Tuesday, 21^st June, 2022

The House met at 1430 hours

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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ANNOUNCEMENT BY MADAM SPEAKER

FLOUTING OF RULES OF VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION IN PROCEEDINGS

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, I remind the House that at its meeting held on 28^th May, 2020, the House Business Committee resolved, among other things, that the Sittings of the House be held using a hybrid system. That is to say, some hon. Members of Parliament be physically in the Chamber while others participate virtually from designated rooms here, at Parliament Buildings. It has now been observed that some hon. Members participating virtually in the proceedings are doing so in contravention of the resolution of the Committee. In this regard, I urge all hon. Members who participate virtually from outside the Main Parliament Building to do so from the designated rooms, as that will enable the House to conduct voting on divisions smoothly, especially when the vote is required to be taken manually. To this effect, all the affected hon. Members should start participating from designated rooms effective Tuesday, 28^th June, 2022. Any hon. Member participating in contravention of this resolution will be logged out and deemed, for all intents and purposes, to be absent from the Sitting.

I thank you.

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RULINGS BY MADAM SPEAKER

POINT OF ORDER RAISED BY HON. D. MUNG’ANDU, MEMBER FOR CHAMA SOUTH, ON THE HON. MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, ENG. MILUPI, ON THE SESHEKE/IMUSHO ROAD CONTRACT

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, you will recall that on Tuesday, 7^th June, 2022, when the House was considering Question for Oral Answer No. 314 and Hon. Eng. Milupi, Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, had just finished responding to a follow-up question, Mr D. Mung’andu, hon. Member of Parliament for Chama South Constituency, raised a point of order. In the point of order, Hon. Mung’andu alleged that Hon. Eng. Milupi had breached Standing Order No. 65, which requires hon. Members to ensure that the information they bring before the House is factual and verifiable.

Hon. Mung’andu stated that Hon. Eng. Milupi had misled the House regarding the reason for the cancellation of the contract for the construction of the Sesheke/Imusho Road, explaining that in response to his follow-up question on the matter, the hon. Minister had stated that the contract was not cancelled due to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) advising the Government to stop contracting debt. The hon. Member alleged that the statement by the hon. Minister was untrue because the hon. Minister and other hon. Ministers before him had attributed the cancellation of the contract to advice from the IMF that the country not contract further debt. In her immediate response, the Hon. Madam First Deputy Speaker reserved her ruling to enable her to collect more details on the matter and review the hon. Minister’s statement. My office has since reviewed the relevant verbatim record. Of particular relevance is Hon. Eng. Milupi’s, response to Question No. 314 on the Order Paper regarding when construction of the Sesheke/Imusho Road would commence. He stated, inter-alia, as follows:

“Madam, the construction of the Sesheke/Imusho Road will commence once financial closure is attained between the contractor and the Ministry of Finance and National Planning. The delay in the commencement of the project was caused by failure by the contractor to attain financial closure.

“Madam Speaker, the answers I give here are indicative of the situation as it exists. For the benefit of the Member of Parliament, I will give a bit of background.

“The Sesheke/Imusho Road was scheduled to be constructed as part of the National Feeder Roads Phase III Contract, which was earmarked for execution using the CFI mode of financing. Under the Contractor Facilitated Initiative (CFI) mode of contracting, the contractor facilitates the finances for the project and the works only commence upon financial closure being attained between the financier and the Ministry of Finance and National Planning.

“Madam Speaker, it looks like this is not proceeding for two reasons: the contractor has failed to find this finance. Being aware of the current situation, even if, now, the contractor was to find this finance, the Government, at the moment, has no appetite for further contraction or for contraction of further loans because of the indebtedness in which the country finds itself.”

Following the hon. Minister’s response, Hon. Mung’andu asked whether the hon. Minister could lay on the Table of the House a list of projects that were discontinued due to the IMF’s advice to the Government to not borrow further. In response, Hon. Eng. Milupi stated that he had not mentioned the IMF in his response.  He then reiterated that the project would be based on contractor facilitated finance. It is this response by the hon. Minister that prompted Hon. Mung’andu’s point of order.

Hon. Members, the verbatim record clearly shows that the hon. Minister attributed the delay in the commencement of works on the road to the inability by the contractor to secure the finances required under the CFI mode. Hon. Mung’andu, on the other hand, insisted that the hon. Minister once informed him that the project was discontinued due to advice from the IMF. He, however, did not lay any evidence on the Table to support this assertion. He, therefore, ran the risk of misleading the House and the public, and breaching Standing Order No. 65.

Hon. Members, in the absence of evidence that the hon. Minister had once informed Hon. Mung’andu that works on the Sesheke/Imusho Road were discontinued due to advice from the IMF, I find it difficult to conclude that the hon. Minister misled the House. In fact, to the contrary, the hon. Minister was consistent in attributing the delay to the failure by the contractor to secure finances for the project. I, therefore, find that the hon. Minister was not out of order.

I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

POINT OF ORDER RAISED BY HON. R. K. CHITOTELA, MEMBER FOR PAMBASHE, ON HER HONOUR THE VICE-PRESIDENT, MRS W. K. MUTALE NALUMAMNGO, ON THE DIRECT INPUT SUPPORT PROGRAMME

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, you will recall that on Friday, 10^th June, 2022, when the House was considering the ministerial statement by Hon. M. E. Mposha, Minister of Water Development and Sanitation, Mr R. K. Chitotela, hon. Member of Parliament for Pambashe Constituency, raised a point of order on Her Honour the Vice-President, Mrs W. K. Mutale Nalumango.

The point of order was based on Her Honour the Vice-President’s response to a question on agriculture that had been asked by Mr M. Jamba, hon. Member of Parliament for Mwembezhi Constituency, during the Vice-President’s Question Time. Hon. Chitotela alleged that in her response to the question, Her Honour the Vice-President had stated that the Government would continue with the Direct Input Support Programme (DISP) in 2022. According to Hon. Chitotela, that statement by Her Honour the Vice-President contradicted the Government’s policy as contained on page 12 of the 2022 Budget Address delivered on Friday, 29^th October, 2021, by the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning. Hon. Chitotela proceeded to quote an excerpt of the 2022 Budget Address, which said that several challenges had been encountered with the DISP and the Electronic-Voucher System (e-Voucher). It further said that as a result, the Government had decided to implement a new comprehensive agriculture support programme commencing in the 2022/2023 Farming Season. In her immediate response, the Hon. Madam First Deputy Speaker reserved her ruling to have recourse to the Hansard.

Hon. Members, my office reviewed the relevant verbatim record for Friday, 10^th June, 2022, and the review revealed that when responding to a question by Hon. Jamba on the availability of fertiliser during the 2022/2023 Farming Season, Her Honour the Vice-President stated that the Government would continue with the DISP. Further, a perusal of the 2022 Budget Address confirmed that the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning had indicated that the Government would implement a new comprehensive agriculture support programme commencing 2022/2023 Farming Season.

Hon. Members, although the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning indicated in the 2022 Budget Address that the DISP had a number of challenges, he did not categorically state that the programme would be done away with. Therefore, in order to have clarity on this matter, I direct the hon. Minister of Agriculture to render a ministerial statement on this issue to the House on Tuesday, 28^th June, 2022.

I thank you.

POINT OF ORDER RAISED BY HON. R. K. CHITOTELA, MEMBER FOR PAMBASHE, ON THE MINISTER OF INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, HON. ENG. MILUPI, ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NDOLA/LUSAKA DUAL CARRIAGEWAY

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, you will recall that on Tuesday, 7^th June, 2022, when the House was considering Question for Oral Answer No. 315 and Hon. Eng. Milupi, Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development was on the Floor, Hon. R. K. Chitotela, Member of Parliament for Pambashe raised a point of order against Hon. Eng. Milupi.

Hon. Members, in the point of order, Hon. Chitotela alleged that Hon. Eng. Milupi had breached Standing Order No. 65 by informing the House that the Ndola/Lusaka Carriageway would be constructed using the public-private partnership (PPP) mode because the Public Private Partnership Act No. 14 of 2009 required a feasibility study to be undertaken before an invitation to tender on for a project could be made. He added that the feasibility study should not be more than three years old. He then said that he had not seen an advertisement for a feasibility study for the Lusaka/Ndola Dual Carriageway. Further, he stated that the Public Finance Management Act No. 1 of 2018 and the Public Private Partnership Act contradicted each other because the former empowered the hon. Minister of Finance and National Planning to commit the country to a debt while the latter empowered the contracting authority to sign on behalf of the Government. In her immediate response, the Hon. Madam First Deputy Speaker reserved her ruling in order to obtain more information on the matter. I have since studied the matter and now render my ruling.

Hon. Members, I have considered Hon. Chitotela’s point of order. However, I note that he did not lay any evidence on the Table to substantiate his assertion that:

1. the hon. Minister had not conducted a feasibility study prior to advertising for a concessioner for the Lusaka/Ndola Dual Carriageway; and

1. the Public Finance Management Act No. 1 of 2018 and the Public Private Partnership Act were mutually contradictory.

In the absence of evidence, I am constrained to find that by saying that the Ndola/Lusaka Carriageway would be constructed using the PPP mode, Hon. Eng. Milupi misled the House and, as a consequence, breached Standing Order No. 65. The hon. Minister was, therefore, not out of order.

I thank you.

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MATTER OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE

Mr Mumba (Kantanshi): On a matter of urgent public importance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A matter of urgent public importance is raised.

Mr Mumba: Madam Speaker, I raise this matter of urgent public importance on the hon. Minister of Transport and Logistics.

Madam Speaker, yesterday, the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) issued a statement to the effect that from 1^st July, 2022, the services rendered by Ulendo and Yango, mobile applications that assist our people by providing transport services and, to some extent, delivery of various products to our homes, including food when we order from restaurants, would most likely end because of the Road Traffic Act. 

Madam Speaker, you will agree with me that the two products have come as a direct innovation of young people and in direct response to a growing economy, as we have witnessed in other countries near us, such as South Africa and Botswana, and abroad where, to request for transport services, you are required to have a mobile application. In those countries, the traditional taxis continue to exist. Further, we have seen many Zambians here, in Lusaka, most of them youths, who are unemployed due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation, take advantage of the applications by subscribing to them. They are, obviously, providing transport services and, in the process, providing for their homes and families. This is one of the contributors of the applications to the economic growth and innovation that this Government has always premised its promises on. This Government promised that one of the areas in which it would support employment creation was technological innovations. Is the hon. Minister of Transport and Logistics in order to remain quite on this matter, which has many economic implications that I do not want to start highlighting?

I seek your very serious guidance on this matter, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: The matter that the hon. Member for Kantanshi has raised is important, especially to the performance of the economy and to the young people who have come up with the applications. Further, the service rendered is very helpful to the people of Zambia. However, the matter does not qualify to be raised under Standing Order No. 134 and does not meet the criterion under Standing Order No. 135. The hon. Member is, therefore, advised to file in an appropriate question, which will be addressed to the hon. Minister of Transport and Logistics, so that the hon. Minister may address that question. I emphasise that the matter is important. However, it does not meet the criterion under Standing Order No. 134.

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MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

STATUS OF HUNTING CONCESSION AGREEMENTS

The Minister of Tourism (Mr Sikumba): Madam Speaker, allow me to deliver my ministerial statement without the face mask.

Madam Speaker: The hon. Minister can do that, but we have had an escalation in the number of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. So, we risk being exposed. You can excise your discretion. At least, you are far from us. When you get back to your seat, you can put the mask back on.

The hon. Minister put his mask back on.

Madam Speaker, I am grateful to you for granting my ministry the opportunity to clarify the status of the hunting concession agreements through a ministerial statement. This statement is a result of the point of order raised by the Lumezi Member of Parliament, Hon. Munir Zulu, who wanted to know the status of the hunting concessions purportedly cancelled by the Government through the Ministry of Tourism.

Madam Speaker, the then Ministry of Tourism and Arts advertised, through Tender No. MTA/SP/001/20 in the Zambia Daily Mail of 13^th November, 2020, concessions for safari and photographic tourism in nineteen hunting blocks in various game management areas (GMAs). The bids closed on 30^th December, 2020, and, on 9^th March, 2021, the ministry announced, by public notice, the best valuated bidders. Out of the nineteen hunting blocks tendered, ten prime hunting blocks were successfully bid for, except one on which the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) ordered a re-evaluation. The remaining nine were either under-stocked or depleted. So, none was bid for, except Upper Luano, which was under contestation, and the matter is still in court. The successful bidders were invited for negotiations between 7^th and 14^th April, 2021, after which parties signed the negotiation minutes. On 13^th April, 2021, the parties to the hunting concession agreement: the successful bidders, the concerned Community Resource Boards (CRBs) and chiefs, were invited to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) offices in Chilanga to sign the negotiation minutes.

Madam Speaker, it is important to note that the invitation letters sent out to the successful bidders did not in any way constitute an invitation to sign a contract, but simply a bid acceptance and invitation to negotiations. Further, it must be noted that at receiving the invitation letters, it was clearly marked on stating that:

“The notice does not constitute an award of a contract to the bidder mentioned above. Bid acceptance and contract placement shall be in accordance with Part X of the public procurement regulations.”

Madam speaker, from the foregoing, I would like to state that the New Dawn Government has not cancelled any legally signed hunting concession agreement with any hunting outfitter. I will repeat that: From the foregoing, I would like to state that the New Dawn Government has not cancelled any legally signed hunting concession agreement with any hunting outfitter. The House may wish to note that 17^th August, 2021, was the date set for the signing of the hunting concession agreements at the Ministry of Tourism Headquarters, and that was just days after the announcement of the results of the 12^th August, 2021, General Elections that ushered in the New Dawn Government under the leadership of His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema. So, the ministry proposed and secured an agreement to defer the signing ceremony to give the New Dawn Administration sufficient time to review the process that was followed before the parties could finally append their signatures on the concession agreements. As such, no bidder paid the prescribed procession fees to the Government for any of the hunting blocks applied for.

Madam Speaker, taking cognisance of the fact that the tender was initiated and guided by the provisions of the Public Procurement Act No. 8 of 2021, and that all undertakings in the procurement process are subject to the provisions of the same Act, the Ministerial Procurement Committee (MPC) meeting was called on 29^th April, 2022. The meeting unanimously resolved to cancel the tendering process citing Section 69 of the Public Procurement Act No. 8 of 2020, which provides that:

“(1) A procuring entity may, at any time, prior to notification of contract award, terminate or cancel procurement proceedings without entering into a contract if—

“(a)      the subject procurement is overtaken by—

(i)         operation of law; or

(ii)        substantial technological change;

“(b)      the procurement need has ceased to exist or changed significantly;

“(c)      funding is not sufficient for the procurement;

“(d)      there is a significant change in the required technical details, bidding conditions, conditions of contract or other details, such that the recommencement of procurement proceedings is necessary;

“(e)      there is evidence of collusion among bidders;

“(f)       it is otherwise in the public interest;

“(g)      there is evidence of corrupt practices by an office holder or any other person involved in the procurement;

“(h)      bids were not received;

“(i)       there is evidence that prices of the bids are above market prices;

“(j)       material governance issues are detected;

“(k)      all evaluated bids are non-responsive; or

“(l)       there is an incidence of force majeure.

“(2) A procuring entity that terminates or cancels procurement proceedings under this section shall, within fourteen days from the date of the termination or cancellation —

“(a)      submit to the Authority a written report on the termination or cancellation stating the reasons for the termination or cancellation; and

“(b)      notify, in writing, the person that submitted bids of the reasons for the termination or cancellation.

Madam Speaker, the MPC notified the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) and the bidders in line on 4^th May, 2022.

Madam Speaker, the New Dawn Government was elected on the ticket of change in the 12^th August, 2021, Elections. Further, His Excellency Mr Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, has, on many occasions, pronounced himself on the need for the local people to participate in many business facets via joint ventures, whether the ventures be local or foreign. Safari hunting is one lucrative business that requires such participation from all entrepreneurial Zambians. However, the hasty signing of the hunting concession agreements by our previous Government would have meant the exclusion of many eligible Zambians from participating in this business.

Madam Speaker, Zambia has twenty national parks and thirty-six GMAs. In the thirty-six GMAs, the ministry allocated twenty-nine safari hunting blocks between 2014 and 2020. You may wish to note that hunting is only permitted in designated GMAs, not in national parks. Six of the twenty-nine hunting concessions have expired. Four expired in March, 2022, one in April, 2022, and the other in May, 2022. In addition, the concession agreement for Nkala Hunting Block was terminated on 22^nd June, 2022, by the operator. The remaining twenty-two concessions commenced after the opening of the hunting season on 1^st May, 2022, contrary to the media reports suggesting that there is no hunting taking place in Zambia. I will lay on the Table a list of all the hunting blocks in which there have been operations as of 1^st May, 2022.

Madam Speaker, the House may wish to note that two of the twenty-two active hunting concessions are in Lumezi Constituency. The House may also wish to note that there are three hunting blocks in the constituency, of which only Mwanya Hunting Block expired and is earmarked for retender.

Madam Speaker, to expedite the processes of retendering, the Ministry of Tourism has finalised the new document for bidding, which will be done in a phased approach. Priority will be given to the concessions that expired on 31^st December, 2021, and we encourage all the outfitters that bid for Tender MTA/SP/001/20 to participate in this tender as well.

Madam Speaker, may it be known that hunting concession agreements have traditionally been for a seven-year tenure for prime hunting blocks, as opposed to the ten-year tenure that the previous regime had proposed in the cancelled tender.

Madam Speaker, I wish to humbly request that hon. Members of Parliament and CRBs in the affected areas support the Government and work with it in its endeavour to uplift the livelihoods of the communities. Making media statements that suggest that the Government is neglecting its people, and encouraging poaching must not be encouraged, as the Government is committed to developing Zambia in an inclusive manner, as evidenced by the allocation of K25.7 million Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to all constituencies, including Lumezi.

Madam Speaker, finally, the Ministry of Tourism, through the DNPW, will recruit Wildlife Police Officers later in the year to beef up law enforcement. Do look out for the advertisement. I further wish to invite hon. Members of Parliament and, indeed, members of the general public living in GMAs to volunteer as Honorary Wildlife Police Officers so that we embark on vigorous law enforcement.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, you are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement issued by the hon. Minister of Tourism.

Mr Mundubile (Mporokoso): Madam Speaker, in his statement, the hon. Minister made reference to his Government’s policy to afford Zambians participation in most economic sectors, including in hunting concessions. I am glad to inform him that we are happy with that statement because that is our position, as hon. Members on your left.

Madam Speaker, in the earlier advertisement, the one that led to the bids that we later cancelled, was there anything that excluded the participation of the locals? I hope that he gets my question because he mentioned that if the successful bidders had gone ahead to sign, it was going to exclude many Zambians. So, the question is: In the earlier advertisement, were Zambians excluded from bidding?

Mr Sikumba: Madam Speaker, I mentioned in my statement that before signing the agreements, the Ministry of Tourism proposed to look at what went on throughout the tender process, and we had a few of our colleagues, Zambians, obviously, come through to the ministry and suggest that the requirements in the bid document excluded many Zambians. That is why we felt that it was necessary to review the tender process and the bid document. The bid document did not explicitly exclude Zambians. However, we felt that many Zambians could not participate because of the vigorous processes required by it.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker: Since the matter was raised by the hon. Member for Lumezi, I will give him an opportunity to ask a question.

Mr Munir Zulu (Lumezi): Thank you kindly, Madam Speaker. I also thank kindly the kind hon. Minister for his response. I am glad that he mentioned Chief Mwanya’s area in Lumezi.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister might be aware that in 2012, the then hon. Minister of Tourism under the Patriotic Front (PF) Government cancelled hunting concessions. Following that cancellation, we saw the depletion of wildlife in areas such as Bbilili and Namwala South. We also saw an increase in encroachments on those game management areas (GMAs). With the vast experience of the hon. Minister in the tourism sector, not politics –

Madam Speaker, the Attorney-General wrote a letter on 5^th January, 2022, advising the Head of State, His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema, to not cancel the concessions. The hon. Minister, in his statement, has avoided bringing in the Attorney-General’s letter. Why?

Mr Sikumba: Madam Speaker, the hon. Member for Lumezi has talked about the Attorney-General’s letter, which I have not had sight of, as it was not addressed to me. Secondly, the ministry has not received any such correspondence relating to the cancellation of the concessions and the advice.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Jamba (Mwembezhi): Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister might wish to note that when he is talking about Zambians, it seems that there is a certain category of Zambians who are so much involved in the concessions, and we do not understand why that is so. Further, the hon. Minister is ever talking about nineteen concessions having been advertised. However, in his statement, he mentioned twenty-nine concessions. So, out of the twenty-nine, why does the hon. Minister talk only about the nineteen? What is happening to the other ten? Were they not tendered? What is the whole story behind the other concessions?

Mr Sikumba: Madam Speaker, those are some of the red flags that we found when we were undertaking an audit of the concessions that had been advertised previously. We, in my ministry, found out that there are certain hunting blocks that, for some unknown reason, were awarded administratively. ‘Administratively’ simply means that the awards did not go through the Wildlife Licensing Committee. I must make mention or, probably, even declare that at the time of tendering, I, the Minister of Tourism now, was one of the members of the licensing committee. Upon realisation that I was a staunch United Party for National Development (UPND) member, the previous Government chucked me out of the committee. Such, obviously, are some of the issues that really motivated us to undertake a full audit of what was happening in the process of tendering.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Kapyanga (Mpika): Madam Speaker, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to ask the hon. Minister of Tourism a question. I also thank the hon. Minister for the statement.

Madam Speaker, I come from a constituency in Mpika where we are affected by this cancellation, which the hon. Minister has said is not a cancellation, I believe. However, I expected, first and foremost, the hon. Minister to own up and state that, indeed, it is a cancellation because, here, we have been told before that this Government does not work in silos. So, how could written advice regarding an issue under the Ministry of Tourism go to the President, but the hon. Minister is not aware? He is very much aware of the written advice from the Attorney-General regarding the cancellation. In his advice, the Attorney-General cited Section 69 of the Public Procurement Act No. 8 of 2020 as the reason the Government could not proceed with the cancellation. How can we, now, trust the hon. Minister after he has made this U-turn on the Floor of the House?

Mr Sikumba: Madam Speaker, I will repeat myself. The Government has not cancelled any legally signed concession agreements. That is all. We have not cancelled anything. The only thing that we have done is cancel the tendering process for the hunting concession that was floated in 2020.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Menyani Zulu (Nyimba): Madam Speaker, I, sometimes, wonder because if this was the Black Mountain in Kitwe, the entire Executive would have given us a statement.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Minister is a very good colleague. However, I have a problem with this situation because I do not know how to ask a question when the most important answer has not been given in the statement we waited for. I am happy that he has said “legally signed contracts”. However, can he tell us what he was supposed to have told us three months ago but kept to himself, which are the contracts that are legal and the ones that are illegally signed? He must tell us that because hunting concessions are the ‘Black Mountain’ to some of us. People are very expectant that they will now have something to put in their pockets. Must we tell them that will not happen?

Madam Speaker, there are so many game ranches in Nyimba Constituency. So, I would like the hon. Minister to tell me which ones were illegally given and which were legally given.

Mr Sikumba: Madam Speaker, I am not sure I was talking about legally and illegal concessions. However, in any case, I want to put this matter to rest in the shortest possible way.

Madam Speaker, currently, and I repeat, there have seven hunting blocks on which concessions expired, and those are the ones we are going to prioritise when the new bid document come into effect. I will read them out: Nyampala, Chikwa, Lower Lupande, Chifunda, Mwanya and Luawata. Any other hunting block across the country is active and hunting is currently going on. Each of the hunting blocks has a concession anniversary date. As such, the concessions expire on different dates. I will give you an example of one in the areas I have just mentioned. Chanjuzi is expiring on 4^th November, 2022. Once it expires, we will retender it. Obviously, given our procurement process, we do realise that we have to tender most of the expiring hunting concessions well in advance so that if we have any new entrants, they are able to have time to mobilise.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mrs Sabao (Chikankata): Madam Speaker, what is the policy of the New Dawn Government regarding natural resources, particularly, hunting concessions?

Mr Sikumba: Madam Speaker. I hope I got the question correctly. If it is an issue of the policy on CRBs – Is it that?

Madam Speaker: The New Dawn’s policy regarding concessions.

Mr Sikumba: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I think, our policy, like I mentioned in my statement –

Interruptions

Mr Sikumba laughed.

Mr Sikumba: What I mentioned in my statement, Madam Speaker, was very clear. We are looking at inclusive involvement in the sharing of our natural resources. The idea is that what we, as Zambians, are endowed with is our world flora and fauna. What we, as the UPND Government, are looking at is the sustainable use of our wildlife. ‘Sustainable’ simply means, and this is in our policy, that the local communities, which have given up enough of their land for the creation of protected areas, are served first. The moment the communities are taken care of, we will be able to see that in our habitats, forestry or wildlife will mushroom, and we will get the much-deserved resources out of that.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mushanga (Bwacha): Madam Speaker, in his statement, as he was almost concluding, the hon. Minister indicated that the ministry will recruit wildlife officers later this year. May he be specific on when the recruitment will start, unlike saying “later this year”.

Mr Sikumba: Madam Speaker, indeed, the Ministry of Tourism will recruit Wildlife Police Officers within the year. If my memory serves me right, Treasury authority was sought and, I believe, it will kick in between August and September, 2022.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mung’andu (Chama South): Madam Speaker, it is our understanding that when a government starts a programme, even next governments should continue with the programme. That is how a nation can develop. When we attach politics to programmes, I think, we will not go anywhere. My question is: Did the tender not go through stages that are legally binding, namely the Ministerial Procurement Committee (MPC) and Tender Committee meetings, calling of all Community Resource Boards (CRBs) to Lusaka to negotiate and awarding of tenders? Were the tenders awarded for the hunting blocks? I want to know whether the tenders were awarded to successful bidders. If they were awarded and the hon. Minister cancelled them, is that not cancellation of legally binding tenders?

Interruptions

Mr Mung’andu: Madam Speaker, clearly, the hon. Minister of Justice is interfering. We are asking the hon. Minister of Tourism, not the hon. Minister of Justice –

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member, just ask your point of clarification. We are running out of time.

Mr Mung’andu: No. It is important, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: What is your point of clarification?

Mr Mung’andu: My question is: Were the tenders not awarded to successful bidders? We want to know that.

Mr Sikumba: Hon. Member of Parliament for Chama South, I think, page 2 of my ministerial statement was very clear. Fortunately, I even have it in bold, and I will read it for you again. Please, have a notebook and pen ready so that you write it down what as I read.

“Further, it must be noted that at receiving the invitation letters, it was clearly marked on stating that ‘The notice does not constitute an award of a contract to the bidder mentioned above. Bid acceptance and contract placement shall be in accordance with Part X of the Public Procurement Regulations.’”

So, Madam Speaker, the answer to the question is ‘No’.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Thank you.

We have run out of time. We go on to the next item.

MEASURES BEING TAKEN TO CONTROL THE MEASLES OUTBREAK IN MUSHINDAMO DISTRICT

The Minister of Health (Mrs Masebo): Madam Speaker, –

Interruptions

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Members!

Can we listen.

I do not know whether you have an issue. If you do, you can raise it before we go on to the statement.

Hon. Member for Chama South, do you have an issue?

Mr Mung’andu: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Yes, I have an issue.

Madam Speaker, I have noticed that when asking follow-up questions, we are being timed when. However, there are many people who are genuinely affected by the cancellation of the hunting concessions. We are motivated to not fight the Government, but the people on the ground, the Community Resource Boards (CRBs) and the chiefs are appealing to us, their representatives, to speak on their behalf. However, we are seeing the proceedings of this august House being timed, which we, hon. Members, have never accepted, and it is not in the Standing Orders on which this House operates. That is the reason we are consulting here.

Madam Speaker, did we, as a House, agree to the timing of follow-up questions to hon. Ministers or did the House adopt that through the Standing Orders? Before we are rendered a House not worthy to be called a House –

Madam Speaker, we are here to provide checks and balances to the Executive.

Madam Speaker: Are you done, hon. Member?

Mr Mung’andu: That is the reason we are conversing here, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Thank you, hon. Member.

Maybe, the hon. Minister can resume her seat.

Mrs Masebo resumed her seat.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, this House is guided by the Standing Orders; the same Standing Orders that we formulated for ourselves, and I have, on several occasions, advised you to familiarise yourselves with them. It is not right for the hon. Member for Chama South to state that the Standing Orders do not provide for timing of ministerial statements. The correct position is that Standing Order No. 129(5) clearly states what happens when the House is considering a ministerial statement. The Standing Order reads:

“The period for presenting and considering a ministerial statement shall not exceed thirty minutes unless otherwise determined by the Speaker.”

That is a provision in the Standing Orders, and we have not amended the Standing Orders. Further, we have business on the Order Paper that we need to conclude, namely two ministerial statements and two reports. Looking at the time, if we spend too much time on one ministerial statement, we will not be able to go through the Order Paper, and that is why ministerial statements are being timed.

I hope, you will familiarise yourselves, hon. Members, with the Standing Orders so that when you raise points of order, you are well guided by them.

I call upon the hon. Minister to continue the statement.

The Minister of Health (Ms Masebo): Madam Speaker, I want to start by thanking you, once again, for the opportunity to update this august House and the nation at large on the measles outbreak in Mushindamo District of the North-Western Province.

Madam Speaker, following the Matter of Urgent Public Importance raised by Mr Alex Katakwe, hon. Member of Parliament for Solwezi East Constituency, on the outbreak of measles in Mushindamo District and the measures being taken by the Ministry of Health to control the outbreak, a follow-up was made on that matter, and this is the update to the House.

Madam Speaker, for the House to have a clear picture of the situation, may I start by informing it that Mushindamo is one of the eleven districts of the North-Western Province. It borders Solwezi, Kasempa and the Copperbelt internally and has an international boundary with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with a border post at Kipushi. Kipushi. The border is about 135 km from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and 205 km from Mushindamo District Health Office (DHO). Further, the border with the DRC is porous, with many people, both Zambians and the Congolese, freely crossing over from one side to the other, especially during the open market days on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In this regard, Mushindamo District is one of the hot spots for measles outbreaks and is prone to epidemic of other diseases generally.

Madam Speaker, in the last few years, Mushindamo District has been on record for reporting measles outbreaks and nearly always around the same areas, that is, Mushindamo Health Centre, Mututubanya Health Post and Kipushi Health Post catchment areas. Last year, in November, for example, the district had a measles outbreak in the Mututubanya Health Post catchment area where we had nine people test positive out of twelve whose samples were collected, showing a positivity of 75 per cent. In March, 2022, the district recorded another measles outbreak in which three out of four cases were positive. Out of the three samples that came out positive, one was positive for both measles and rubella.

Madam Speaker, the current outbreak of measles in Mushindamo District is somewhat linked to the outbreak that started in March, 2022. In April, 2022, four samples were collected from the Mushindamo Health Centre catchment area, particularly, Kashiba community near the border with the DRC. The samples were taken to the lab, and one tested positive for measles. The alert for the current outbreak was also for Kashiba community under Mushindamo Health Centre. On 9^th May, 2022, seven samples were taken to the lab. Of the seven, two were not tested, five were tested and three of the five tested positive for measles only. None tested positive for rubella.

Madam Speaker, a clinical case of measles was defined as a generalised characteristic rash lasting three or more days, fever and, at least, one of either a cough or a flu-like symptom, and what is known as conjunctivitis or red eyes. With the current alerts coming from Kashiba, a combined rapid response team lead by the Provincial Clinical Care Specialist and comprising officers from the PHO, Mushindamo District Health Office and Mushindamo Rural Health Centre visited the area to investigate the rumour of forty suspected measles deaths in the community of Kashiba and surrounding areas. The team was joined and given technical support by the National Rapid Response Team based at the Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI). The rapid response team aimed to achieve the following:

1. to alert investigations;

1. undertake door-to-door health promotion and education on preventive measures;

1. contact-tracing and monitoring of the contacts;

1. risk assessment and mapping of the nearby communities;

1. active case search in the two affected communities;

1. collection of samples of other suspected cases;

1. meeting the standard case definition of suspected measles;

1. meeting with community volunteers to teach them on basics for clinical case definition of measles; and

1. in Kashiba community where measles had been reported earlier in March, there was one suspected case, and a sample was collected from there. Two samples were also collected from Yowela, which is 12 km from Mushindamo Rural Health Centre on the Kipushi Boarder Road. Four other samples were collected from Kafulabunga community on Mushindamo/Kilumba Road.

 

Madam Speaker, the findings of the investigations that were undertaken on Saturday, 4^th June, 2022, were as follows:

1. there was no evidence of the forty suspected measles deaths in the area. The source of the rumour was a community leader trying to advocate for the opening of the uncompleted Kashiba Rural Health Centre. The only complete building at the said structure is the out-patient wing, and there is no supporting infrastructure, such as flush toilets. The leader was engaged and made to commit to stopping issuing false alarms;

1. there were three deaths from measles. One was a confirmed case while two were classified as probable measles deaths;

1. the community also reported that two deaths occurred on the Congolese side, but the bodies were buried on the Zambia side, making a total of five deaths;

1. in Kiziba, one child had clinical features of measles and a specimen was collected for immunological studies;

1. there were three communities around Mushindamo Rural Health Centre with multiple cases meeting the clinical criterion for measles. These were in the neighbourhoods of Mushindamo Rural Health Centre, Kafulabunga, which is 5 km from Solwezi, and Yowela, which is 12 km from Kipushi Border Post;

1. it was very difficult to verify the vaccination statuses, as most children had no Under-Five Cards;

1. some of the children were frequently taken across the border, making them miss public health interventions on the Zambian side;

1. the community-based volunteers did not know their respective catchment populations. Therefore, it was difficult for them to account for every child and quantify the needs;

1. thirty-one samples were tested at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) Laboratory on Monday, 6^th June, 2022, of which fourteen tested positive for measles and two tested positive for rubella;

1. the rest of the samples were not in good quality by the time they reached the laboratory. Therefore, they could not be analysed; and

1. fifteen more samples have been collected, but tests are yet to be conducted on them. The samples will also be subjected to genomic sequencing.

Madam Speaker, the team had earlier conducted a localised supplementary immunisation in Kashiba, and that halted the spread of the disease there. Planning for primary health care activities has been a challenge because most supporting organisations prefer Zambia Statistics Agency (ZAMSTATS) data to headcounts, which undermines Under-Five interventions in Mushindamo, the province and the country at large. Furthermore, the Mushindamo Rural Health Centre catchment area is very vast and has no adequate outreach services due to limited resources. Among the positive outcomes of the exercise, however, were:

1. the orientation of Community-Based Volunteers in event-based surveillance. They were also encouraged to be more proactive;

1. a fund has been established under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for completion of the health facility at Kashiba; and

1. partners and other stakeholders were engaged and Under-Five Cards printed.

Madam Speaker, results for the thirty-one samples that were submitted on 6^th June, 2022, were received on 20^th June, 2022, and fourteen of them were positive for measles while two also tested positive for rubella. That means that we have a dual outbreak of measles and rubella, hence the measles/rubella vaccine that we currently use in routine immunisation is appropriate. The target populations for the vaccination campaign are children between six months to fifteen years, who are in the age groups that have been infected. So far, out of a target population estimated at 16,010, 14,739 have been vaccinated, giving a 92 per cent coverage. I am happy to report that as of 20^th June, 2022, no new cases were recorded in Mushindamo.

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, I urge the hon. Members of this august House to urge their communities to be taking the children for vaccination so that we can avoid waiting for outbreaks like the one in Mushindamo before mothers take their children for vaccination. From yesterday, 20^th to 25^th June, 2022, we, as the Government, through the Ministry of Health, will, again, be vaccinating our children. So, I may I use this opportunity to appeal, once more, to the parents out there to take their children for vaccination because this is an opportunity in which more centres will be opened specifically to help our children get vaccinated. Further, it is worth noting that apart from vaccinating children, we want to use this opportunity to administer other vaccines like the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine. We also want to test for Tuberculosis (TB) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), apart from the usual Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. So, once again, I urge hon. Members of Parliament to get the officers in their Constituency Offices (COs) to inform all Councillors to inform members of their communities and wards to take their children for vaccination.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Members, you are now free to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement issued by the hon. Minister.

Mr Kambita (Zambezi East): Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to ask the hon. Minister of Health a follow-up question.

Madam Speaker, allow me to preface my question with the following: Mushindamo is a district that was born from Solwezi District and is an area that is very well known to me. Further, in the olden days, in the Ministry of Health, there used to be what was called the Health Management Information System (HMIS), which kept important data about catchment populations and activities related to the health of a catchment area. There was also a system of inspections on a quarterly basis called Performance Assessments in which various technocrats, such as Environmental Health Technologists, Clinicians and Clinical Care Specialists went as a team and assessed the health situation in an area. That contributed to wide coverage in terms of vaccinations. I would like to know from the hon. Minister whether those important systems are still in existence or our hon. Colleagues on your right-hand side lost that important way of doing things in the health sector, leading to lowered coverage of child immunisation. I want to know what the status is because the lower the coverage, the more susceptible our children are to epidemics like measles.

Mr Kampyongo: On appoint of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Before I call upon the hon. Minister of Health to answer, there is a point order raised by the hon. Member of Parliament for Shiwang’andu.

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, thank for this opportunity. Actually, it is a procedural point of order.

Madam Speaker, if I recall very well, the hon. Minister of Tourism was directed to issue a consolidated ministerial statement following other points of order that were raised in addition to the one concerning hunting concessions. I do recall that the hon. Member for Katombola raised a matter related to animal/human conflict, indicating that there were attacks on humans. There must have been another point of order, and the Hon. Madam First Deputy Speaker, sitting in your Chair, combined the points of order and directed that the hon. Minister issued a consolidated statement on matters additional to the one he spoke to this afternoon. Was the hon. Minister, therefore, in order to ignore the directive of the Chair and select only one matter out of the matters that were raised?

I seek your serious guidance, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: I should have made the announcement that two statements will be issued separately because of the issue of time. This is because the hon. Minister of Health was also scheduled to issue a statement. So, if we had considered all the issues together, we would not have had sufficient time to debate or ask questions on points of clarification. It was, therefore, decided that the hon. Minister of Tourism comes gets back to us with another statement – I just cannot remember on what date – on animal/human conflict. So, the hon. Minister will still get back to us. We have not forgotten about the other issue, and I should have clarified when we started.

Mr Chitotela: On a point of order, Madam.

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised by the hon. Member for Pambashe.

Mr Chitotela: Madam Speaker, I am raising a point of order pursuant to Standing Order No. 65. It is usually not in me to challenge my successor, but the Standing Orders compel all of us to be factual and truthful.

Madam Speaker, the hon. Member for Chama South asked a follow-up question on whether the contracts were awarded according to the Zambia Wildlife Act or not, and the hon. Minister was a member of the Wildlife Licensing Committee, which has the responsibility to award contracts. It is the Wildlife Licensing Committee that sat and awarded the contracts. Therefore, is the hon. Minister in order to come to the House and issue a statement that misleads the House and the whole nation by saying that the contracts were not awarded?

I seek your serious ruling, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Pambashe, you are trying to sneak in a question through the back door because the matter that you are raising as a point of order is definitely not one. You are trying to ask the hon. Minister of Tourism a point of clarification, but that session has already closed. In any event, the content of a ministerial statement is determined by the ministry. So, hon. Members cannot ask questions of why certain information is not in the statements. Hon. Members should merely ask questions based on the statement given, not outside the statement. Therefore, the hon. Minister is in order.

Hon. Minister of Health, I hope you still remember the question.

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for the follow-up question.

Madam Speaker, all I can say is that systems have always been there, but in the past years, we noticed that a number of the functions at the district level started going to the centre. We saw decentralised systems become centralised. That is how, in the process, some of the good community programmes to prevent disease and improve immunisation started going down. It is for this reason that the New Dawn Government has decided to implement the Decentralisation Policy, and one of the functions we intend to take back to the local governments, through the councils, is primary health care, so that some programmes like the distribution of mosquito nets, spraying against mosquitoes and immunisation through various vaccination programmes go back to the districts. Really, if we are to get better results, those programmes have to be implemented at the district level, not as the case has been. So, to an extent, I agree with the question, except that I have to confirm that we are working towards ensuring that the good ways of the past are brought back through the implementation of the Decentralisation Policy.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Since this matter was raised by the hon. Member for Solwezi East, I give him an opportunity to ask a question.

Mr Katakwe (Solwezi East): Madam Speaker, I thank you for according the people of Solwezi East and, in particular, Mushindamo District, to ask a follow-up question. I am also grateful to the hon. Minister for the measures that are being put in place to address the outbreak of measles in my district. I am also glad that the hon. Minster has acknowledged the vastness and rural nature of the area to which rural health services need to be provided in the face of challenges like inadequate transport and manpower.

Madam Speaker, allow me to not really interrogate the hon. Minister, but know from her what long-term measures the Government has in taken to ensure that such outbreaks do not recur, especially given that our children are being taken across the border to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to seek health services. Quite often, some children are even born on the other side, which makes it quite difficult to have them registered as Zambians. We also notice that at the border post, there is no clinic to help in case of such outbreaks across the border, hence our children catching measles and other diseases from the DRC side. What long-term measures is the Government putting in place to make sure that the challenge of inadequate transport and manpower are mitigated in Mushindamo District?

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for his follow-up questions regarding what the Government is doing to address various issues. I see that he has brought in issues of transport and low staffing levels.

Madam Speaker, our response, as a ministry, is that as stated, one way we are looking at is constructing clinics in the catchment areas to improve access. The other way is to improve access to other services so as to limit cross-border interactions between Zambians and the Congolese. Further, we are looking at tightening border controls in the area because at the moment, it is like we are just one country, and there is a problem there. Furthermore, there is intensification of vaccination programmes so that herd immunity is attained, which means that there will be adequate coverage to avoid outbreaks.

Madam Speaker, regarding infrastructure, it is worth noting that we do have a mini hospital in an area called Kasepa. Currently, the Government is looking at deploying more staff to the mini hospital. So, in the ongoing recruitment of health workers, we will send extra staff to the mini hospital. However, allow me to mention that the district, apart from having Kasepa Mini Hospital, which is located about 210 km from the measles hotspots – obviously, you see that it is like there are districts within a district. So, we have taken note of the fact that the area is very vast and that there are issues of transport. In terms of transport, the mini hospital already has a medium life support ambulance. In addition, the District Health Office (DHO) has one functional, but old ambulance that needs replacement.

Madam Speaker, we have taken note of the outbreaks and have prioritised the district as one of those that will get special attention from the Government.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr A. Mumba (Kantanshi): Madam Speaker, let me join other hon. Members of Parliament in thanking the hon. Minister for her statement. However, I thought that she would add monkey pox to her address. Let me just try to draw her attention to the special treatment she will give Mushindamo, which borders the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). My constituency also has a long border with the DRC, Mokambo Border, which is at risk just like Mushindamo, and my main interest is in surveillance. How would the hon. Minister rate the surveillance in areas bordering the DRC where, it seems, most diseases are come from? Although the hon. Minister did not talk about monkey pox, I know that she has issued a statement on or around it, and two cases have already been announced by the World Health Organisation (WHO). What assurance does the hon. Minister give us on disease surveillance, seeing as we are a border town just like Mushindamo?  

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for that very important follow-up question. Being land-linked, Zambia shares borders with a number of countries, and we have noticed that it is mainly in the border areas that we are getting various diseases that cross over.

Madam Speaker, one of the issues that were discussed at the last World Health Organisation (WHO) General Assembly in Geneva is precisely this matter, and some action strategies have been developed, which Zambia has gladly adopted. We will be interacting with various Ministers responsible for health in the bordering countries so that we can work hard together to ensure that diseases are controlled and surveillance measures improved. Speaking for Zambia, we are looking at putting up health posts in a number of border posts so that there is disease control and prevention. Some of the activities inland can also be undertaken on the borders because it is in our interest, as a country, to vaccinate not only people on the Zambian side, but all those in the border areas across. However, this has to be done in collaboration with the states that share borders with Zambia.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: We want to listen to others also. So, hon. Member for Bwacha, forgive me, but I would like to give the Floor to the hon. Member for Lupososhi.

Mr Elias M. Musonda (Lupososhi): Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister for her comprehensive statement. My question has partly been touched on, but I will still go ahead and ask the hon. Minister about the samples that were taken. Of the blood samples that were taken, may I know how many were from Congolese nationals and how many from Zambians. The hon. Minister mentioned that we share a very porous border and that people cross in and out of the two countries at any time, and that the Congolese also access our health services, with some of them living in Zambia. Did she bother to ascertain whether the blood samples that were taken were all for Zambians or they also included those from our brothers from across the border?

Mrs Masebo: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for that follow-up question.

Madam Speaker, I am not able to specify who the owners of the samples were, as I just took it for granted that the samples were taken from the Zambian side. However, you may recall that in the statement, I did indicate that of the five deaths that were recorded, two or three occurred across the border. So, there was a Congolese national who died, but was buried in Zambia. Like I indicated, when you are in the border areas, you may not even know who is a Zambian and who is not. Suffice it for me to say that we are taking note of these important questions so that we can be very specific in our answers next time.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

_______

MOTIONS

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON YOUTH, SPORT AND CHILD MATTERS

Mr Sing’ombe (Dundumwezi): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that this House do adopt the Report of the Committee on Youth, Sport and Child Matters for the First Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly, laid on the Table of the House on Tuesday, 7^th June, 2022.

Madam Speaker: Is the Motion Seconded?

Ms Halwiindi (Kabwe Central): Madam Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.

Mr Sing’ombe: Madam Speaker, in accordance with Standing Order No. 198, your Committee considered one topical issue, namely the Management of Childcare Facilities in Zambia. Considering that hon. Members have read the report, allow me to only comment on some key findings from your Committee’s engagements with various stakeholders on the topical issue.

Madam Speaker, one key finding was that funding by the Government to the majority of childcare facilities in Zambia was inconsistent and inadequate. Your Committee learnt from one of the proprietors of childcare facilities in Lusaka that in 2021, she received a grant of K4,000 from the Government ten years after the previous grant and that the erratic funding made the running of her facility very difficult. In light of the above, your Committee strongly urges the Government, through the Ministry of Community Development of Social Services, to consider increasing the grant to childcare facilities as well as ensuring that the grants are given regularly and at predictable intervals in order to ease the financial burden of childcare facilities.

Madam Speaker, another finding of concern to your Committee is that in most of the childcare facilities visited by the Committee, especially on the Copperbelt and the North-Western provinces, for most of the children in the facilities, there were no committal orders from courts granting the facilities custodial rights over them. In order to encourage the Department of Social Welfare to acquire committal orders for children, the Judiciary in Kitwe has waived the fees payable to courts for issuance of committal orders in respect of children already in childcare facilities and those yet to be admitted. In light of the above, your Committee urges the Government, as a matter of urgency, to consider waiving the committal order fees throughout the country as was the case in Kitwe.

Madam Speaker, your Committee further notes that some childcare facilities in Zambia are operating in breach of the minimum standards for childcare facilities. A case in point is a childcare facility in the North-Western Province whose proprietor hardly understood the minimum standards for childcare facilities. In this vein, your Committee recommends that the Government, through the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, conducts regular inspections of childcare facilities and closes down facilities operating in breach of the minimum standards of care.

Madam Speaker, another finding of your Committee is that proprietors of childcare facilities, like Solwezi Cheshire Homes in Solwezi, which cares for disabled children, face the challenge of finding the material used for making artificial limbs for the disabled children, as the material is not readily available. In view of this, your Committee urges the Government to urgently put in place measures to ensure that the material is easily accessible.

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, allow me to place on record the gratitude of your Committee to all the stakeholders who tendered both written and oral submissions. Your Committee also wishes to thank you for your guidance, and the Clerk and staff of the National Assembly for the support services rendered to it throughout its deliberations.

Madam Speaker, I beg to move.

Madam Speaker: Does the seconder wish to speak now or later?

Ms Halwiindi: Now, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I rise to second the Motion moved by our chairperson, Hon. Edgar Sing’ombe, that the House do adopt the Report of the Committee on Youth, Sport and Child Matters for the First Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 7^th June, 2022. I am confident that hon. Members read your Committee's report and have listened to the Motion as the chairperson moved it. Therefore, allow me to highlight only four points as considered by your Committee.

Madam Speaker, as your Committee was on tour, especially on the Copperbelt and in the North-Western provinces, it discovered that most childcare facilities had no committal orders from courts granting them custodial rights over the children in them. This is a concern to your Committee because without committal orders, it is very difficult to account for our children in childcare facilities and, for this reason, your Committee urges the Government to make sure that committal orders are issued for all children before they are committed to childcare facilities.

Madam Speaker, allow me to also highlight one issue that your Committee discovered during the local tour, which is that most childcare facilities are supported by external donors. This is a concern to your Committee because it poses a danger to the operations of the facilities should the external donors withdraw their support and, for this reason, your Committee urges the Government to increase funding to the facilities and sensitise local citizens and organisations on the need to support the facilities.

Madam Speaker, one other issue that is of major concern to your Committee is that most childcare facilities throughout the country are faced with the challenge of the high cost of electricity, hence resorting to the use of charcoal. In view of this challenge, your Committee urges the Government to come up with a lasting solution for easing the burden of childcare facilities in terms of the high cost of electricity.

Madam Speaker, also of major concern to your Committee is that the Child Code Bill has been in draft form for a long time, yet that is the Bill that brings together all the laws that speak to the protection of children in Zambia, including children in care facilities, and is also going to harmonise the definition of a child. Therefore, your Committee urges the Government to, as a matter of urgency, finalise the Bill and present it to this Parliament so that it is passed into law.

Madam Speaker, this report is very important to our country. Indeed, as your Committee’s members went round, they were touched by some of the things they learnt and had to dip their hands into their pockets to support some childcare facilities. So, I urge hon. Members to support it.

Madam Speaker, finally, allow me to thank the chairperson and all the members of the Committee who debated and supported it. I thank them, once more, for going the extra mile in supporting facilities as they went around the country. This is the wake-up call for all of us to support childcare facilities because our children are really in need.

Madam Speaker, with those few points, I beg to second the Motion.

Mr Kafwaya (Lunte): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for according me this opportunity to make a contribution to the debate in support of the adoption of this report. From the outset, I thank my colleagues, Hon. Edgar Sing’ombe, for moving this Motion, and the hon. Member of Parliament for Kabwe Central for seconding it.

Madam Speaker, the importance of your Committee’s report cannot be overemphasised because they speak to the future of our country, as young people are the future of our country. In Bemba, we say, imiti ikula empanga, meaning exactly that. Therefore, any discourse around children is important and should be taken seriously by every well-meaning citizen.

Madam Speaker, on page 20 of your report, in paragraph 6.5.6, your Committee recommends the reintegration of children into families. That is to say, the children in care facilities need to be reintegrated. This recommendation of your Committee is where I have drawn my thoughts.

I think, Madam Speaker, for families around the country to be able to extend their sympathy and love to children, they need some level of family economic capacity. In other words, there has to be some economy capacity within families so that kinship might be observed. So, it is important that I urge the Executive to be in the forefront of creating the family economy and expanding the capacity of families to integrate children. In the absence of that economy, we will end up in a situation in which our children will continue be in care facilities, as has been established in your Committee’s report.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, some of the actions we have observed –

Mr Mung’andu rose and stood in an aisle.

Madam Speaker: Order, hon. Member for Chama South!

Are you standing up, sitting down or going out? The hon. Member for Lunte is on the Floor, and I can have only one hon. Member standing at a time.

Mr Mung’andu left the Assembly Chamber.

Mr Kafwaya: Madam Speaker, I was just saying that we need family economies to be stimulated by the Government, but some of the actions that we have seen in the recent past do not speak to expansion of family economies. In fact, they speak to contraction of family economies. For example, the suspension of the debt swap programme has taken away disposable income from civil servants, meaning that their empathy for children cannot be executed properly. It is my recommendation that our Government does not behave like foreign investors, who are patriotic only to profit or wealth maximisation. Our Government must prefer local families when it gives out contracts so that families can have resources in their pockets to be able to care for children who require their love.

Madam Speaker, the failure to create jobs, and, in some cases, the constraining of existing businesses from expanding opportunities by deliberately failing to pay local contractors is one way of being unpatriotic in the sense that the economies of local families are affected and, in the end, that affects the children your Committee report is referring to.

Madam Speaker, I recommend that the Government focuses more on families, particularly the families of poor people, and take actions that are going to enable those families to increase their capacity to integrate the very vulnerable children who are currently in care-giving facilities.

Madam Speaker, with those few remarks, I support your Committee’s report.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Wamunyima (Nalolo): Madam Speaker, I am delighted to add my voice to the debate on this report. From the outset, may I thank the able Member of Parliament for Dundumwezi, Hon. Sing’ombe, for moving the Motion in support of the adoption of this report.

Madam Speaker, to me, this is one of the most important reports because the Committee on Youth, Sport and Child Affairs looks critically at issues that affect over 60 per cent of the Zambian population today.

Madam Speaker, I draw your attention to pages 28 to 30 of the report where your Committee talks about the need for the Child Code Bill. As you read through those pages, you look at the escalation of child marriages. As you may know, Zambia has a dual legal system. So, there is no clear definition of the child today. When you go to Article 266 of the Constitution, you will see that a child is any person below eighteen years of age. However, when you go to the Marriage Act, under Statutory Law, there is the provision that the marriage age starts from twenty-one. Further, and when it comes to traditional marriages in our rural constituencies, age is not a factor. As long as the parents give consent and the child, especially the girl child, has reached puberty, she is married off. As your Committee reports, never has it been so urgent in this country that we must have the Child Code Bill in place, which harmonises the definitions of the child. When you go to the Juveniles Act, the child is defined as someone below nineteen years. So, our legal framework does not have a harmonised definition of the child, and this is why, to date, it is very difficult to stop child marriages.

Madam Speaker, I also bring to your attention the issue of the Youth Development Fund on page 29 of the report. I am concerned about the response of the Executive in that report, which is that the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts has set guidelines and committees for the administration of the fund.

Madam Speaker, there was a proposal by the previous Committee to move the Youth Development Fund to the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC). My concern is that in the last Government, the fund was accessed by people born in 1967 and, therefore, not youths. So, in supporting this report, I urge the Executive to relook at the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts being the executor of the fund. There needs to be some sort of separation because when you look at the report, you will see that there has not been any success story among those who accessed the fund because the fund is never accessed by deserving beneficiaries. So, it is important that the Executive relooks at its answer regarding the formulation of guidelines under the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts because it is on record that in the previous Government, people born in 1967 and 1970, and some groups called “Copperbelt Clergy” accessed the fund. So, this is a fundamental concern to me.

Madam Speaker, I look at page 33 of the report, where your Committee addresses the issue of the National Youth Development Council Act, which has existed for over thirty-five years without amendment. That Act provides for the legal and regulatory framework for youth entities, and this is why youths in this country have been short-changed by Governments for over thirty-five years; the law that should help youth entities to have proper engagements with the Government is archaic. It is thirty-five years old. So, I support the recommendation in this report, and I remember that on 30^th May, we were acquainted with petition by a youth citizen by the name of Ruth Kangwa to propose that the Act be repealed.

Madam Speaker, I take note that in the report, the Executive says that it received a report from the Zambia Law Development Commission (ZLDC) on the Amendment Bill. Further, it says that the consultative process has been exhausted and that the Bill has been submitted to the Ministry of Justice. My question is: Which consultative process was that? I have not heard of any consultative process to amend the National Youth Development Council (NYDC) Act. So, I think, as hon. Members of the Executive debate, they must acquaint us with how the consultation was done if a law that governs youths is being amended, stakeholders under the youth bracket, a bracket I fall under, must be consulted. This is very important to this group of people, which makes up over 60 per cent of the population. The time has come for the New Dawn Government, through this report, to change the narrative on youths.

Madam Speaker, the true definition of a youth, according to Article 266 of the Constitution of Zambia, is someone below the age of thirty-five, and those should be the beneficiaries of youth development projects. This thing of saying ‘youthful’ is not helping. The Constitution defines a youth clearly as someone below the age of thirty-five.

Madam Speaker, I commend your Committee for bringing out the underlying issues clearly because without any law or Act that is recent and adjusted to the needs of the modern youth, we cannot, as youths, demand to be part of the development agenda.

Madam Speaker, with those few remarks, I support the Motion to adopt the report.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Fube: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised by the hon. Member for Chilubi.

Mr Fube: Madam Speaker, I rise on this point of order pursuant to Standing Order No. 65. But for my desire to not waste your time, I could have cited another Standing Order.

Madam Speaker, is the hon. Member of Parliament who has just been debating in order to bring in information that has not been verified? For instance, he talked about people who were born in 1967 and many others accessing the youth fund when there is no documented research to that effect, especially through the Government ministries. Another fact is that the hon. Member brought in an issue that is before your House but has not been debated yet. There is a petition by a member of the public by the name of Ruth, who petitioned on the issue of Cap. 144. That issue has not been brought to Parliament for debate, but the hon. Member of Parliament was allowed to talk about it. Was he in order?

I seek your serious ruling, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member was not in order to speak about a petition that is pending consideration before this honourable House. Regarding the other issues, the hon. Member was giving his opinion.

Mr Kang’ombe (Kamfinsa): Madam Speaker, I thank you, the chairperson of your Committee and the Committee for providing us with a lot of detail on the work it did regarding childcare facilities. I, however, note that the report has not interrogated a very important aspect to the issue, namely why there are childcare facilities in the first place. It is important, even as we look at the recommendations that have been made, that we reflect on why we have those facilities in Zambia. At what stage did we suddenly have facilities that have to care for children who are either homeless or have been abandoned by respective guardians?

Madam Speaker, my first question regarding legislation is: Do we have adequate legislation to deal with the problem at hand? Based on the report that has been presented, we appear to have sufficient legislation for dealing with the problem at hand. My second question is: Do we have an adequate policy framework for dealing with the problem? Again, to be fair, it looks like policies have been put in place. The third point, which brings me to my contribution, is the issue of funding of childcare facilities. I know from the report your Committee’s recommendation that we upscale funding. The Committee actually gives us figures of how much was provided in 2019, 2020 and late last year. However, my concern is on what is contained on page 9 of your Committee’s report, which is the recommendation that we use the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) programme to support families.

Madam Speaker, I will give a scenario. In Kitwe, we tried the option of getting the business community to support some childcare facilities. Mattresses were procured, beds were provided and food donated. However, it only took a month or two for the children who were being cared for to decide to go back to their respective homes where they had guardians, as most of the children who are provided for actually have homes where they come from. So, from that experience, my personal submission to your Committee is that we need to facilitate serious economic activities for the families where the children come from, and I tend to agree with the school of thought that we need to create a different fund for this purpose instead of using the SCT fund. This is because if you look at the amount of money that is allocated under the SCT programme, you will see that it is close to K400 every two months, which might not be adequate to support the families where the children come from.

Madam Speaker, no matter how much funding we put into childcare facilities, as long as the homes where the children come from and the guardian who are supposed to care for them are not involved in any economic activities, even the purpose for which the childcare facilities are created will not be served. So, I echo your Committee’s recommendation that a special fund be created to support families that have been identified. I say so because there is no child who does not have a guardian, parent or relative. What we, as a country, must do is allocate resources, maybe, in the 2023 National Budget or in the Supplementary Budget, to provide resources to the families of children who are going to care facilities because, clearly, those families need the resources, and I do not agree that the SCT programme is the solution. So, I recommend, as I support this Motion, that further to the proposals that have been made, we create a special fund that will allow for parents who care for vulnerable children to be supported economically. We are discussing a socio-economic issue and, I believe, funding should not be restricted to childcare facilities, but also provided to families so that we do not have children going back to respective places.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1640 hours until 1700hours.

[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Simumba (Nakonde): Thank you very much, Madam Speaker, for giving the people of Nakonde the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this very important report of the Committee on Youth, Sport and Child Matters. Let me state, from the outset, that I support the report, but with one or two concerns.

Madam Speaker, reading the report on the interactions that the Committee had, it is clear that there is some legal framework that is in place for managing childcare centres. In this regard, let me give credit to the Patriotic Front (PF) because before it came to power –

Hon. Government Member: Question!

Mr Simumba: Hear, hear!

Before the PF came into power, Madam Speaker, you may recall that there was no early childhood education. It is the PF that managed to introduce that, and we should give credit where it is due.

Madam Speaker, there are a number of gaps and many things that the report has indicated, especially where the inspection of care facilities is concerned. I refer you to page 5, paragraph 6.3.2, where, on the registration process for Childcare facilities and their regulation, the Committee reports that:

“Stakeholders submitted that before any person could open a childcare facility in Zambia, a needs assessment had to be carried out by the institution –”

Madam Speaker, now, you will find that there are some facilities that have never been inspected by officers. I do not even know whether we have such officers. Maybe, it is because of a lack of transport, as that is one of the challenges that we need to overcome.

Madam Speaker, the other challenge that I want to put across is that we do not have a school curriculum for childcare facilities. You will find that there is no approved curriculum from the Government in the centres. Hence, they have their own curricula. As you may be aware, developing a child should be integrated, which entails that the mental, social, spiritual and physical aspects of the child must all be developed. However, in some centres, you will find children just there playing while others are sleeping. At the end of the month, teachers will commend your child for being intelligent, yet he/she was just sleeping. When some child just jumps, the teacher will commend him or her and say he or she is intelligent or clever. So, we need to have a mechanism that will recommend for the facilities to have school curricula the same way primary and secondary schools do.

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, I submit that the Government should come up with a structured school curriculum and ensure that those people who have day-care centres follow it so that everything is programmed.

Madam Speaker, I submit and support the report.

Madam Speaker, I thank you,

Mr Mutelo: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: The hon. Member for Mitete has raised a point of order.

Mr Mutelo was inaudible.

Madam Speaker: As the staff are trying to locate him, the hon. Deputy Chief Whip may take the Floor.

Ms Kasune (Keembe): Thank you, Madam Speaker, for this opportunity to add my voice to the debate on the report that has been rendered in the House. The greatest gratitude goes to the chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Edgar Sing’ombe, as well as to the seconder, Hon. Chrizoster Phiri of Kabwe Central.

Madam Speaker, this report of yours is very important to the wellbeing of all Zambians, and I say so because any country that cares about the welfare of its children cares about continuity of society many generations into the future. I cannot remember who, exactly, but one of the Secretaries-General said:

“Show me how the young people are taken care of and I will tell you what kind of a nation you have”.

Madam Speaker, much of the progress that needs to be made, as has been communicated by His Excellency Hon. Hakainde Hichilema, the President of the Republic of Zambia, can only be made if we present the Child Code Bill to the House. This is very important. I think, the hon. Member of Parliament for Nalolo alluded to some of the inconsistencies in our current law, especially as it relates to defining who a child is. I will not repeat many of the points that have already been raised by the hon. Member. However, I want to add that without presenting the Child Code Bill, which is long overdue, to the House to be passed, we will continue to cry about the many defilement, child abuse and child-based violence cases being reported in this country because there is no harmonised definition of the child. Therefore, in supporting the report of your Committee, I want to emphasise the urgent need for the Child Code Bill to not only see the light of day in this House, but also to become law, as it will help us go a long way in protecting children. Can you imagine that as long as a child is sixteen years of age and there is consent by the parents or guardians, under the customary law in Zambia today, that child can be married. So, even though we have the Executive drive and the political will, as long as we do not look into the Child Code Bill, we will keep hitting a snag, and this is why it is very important that the recommendation in your report is implemented.

Madam Speaker, the second point I want to make is on the process of acquiring committal orders.

Madam Speaker, your Committee’s report clearly articulates the fact that in last ten years, there has been only one case of child trafficking. Most likely, there has just been no proper reporting of cases because the process of acquiring committal orders forever lags behind. Indeed, there are no committal orders to be worked on. Hence, there is no prosecution, let alone knowing what is going on with our children. We know very well that the world has changed and that our children are at risk of falling victim to the many child trafficking schemes around. Not too long ago, just this year, I was called to Keembe Constituency at the border Katuba where a concerned parent had seen children with somebody who looked like a stranger. The children said that they had been called to a function at an orphanage and that since they were starving, they were going there so that they could have shelter. After investigating the case, it was found out that there was no orphanage they were going to from Katuba to Keembe, and the man would have abducted the children. Fortunately, we worked quickly, and the issue was sorted out. Why do we have all these lacunae? It is because, somehow, we have not invested much into the wellbeing of our children.

Madam Speaker, a colleague of mine talked about what the Patriotic Front (PF) Government did regarding children. I rarely want to go political, but it is in this country during the previous Government where we found that many of our child welfare services were not funded. So, there is no point in our saying that the former Government did better when actuality, we have the responsibility and time to put things in place to ensure that institutions get the right funding and the welfare of children, who are our leaders not of tomorrow, but today, is looked into. In many places, you will find that the funding is erratic, which results in a lack of sufficient staff. However, anything related to children is very important, and it is in this regard that I urge that funding is looked into urgently.

Lastly, Madam Speaker, in the interest of time, it is also important that Safe Homes and One-Stop Centres are dotted around the whole country. Right now, districts like Chibombo, for example, only have one centre. So, even when abuses happen and they are well reported, away from the lack of transport and reporting machines that the officers need, you will also find that the children are usually forced to go back to their homes, where they are not safe. So, the children, guardians and the community begin to ask why they should even report cases when at the end of the day, the perpetrator gets away with murder, for lack of a better term. As they say, the children are still going to end up in homes where it is unsafe. It is important, therefore, to have the political will that His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema has already shown us. We have to make sure that the policies, funding and staff for child welfare programmes are in place because the will is there. This is an opportune time for all of us, as hon. Members of Parliament, to look at the plight of our children and, indeed, make the Child Code Bill see the light of day so that the child is defined in the right manner and the protection that children deserve is given to them so that this country develops like it should.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Minister of Community Development and Social Services (Mrs Mwamba): Madam Speaker, I would like to start by commending the Committee on Youth Sport and Child Matters for this very elaborate presentation of the report before this House. The report has identified important issues pertaining to the management of childcare facilities in Zambia with the ultimate aim of making them more responsive to the needs of our children.

Madam Speaker, the observations and recommendations in the report cover a number of areas that will be responded to in detail by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services through an Action-Taken Report. However, I would like to comment on a few outstanding ones, the first of which relates to poor and erratic funding of childcare facilities.

Madam Speaker, your Committee recommends that the Government establishes a well-defined mechanism that will cure the erratic and, in some cases, non-release of grants to some childcare facilities. The ministry has taken note of the recommendation of your Committee to establish mechanisms that will address issues of funding, and I inform this House that funding for 2022 has been released and increased from K597,992 in 2021 to K730,000. Further, there has been timely release of the funds from January to date.

Madam Speaker, the second issue that I want to comment on from the report is compliance with the minimum standards of care. The recommendation of your Committee is that the Government ensures that inspections of childcare facilities by the Department of Social Warfare are enhanced so as to ensure compliance with the minimum standards of care by the facilities. In this regard, the ministry has, this year, scaled up the inspections. That will be further enhanced by the recent decision by the Government to transfer staff from Chiefs Affairs to the Department of Social Welfare, as that will result in more staff to conduct inspections. In addition, the House may also wish to note that the Government enacted the Social Workers Association of Zambia Bill into law in the last Meeting of Parliament. That will facilitate full enforcement of the minimum standards of care. It will also speak to the Committee’s recommendation that the Government ensures that all caregivers in childcare facilities have the minimum qualifications, so as to safeguard the best interests of the children in their custody.

Madam Speaker, the third issue that I would like to flag up from the report is the strengthening of the National Social Protection Policy. The recommendation of your Committee is that the Government effectively promotes policies and programmes aimed at reducing the lifelong consequences of poverty and exclusion. In this regard, I inform the House that the ministry has begun preparations to revise the 2014 National Social Protection Policy with a view to incorporating emerging issues into it and enhancing programming on addressing poverty and vulnerability in the country.

Madam Speaker, in conclusion, your Committee has raised concern on the delayed enactment of the Child Code Bill into law and, in this regard, it has urged the Government to urgently enact the Bill into law, as the Bill contains a number of good provisions that are aimed at improving the welfare of children, including those in childcare facilities. The House may wish note that the internal legislative processes on the Bill have been concluded and the Bill will be tabled in Parliament during the current Meeting.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Minister of Youth, Sport and Arts (Mr Nkandu): Madam Speaker, first and foremost, I thank you most sincerely for giving me this opportunity to make a statement, I believe, through you to this august House and, indeed, to the whole nation, on the Report of the Committee on Youth, Sport and Child Matters. I also commend your Committee and, indeed, the mover and the seconder of the Motion for their detailed and insightful report on issues pertaining to children and the youth. I have no doubt in my mind that the report reflects issues that once acted upon, will contribute immensely to the betterment of the livelihoods of children and youths.

Madam Speaker, allow me to speak to the key issues raised.

Madam Speaker, on the implementation of the Youth Development Fund (YDF), the recommendation of your Committee is that the administration of the fund be moved to the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC). However, my ministry has successfully implemented youth empowerment programmes, especially the Multi-Sectoral Youth Empowerment Programme. That has been attributed to the measures that have been put in place to ensure effective and efficient implementation, one of them are the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities we have undertaken. The ministry has been going round, interacting with beneficiaries of youth empowerment programmes, and I am happy to announce that so far, it has made strides in receiving repayments from the beneficiaries.

Madam Speaker, I reiterate that my ministry attaches great importance to improving the livelihoods of young people in the country and that, therefore, it has designed programmes and activities that promote youth development and empowerment. To this end, this august House may wish to note that my ministry has continued to implement the Multi-Sectoral Youth Empowerment Programme, and it is our desire, as the New Dawn Administration, to ensure that more youths benefit from the programme. Further, allow me to mention that as the New Dawn Administration, our approach to implementing the Youth Empowerment Programme is anchored on non-discrimination, as observed by the hon. Member for Nalolo, and what was said is very true. There was discrimination in the way funds from empowerment programmes were disbursed. It is also true that some people who were not in the eighteen to thirty-five years age bracket got empowerment. This is an issue that we are grappling with, and we have now started removing those people. Actually, we have removed those who are above the age of thirty-five. So, the hon. Member for Nalolo was on firm ground when he said that some people who did not deserve to be given empowerment funds were given.

Madam Speaker, as I said earlier, we will not discriminate because we believe that every Zambian youth deserves to benefit from the Youth Empowerment Programme, as evidenced by the current approach of engaging the offices of hon. Members countrywide. I will give an example. When we were launching the National Health Scheme in Lusaka Province, we invited all the hon. Members of Parliament from every political party to be part of the launch. That was done so that the people represented by the hon. Members could benefit from the grants. So, this approach promotes unity and togetherness in the country and leads to national development.

Madam Speaker, as you are aware, the Government attaches great importance to issues of youth development. In this regard, the ministry has made strides in reviewing the National Youth Development Council Act, Chapter 144 of the Laws of Zambia. Further, in consultation with key stakeholders, a Cabinet Memorandum has been drafted and awaits Cabinet approval.

As I conclude my debate, Madam Speaker, I urge this august House to adopt the Report of the Committee on Youth, Sport and Child Development. I also wish to comment on child matters.

Madam Speaker, as some of our hon. Members here solicited to give credit to the Patriotic Front (PF), they needed to give more credit to the New Dawn Administration because we have been supporting families, and supporting families remains a priority to us, as evidenced by the increment of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), in which there are grants. Further, the Social Cash Transfer (SCT) amount has been increased, and that, definitely, supports families.

Mr Kampyongo: On a point of order, Madam Speaker.

Mr Nkandu: Madam Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Madam Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Hon. Member for Shiwang’andu, did you want to say something?

Mr Kampyongo: Madam Speaker, I just wanted to raise a point of order when the hon. Minister started digressing from the report, knowing that the issues of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) are under the ministry of the hon. Minister seated next to him and is not even in the report. So, I wanted to make it clear to the hon. Minister that he needed to stick to the report on the Floor.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: I think, the hon. Minister was responding to what the hon. Member for Nakonde said, but the hon. Member for Shiwang’andu was not in the House at that time.

That is on a lighter note.

Laughter

Madam Speaker: Hon. Member for Dundumwezi, wind up debate.

Mr Sing’ombe: Madam Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity.

Madam Speaker, I thank all hon. Members who have debated, namely the hon. Members for Lunte, Nalolo, Kamfinsa and Nakonde. I also thank the hon. Deputy Chief Whip and the two hon. Ministers who have acknowledged your Committee’s report.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Question put and agreed to.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Mr Mutinta (Itezhi-Tezhi): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that this House do adopt the Report of the Committee on Education, Science and Technology for the First Session of the Thirteenth National Assembly, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 8^th June, 2022.

Madam Speaker: Is the Motion seconded?

Ms Mwamba (Kasama Central): Madam Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.

Mr Mutinta: Madam Speaker, in accordance with its terms of reference, as set out in the National Assembly Standing Orders, your Committee considered one topical issue, namely the Review of the Implementation of Zambia’s School Re-Entry Policy. It also considered the Action-Taken-Report on its report for the Fifth Session of the Twelfth National Assembly.

Madam Speaker, during its study, your Committee interacted with several stakeholders who tendered both written and oral submissions before it. I have no doubt that the hon. Members here have taken time to read your Committee’s report. Allow me, therefore, to only highlight a few critical findings of your Committee.

Madam Speaker, the Zambia School Re-Entry Policy was launched in 1997, that is, barely twenty-one years ago. The policy provided for girls who drop out of school due to pregnancy to be re-admitted into school after giving birth, and it is grounded in the outcomes of the Beijing Conference of 1995, where the women’s movement drew up its priorities and action plan. Among the priorities was the demand for girls who dropped out of school due to pregnancy to be re-admitted in order for them to continue pursuing their educational dreams.

Madam Speaker, it a well-known fact that the benefits of education in improving the overall quality of life multiply when there is increased participation of girls and women. The School Re-Entry Policy, therefore, is a very important initiative in this country.

Madam Speaker, since 1997, the Zambian Government has been allowing girls who fall pregnant to take leave and then continue with their education after delivering. Despite this policy being in place, it is shocking that an increasing number of girls do not return to school after giving birth. The annual statistics from the Ministry of Education Statistical Bulletin of 2017 show that pregnancies have remained a challenge in the education system in this country, both at the primary and secondary levels. Further, data from the Zambia Demographic Health Survey of 2014 shows that each year, approximately 30 per cent of our girls drop out of school due to pregnancies. These are worrisome statistics that require the attention by this House.

Madam Speaker, let me now touch on some of the specific challenges observed by the Committee in the course of its work.

Madam Speaker, the first thorny issue is the absence of a Statutory Instrument (SI) to support the implementation of the School Re-Entry Policy. Your Committee is greatly concerned that the provision in Section 25 of the Education Act No. 23 of 2011 is not supported by an SI as required by Section 25(3). Given this challenge, your Committee strongly recommends that the Government, specifically, the hon. Minister of Education, issues an SI that will support the implementation of the policy.

Madam Speaker, another issue is the low number of girls getting re-admitted in schools compared to the high number of girls dropping out due to pregnancies. There are many reasons the girls avoid getting back to school, including a lack of financial and material support, stigmatisation by fellow learners and teachers, and family pressure for them to marry, especially in rural areas like Itezhi-Tezhi. In this regard, your Committee strongly urges the Government to take concrete steps to address all the issues that hinder girls from getting back to school after giving birth and ensure that the number of girls returning to school is increased.

Madam Speaker, your Committee is greatly concerned that there is very little knowledge of the School Re-Entry Policy among learners and hon. Members of Parliament. I am sure, that includes the hon. Members of Parliament who are here. Inadequate awareness among citizens has negatively impacted the effective implementation of this policy. Your Committee, therefore, strongly implores the Government to implement robust sensitisation and awareness programmes on the policy, and the sensitisation programmes should be implemented at both national and local levels through radio and television programmes and physical meetings with various stakeholders.

Madam Speaker, your Committee also observes, with great concern, that most school managers lack understanding of the School Re-Entry Policy and its implementation. It is also concerned that the failure of school managers and teachers to adequately understand the policy has contributed to its ineffective implementation. In this regard, your Committee strongly urges the Government to take drastic measures to re-orient all teachers on the implementation of the policy as a matter of urgency.

Madam Speaker, I urge the Executive to study and implement the recommendations contained in your Committee’s report for the benefit of this country. Let me also appeal to all hon. Members of this House to support the report of this Committee.

Madam Speaker, I wish to conclude by thanking all the stakeholders who appeared before your Committee. Lastly, let me thank you and the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly for the guidance and support rendered to your Committee throughout the session.

Madam Speaker, I beg to move.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Does the seconder wish to speak now or later?

Ms Mwamba: Now, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I beg to second the Motion that this House adopts the Report of the Committee on Education, Science and Technology. In seconding the Motion, allow me to make a few comments.

Madam Speaker, during our tour of duty, it was noted that there was inadequate trained staff to offer guidance and counselling services and that the guidance and counselling services were mostly offered by teachers who also had subjects to teach. Hence, guidance and counselling was considered not very important. So, we urge that guidance and counselling services be given priority in schools and treated as a subject so that learners can get full counselling and guidance.

Madam Speaker, we noted that most faith-based schools did not adhere to the policy on re-entry of girl children who fall pregnant. Therefore, there is a need for the Government to reach common ground with such schools so that both faith-based and Government schools can start permitting children who drop out of school to be re-admitted. Further, the lack of a re-entry case management system in schools means that learners who drop out of school due to pregnancy are not follow-up and encouraged to go back to school by officers from the schools or district offices.

Madam Speaker, comprehensive sexuality education in schools is not fully implemented. In the world that we live in, issues of sexuality are found on social media and television. However, schools are not giving them full attention. So, the Government needs to consider enhancing sexuality education in all schools so that all learners are given advice on how to go about certain life issues.

Madam Speaker, there is also a need for the Government to look into the expiry of examination numbers. When a learner falls pregnant, the examination number eventually lapses, and the learner cannot sit for examinations. The learner will then have to repeat upon re-entry, which is very discouraging to most learners. So, we urge that those who are affected have a waiver on the expiry of their examination numbers. In line with the same, the General Certificate of Examination (GCE) is also a bit stiff for most dropouts. So, it is important for the Government to have a deliberate policy of exempting the affected girls.

Madam Speaker, most girl children are very affected in that after having a child, they cannot return to school because they have no one to look after that child, as their parents are also busy. Given the importance of the Re-Entry Policy, we need to look into that. We, therefore, call upon all the stakeholders to consider that a girl child needs education. Yes, she might have made a mistake, and we are not encouraging that. What we urge is that every girl child be permitted to go back to school because every person has human rights and is encouraged to go forward in life.

Madam Speaker, I will end with the African saying that “If you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation”.

Madam Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Daka (Msanzala): Madam Speaker, I thank the mover of the Motion, Hon. Twaambo Mutinta, and the seconder. I would like to echo one or two issues that your Committee has raised.

Madam Speaker, one of the concerns are the Safe Houses for girls who go back to school with their children. Those houses would enable the girls to interact with their children as they learn. So, we urge the Government to put in place such measures so that children and their mothers are in one safe place.

Madam Speaker, the other point I want to echo is the inadequacy of staff. It is true that many teachers who provide guidance and counselling services just do so on a part-time basis. However, if a portfolio was provided for them through the Ministry of Education, that would really motivate them, and they would really perform in their duties because they would have the chance to interact with fellow teachers and the learners. This is because guidance teachers are not only there to guide learners, but also to guide their fellow teachers.

Madam Speaker, the other point I want to comment on is free education. It is true that there is a problem, especially when our girl child goes back to school. In some instances, you will find that examination numbers have expired. The expiration of examination numbers affects our learners because they need to pay more money for them to be readmitted to sit for the General Certificate of Education (GCE), which disadvantages our girl child. So, we would like the Government to look into those issues so as enhance the education of the girl child.

Madam Speaker, with these few remarks, I support the report.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Fube (Chilubi): Madam Speaker, I want to address myself to the issues around the Re-entry Policy, specifically those that have been underlined from pages 4 to 15 of your Committee’s report.

Madam Speaker, on page 4, there are issues to do with the Public Welfare Assistance Scheme (PWAS), Keeping Girls in School (KGS), and the Girls’ Education and Women’s Empowerment and Livelihood (GEWEL), which are some of the initiatives to keep our girls in school. To play the devil’s advocate, I say that we are actually mopping water from a leaking tap instead of repairing the tap. Why do I say so? Let me address myself to point “x” on page 14 of the report, which addresses the lack of emphasis on comprehensive sexuality education in schools. It is said that prevention is better than cure. However, many are the times we have targeted offshoots of the main problem while neglecting it.

Madam Speaker, in 2014, the Government introduced a curriculum on comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education. That programme, which targets learners from Grades 5 to 12, includes an array of different options for schoolgirls and boys. This means that issues of teenage pregnancies, child abortions and the like can be prevented through that route. However, that is a route that we, as a nation, seem to have neglected. As we speak, children do not have access to obstetric procedures, therapeutic and emergency services, health information, participation in research, contraceptive services, voluntary male medical circumcision and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) testing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) as part of the comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education package. I am emphasising this point because I believe that the many pseudo-boarding houses that are all over the place, accommodating the age group that I can loosely refer to as children, that is, from zero to eighteen years, who are in either primary or secondary school – in rural areas, due to distances the children have to cover to access education, especially secondary education, young people just go into makeshift structures that serve as their accommodation and expose themselves to vulnerability to falling pregnant. This summons the conscience of the nation, especially on what guidance teachers in schools should address among pupils.

Madam Speaker, do we have child-friendly corners specifically for dealing with the issue of sexuality, which we ignore? Many are the times issues of comprehensive sexual education come up, but we project a holier-than-thou attitude and talk about our traditional and Christian values. I cannot run away from the fact that we are Christians, but human sexuality is a reality, too.

Madam Speaker, I would also like to speak to the spirit of the National Child Policy which, among other issues, addresses the issue of children growing up in a safe and supportive environment. This means that children have to be free from violence, abuse and negligence. What is currently happening is that we are exposing children to violence, be it sexual, physical, emotional or many other types of it we may talk about. We also expose children to different forms of abuse and neglect. Having said that, my appeal is that when we talk about the Re-Entry Policy, we should address the post-pregnancy period, which is critical for the girl child since, during this time, there is no male in the picture who is suffering and going through the same things as the girl child, who is tormented and given an environment and the veil of a mother. Sometimes, the guidance teacher does not come in to cushion the pressures on the mind of the girl child. Before this girl child is exposed to a classroom, she has a classroom in her mind that disturbs her. So, the problem can only be solved by addressing issues surrounding comprehensive sexuality and reproductive health.

Madam Speaker, as I indicated earlier, prevention is better than cure. With it, we will not be having unsafe abortions among our children, or the numbers will reduce. Unfortunately, we have not prioritised the financing of reproductive and maternal health in our national Budget, because we are told that 90 per cent of financing, especially under the Integrated Family Planning Scale-Up Plan of Zambia, is done by donors, and that is putting the lives of our children in other people’s hands. So, it is important that we bring that funding under the mainstream Budget of our country and venture into serious sexuality education in schools as a preventative measure. Currently, we are trying to mop water from a leaking tap instead of repairing the tap.

Madam Speaker, I submit that the way to go is comprehensive sexuality education because all the other measures that we have tried to keep the girl child in school have failed us. Let us try this measure that we are all scared of and see whether it is going to tick. In any case, those who talk about values should know that comprehensive sexuality education also includes the issue of values, both Christian and traditional.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Thank you, hon. Member, for using your time to the fullest.

Laughter

Mr Lubozha (Chifubu): Madam Speaker, thank you for giving the people of Chifubu –

Madam Speaker: Order!

Are you a member of the Committee?

Mr Lubozha: Yes, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Sorry, hon. Member. We want to give the hon. Members who are not members of the Committee to debate, since we do not have enough time.

Mr Lubozha: Just a short one, Madam Speaker.

Laughter

Madam Speaker: No, hon. Member. I think, let us be fair to the others.

Ms Phiri (Milanzi): Madam Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to the debate on the Report of your Committee on Education, Science and Technology. From the outset, I would like to say that I agree with what is contained in your Committee’s report and that I support it.

Madam Speaker, I will go straight to the observations and recommendations of the report.

Madam Speaker, I draw your attention to page 11 of the report where one of the observations that your Committee makes is the absence of a Statutory Instrument (SI) to support the School Re-Entry Policy. While the Education Act No.23 of 2011, Section 25(2) and (3) spells out that pupils who fall pregnant can be readmitted into school, Section 25(3) suggests that the hon. Minister of Education should issue an SI to enforce the policy. In this regard, I urge the hon. Minister to issue the SI.

Madam Speaker, the second observation is on the low number of girls being readmitted, and there are a number of factors contributing to that. Among them are discrimination, stigmatisation and some girls being forced into early marriages after falling pregnant. In this regard, it is important to ensure that girls who fall pregnant are readmitted into school, and I wish to also observe that there are a number of laws that compel the Government to act against any person seen to be working against the School Re-Entry Policy.

The third point, Madam Speaker, is inadequate knowledge of the School Re-Entry Policy among learners and communities. Your Committee observed that, and it is my considered view that more effort should be put into the spreading of information on the policy among learners and communities. That will ensure that no girl child who falls pregnant is left behind.

Madam Speaker, my fourth point is on the lack of understanding of the School Re-entry Policy by school managers. So, there is a need for school managers to be re-oriented and trained on the policy to ensure smooth implementation. It is equally important that school managers are made aware of the urgency that is attached to the implementation of this policy.

Madam Speaker, the fifth point I wish to make is on inadequate trained staff to offer guidance and counselling services. There is a need for a deliberate policy that will ensure teachers and school managers are trained in how to offer guidance and counselling. Like your Committee, I strongly recommend that more trained counsellors be recruited to offer counselling services, which will contribute to the effective implementation of the School Re-Entry Policy.

Madam Speaker, I wish to also draw your attention to the non-implementation of the School Re-Entry Policy in some faith-based schools, as some schools consider this an issue of morality and an act that can negatively influence other learners. In this regard, there is a need for the Government to engage the authorities in such schools so that they consider re-admitting girls who fall pregnant.

Madam Speaker, the Education Act No. 23 of 2011, Section 25(4), clearly stipulates that:

“A person who contravenes subsection (2) commits an offence and is liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding two hundred thousand penalty units or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years, or to both.”

Madam Speaker, another observation that was made by your Committee is the expiry of examination numbers. In this regard, the Ministry of Education should consider allowing re-admitted pupils who are in examination classes to use their old examination numbers so that they do not repeat two or more grades.

Madam Speaker, I also wish to draw your attention to the payment of examination fees under the General Certificate of Education (GCE) by re-admitted girls. The Ministry of Education should consider paying examination fees for girls who are re-admitted under GCE because examination numbers would have expired and, as you may be aware, free education does not apply to learners under GCE.

Madam Speaker, as I conclude, I commend your Committee for the commendable job it did.

Madam, I support the report.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr J. Chibuye (Roan): Madam Speaker, thank you very much for allowing me to add my voice to the debate on the Report of the Committee on Education, Science and Technology, laid on the Table by the hon. Member for Itezhi-Tezhi.

Madam Speaker, in supporting this Motion, I agree with the observations of your Committee in some instances. It is, indeed, worrying that 30 per cent of our girl children drop out of school because that is quite a big number.

Madam Speaker, whilst appreciating the School Re-Entry Policy of the Government for the girl child, and much as we are fighting the problem of the girl child getting pregnant, I think, we should also ask ourselves what the root cause of our girl children getting pregnant is. What drives them to getting pregnant? I am aware that we have laws in this country that are applied when someone is abused or an underaged child is engaged. However, if you look at today’s generation, you will see that our girl children are getting ripe and ready for work at a very tender age. So, if she does not get pregnant, by sixteen years, the girl child would have completed school. This means that we have a tall order when it comes to ensuring that our girl child finishes school, and the question is: Why is it that so many of our girl children are getting pregnant? What is the root cause? What measures is the Government putting in place, apart from the School Re-Entry Policy, to ensure that the other players, those who make girls pregnant, are also sensitised and taught about the danger of making girls pregnant?

Madam Speaker, it is saddening that things look rosy in urban areas or in the central business districts (CBD), but if you go into the outskirts or peri-urban areas like the constituency where the mover of the Motion is from, Itezhi-Tezhi, you will find a sorry sight, as girls as young as fourteen years old carry other babies on their backs, meaning that they are mothers. So, I am of the view that we need to do a lot of sensitisation of not only the girl child, but also of every well-meaning Zambian, especially males, so that they are also involved in this fight. It is saddening that the people who are supposed to protect girl children from abuse and defilement are in the forefront of perpetrating the vices, and those are the people we need to take stock of. We also need to do a lot of post-education to the children and teach them the danger of getting pregnant. Some girls, once they get pregnant, it becomes a challenge for them to stop. So, we need to emphasise that now is the time for the necessary line ministries to come in and ensure that a lot of sensitisation is done.

Madam Speaker, on top of the laws that we, as a country have regarding child defilement, abuse or molestation, I think, we need to do more. We need to put more stringent measures in place to ensure that whoever is found wanting, especially the people who are supposed to be protectors of the girl child, be they teachers or uncles, are brought to book. Sadly enough, guardians like fathers are also engaging in such illicit activities.

Madam Speaker, in supporting this Motion, I urge the Government to come up with deliberate policies and push in more money to ensure that many outreach programmes are implemented to sensitise and educate the girl child on the beauty of being independent. Today, even if a girl is educated, if she does not earn a salary, there will be challenges in the home. I am always telling my children that a man is a man and that a girl will only be independent once she starts working and drawing a salary. Even if a man is brutalising a woman, as long as the woman is earning your salary, then, she will be comfortable. So, we need a lot of sensitisation in this area.

Madam Speaker, with those few remarks, I support the Motion.

Madam Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Wamunyima: Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. Member for Itezhi-Tezhi for moving the Motion to adopt this report.

Madam Speaker, when I was looking at the report and the School Re-Entry Policy, I realised that in rural constituencies, the biggest challenge we face is that once the girl child drops out of school, because of the nature of traditional marriages, that girl child is married off and she will have challenges going back to school full-time. In this regard, the only option is the General Certificate of Education (GCE), which does not fall under the policy of free education. So, I support the recommendation in the report that a Statutory Instrument (SI) be issued. That SI should be specific, especially when it comes to GCE. Nonetheless, the advent of free education has changed the state of affairs to some extent.

Madam Speaker, I also draw your attention to pages 15 to 17 of the report, which address the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TEVET) programmes, Levels II And III certificates, which are not recognised by the Zambia Qualifications Authority (ZAQA). This mismatch between TEVET programmes and the ZAQA framework poses a challenge to the advancement of science and technology. With the increase in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) amount, which entails an increased amounts of resources going closer to the people, the absence of a clear monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mechanism for TEVET programmes poses a challenge to determining what the requirements are.

Madam Speaker, you may also want to note that on page 21, there is the issue of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), on which there is also a problem. As we are gathered here today, our country does not even have a university of science and technology. If you look at the report, especially on page 22, you can see that in advancing other options, there is less emphasis on STEM in non-STEM schools. So, we do agree with this report and encourage the Executive to look at the recommendations, as implementing them would really improve the state of affairs. Harmonisation of TEVET programmes with ZAQA standards will also be a factor. When you look at most of the TEVET schools in our provinces, you will see that because of the mismatch between ZAQA standards and TEVET programmes, the encouragement of the youth or those who drop out – TEVET programmes require a lower qualification threshold than undergraduate university programmes.

Madam Speaker, with those few remarks, I support the report.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Miyutu (Kalabo Central): Thank you, Madam Speaker. Let me also thank your Committee on Education, Science and Technology for a fabulous report on the subject of the re-entry of the girl child into school.

Whilst reading the report, Madam Speaker, I visualised the rural areas, including Kalabo. Questions are posed, and the major question, like the hon. Member for Roan asked, is: What is the cause? When you visit the institutions of learning in rural areas, you can see what the causes of increased incidence of pregnancies are, which are also preventing the re-entry of girls into schools. The re-entry rate is either negative or very low.

Madam Speaker, since human beings have a natural instinct to perpetuate the survival of their species, they get entangled in activities that result in pregnancies. Quite alright, the Government has opened doors for girls to go back to school, but, for me, what matters is the cause. What is the Government doing to reduce the incidence of pregnancies? The first cause is that when going to school, children walk long distances, especially in the rural areas. Secondly, when they reach schools, they do not find teachers there, and they are made to go back. So, the children develop a tendency to not like school, and they live and grow up without education being delivered to them. What happens thereafter? As other speakers have highlighted, we live in a cultural or traditional set-up in which marriage is cardinal. So, alongside all the recommendations and observations that your Committee has made, I really urge the Government to continue with the measure that we are seeing of increasing the number of teachers in schools. I am sure that as the number of teachers increases, education will be delivered, and we will capture our girl child in the school. That will lead to a reduction in the incidence of pregnancies. So, I am very hopeful that the number of pregnancies will go down because of the increase in the number of teaching staff in schools.

Madam Speaker, where some of us come from, there used to be trained school counsellors. In the afternoons, those counsellors would invite students and interact with them, indicating to them what is in their communities. Alas! We reached a level where those positions just existed on paper. The teachers and counsellors were not in existence, and the children were just left unattended to. Therefore, we urge the Government that the teachers should not just appointed by the school administrators to become counsellors, but they should be trained so that they become professional counsellors. That way, we will cut down on the incidence of pregnancies.

Madam Speaker, many speakers have talked about the fact that whilst the Government has a policy of re-entry into schools for girls who fall pregnant, there is the issue of the expiry of examination numbers. In a rural area, it is not easy to raise the money. Therefore, I urge the Government to extend the free education policy to girls who go back to school after falling pregnant. The girls should not be made to pay fees like K300. It is easy, when in an urban area, to talk of K300, but when you are in a typical village, raising K300 is a big mountain to climb, and their failure to raise the money is a barrier to their access to education.

Madam Speaker, with those few words, I support the report.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

The Minister of Education (Mr Syakalima): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I also thank your Committee for this good report.

Madam Speaker, in terms of the policy and legal framework on the implementation of Zambia’s School Re-Entry Policy, the Education Act of 2011 and the Education Policy are currently undergoing a review for amendments that will include strengthening the legal framework for supporting the re-entry policy. In terms of challenges faced in the implementation of the policy, and in addition to what the ministry is doing, there is a need for stakeholders to strengthen sensitisation and awareness programmes. In this vein, we invite the private sector to come on board and support this cause so that we can address all the challenges comprehensively.

Madam Speaker, with regards to the implementation of the school re-entry policy in the schools toured by your Committee, as I said, we need a lot of support from the stakeholders to comprehensively provide a conducive environment for the girl child in the provision of education. For example, what your Committee observed on page 11, Section 7.9(4) is common and requires effort not only from the Government, but also from parents and the private sector. The Committee says that some parents were not willing to inform the school managements when their daughters fell pregnant. Instead, they opted to handle the matter at village level. Even in instances when the school was informed about the pregnancy, some parents were not willing to sign maternity leave forms for their daughters. That, again, is hampering the implementation of the re-entry Policy.

Madam Speaker, many of the observations of your Committee will be taken into account.

I thank you, Madam Speaker.

Mr Mutinta: Madam Speaker, thank you very much for giving your Committee the opportunity to wind up debate. I also thank all hon. Members of Parliament who contributed to this debate.

Madam Speaker, Hon. Elias Daka contributed on the issue of safe houses, Hon. Fube spoke passionately about the need for comprehensive sexuality education as a solution to the problem we are grappling while Hon. Chibwe spoke about faith-based schools and the need for counsellors. I thank Hon. J. Chibuye for his passionate contribution on funding and outreach programmes that we need to put in place. I also thank the hon. Member of Parliament for Nalolo for debating issues to do with the SI, which is key to ensuring that the policy is substantiated and sees the light of day. Hon. Miyutu talked about the root causes of young people falling pregnant and the challenges that the young people of this Republic are facing. Finally, I thank the hon. Minister for his contribution, which was about the policy and legal framework from the Government’s point of view. We are very grateful that a commitment has been made to deal with most of the teething issues around the policy, which has been in existence for over twenty-two years without fully achieving its objectives.

I submit and thank you for giving us this opportunity, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker: Thank you, hon. Member for Itezhi-Tezhi, but you forgot to thank the hon. Member for Milanzi.

Question put and agreed to.

ADJOURNMENT

The Vice-President (Mrs Nalumango): Madam Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Question put and agreed to.

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The House adjourned at 1825 hours until 1430 hours on Wednesday, 22^nd June, 2022.

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