, gunfire and mayhem, during which one student climbed the mast at the French Embassy and tore down that

nation’s flag.Whatever the political fall-out followed this violent confrontation, history has honoured those students as having, in their own rambunctious way, contributed to the long, tortuous process of dismantling the apartheid regime and liberating southern Africa.”

And yes, during most of their demonstrations, students at the university did fight running battles with the police even in the past. Stones and all manner of makeshift weapons were used by students to fight off the well equipped riot police. However, this does not mean that this is the only way that students can arrive at achieving something. Dialogue should be the first and exhausted method of solving problems at the institution. Demonstrations and protests must be peaceful with a high level of logical reasoning as is expected of intellectuals and future leaders.
The university has been facing a number of problems and this is evidently shown by the disturbances that occur in each and every semester of the university calendar. If its not lecturers or UNZA workers protesting, it is the students. Question is, are UNZA problems here to stay? When one graduates from this institution, they always feel like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders.

UNZA is faced with many challenges, some of them arising from changes in government policies and institution of a free market economy. These challenges include the rising demand for tertiary education. The challenge cannot, however, be met with inadequate education infrastructure at the campus, reduced funding from government, and rapid changes in technology.

A number of measures have been put in place to remedy the problems UNZA faces. The theme of this years’ 38th graduation ceremony reflects most of this and commitment to restoring UNZA has been made. The theme which states, “Restoring excellence in teaching, research and public service,” is also the theme of the university‘s strategic plan for 2008 - 2012. The theme suggests that remedial measures have to be executed in order to sustain excellence at UNZA and it can be done.

As UNZA Vice Chancellor, Professor Stephen Simukanga said in his speech during the 38th graduation ceremony, university education is provided at the expense of foregoing other social expenditures and therefore, the public who are the tax payers that have invested heavily in university education, inevitably expect to benefit from it.
The university has an obligation to the nation to produce graduates that will fulfill the social contract of bringing social and economic development to the country.