DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE SECOND SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Wednesday, 6th March, 2013

The House met at 1430 hours

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

__________

ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MR SPEAKER

COMMEMORATION OF Commonwealth DAY

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Zambia Branch, will join the rest of the Commonwealth countries in commemorating the Commonwealth Day on Monday, 11th March, 2013, and has arranged activities involving youths drawn from the ten provinces of Zambia. The activities include an essay competition on the topic, “Does the Commonwealth Provide Enterprise Opportunity for Young People?” This is in line with this year’s theme, which is, “Opportunity through Enterprise”.

The other activity that has been lined up is a discussion by two Members of the Executive Committee of the CPA, Zambia Branch, on Parliament Radio. The discussion, which will focus on the commemoration of the Commonwealth Day, will be aired live on Parliament Radio on Thursday, 7th March, 2013. Hon. Members are encouraged to tune in to the station and listen to the discussion.

I also wish to invite all hon. Members of Parliament, as CPA Branch Members, to attend the commemoration of the Commonwealth Day on Monday, 11th March, 2013, at 0830 hours, in the auditorium, Parliament Buildings.

I urge hon. Members to give support to this important event on the CPA calendar.

I thank you.

ASKING SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS

Hon. Members, I have noted that a number of hon. Members have not acquainted themselves with the rules governing the administration of supplementary questions in the House. As a result, there is an unfortunate growing practice of asking supplementary questions without following laid-down procedures. 

Hon. Members should note that a supplementary question is, in a sense, a response to an answer given by an hon. Cabinet Minister to a Question for Oral Answer that is on the Order Paper. In this regard, a supplementary question should arise out of the principal question under consideration by the House. 

Having given that brief background, I wish to guide the House on the procedure that will be followed, from now on, in raising supplementary questions. My guidance is as follows:

(a)hon. Members should be silent and listen carefully when hon. Ministers are responding to Questions for Oral Answer. Listening quietly and carefully will enable hon. Members to avoid asking supplementary questions whose answers have already been provided in the responses by the hon. Ministers;

(b)when called upon to ask a supplementary question, hon. Members should avoid prefacing their questions with long preambles, explanations, comments or lamentations;

(c)an hon. Member may ask only one supplementary question;

(d)supplementary questions should be related to the subject matter of the principal question put before an hon. Minister; and

(e)supplementary questions should be brief and based on the facts of the principal question.

In conclusion, hon. Members should take note of these basic guidelines on the administration of supplementary Questions in the House. Adhering to this guidance will ensure that valuable time is not wasted and the purpose of the question is not obscured.

I thank you.

__________

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

BAN ON EXPORTS OF MAIZE AND MAIZE MEAL

The Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Sichinga): Mr Speaker, may I, once again, thank you for granting me permission to make a ministerial statement to this august House on the status of exports of maize and mealie-meal, especially in light of the shortages that have been observed in a number of centres, including Solwezi, Kasama and Chipata. 

Sir, with particular reference to its effects on the 2012/2013 Agricultural Marketing Season, the status of the maize and mealie-meal exports is as I will explain.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Can we have order on the right. Your colleague is addressing the House and the nation at large.

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I make specific reference to the adequacy or otherwise of the strategic maize reserves that are held by the Food Reserve Agency (FRA). During the 2011/2012 Agricultural Season, Zambia recorded an estimated 2,850,000 metric tonnes of maize production. That came on the back of unfavourable maize production figures in most countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) regions. 

Sir, at the commencement of the 2012/2013 Marketing Season, the carry-over stocks held by the FRA, millers, grain traders and other major stakeholders was 770,931 metric tonnes. The carry-over quantities and the new output for 2012 resulted in a marketable maize surplus of more than 1,035,333 metric tonnes. Due to this situation, the FRA was encouraged to sell about 1,517,000 metric tonnes of the carry-over maize. These stocks were sold in order to provide space for the new output purchased during the 2012 Season. 

Sir, let me outline the rise in quantities of purchased maize in order to reflect what has taken place. 

Season        Production 
    (Metric Tonnes)
            
2003/2004    54,778
            
2004/2005    105,279

2005/2006    78,566

2006/2007    389,510

 2007/2008    415,948

 2008/2009    73,876 

2009/2010    198,630

2010/2011    883,036

2011/2012    1,751,660

2012/2013    1,045,897

Sir, during the 2011/2012 Marketing Season, the FRA, as I have indicated, purchased 1,045,897 metric tonnes of maize from small-scale farmers, valued at KR 1,359,666,100.

Mr Speaker, due to the fact that most of the countries in SADC, including the Great Lakes Region and parts of East Africa, experienced maize deficits, our country experienced an unprecedented high demand for maize from the regional market. It should also be noted that, while the above-mentioned maize surplus was a major blessing for Zambia and its farmers, it presented a number of challenges the result of which was a rise in maize and mealie-meal prices which, though welcome for our farmers, meant that consumer prices would rise even within the domestic market. The demand exerted immense pressure on the Zambian maize stock and threatened national food security. There were also reports of shortages of maize bran on the open market, which impacted on the supply of stock feed. This was due to the increased demand from exporters, especially those who were exporting unprocessed grain, instead of products like bran.

Mr Speaker, in order to address the situation, my predecessor introduced an administrative restriction on maize exports with the exception of exports meant for humanitarian requirements under the World Food Programme (WFP). In addition, to enhance the Government’s decision-making position, a maize stock verification exercise was undertaken to ascertain the quantities of maize stocks that were physically there at the FRA. I am pleased to report that this exercise was concluded two weeks ago and the results indicated that, at the beginning of January, 2013, there was 916,934.44 metric tonnes of maize in storage facilities throughout the country. 

Sir, it should be noted that, although the country has a storage capacity of 1,814,000 metric tonnes, only 1,515,350 metric tonnes, representing 84 per cent, is usable. Further, only half of the storage capacity described as usable, about 743,200 metric tonnes, is made up of secure storage sheds and silos while about 52 per cent is on hard-standing surfaces. Some of the hard-standing surfaces are of bases made of logs. The maize stored on these surfaces is covered with tarpaulins and exposed to rapid deterioration during the rainy season due to high humidity, both from the ground and the openings in the tents. 

Mr Speaker, in order to mitigate the rising mealie-meal prices on the domestic market, the agency was allowed to offload some maize to millers from its stocks, starting December, 2012. The agency sold just under 184,000 metric tonnes to millers and communities between 1st January and 26th February, 2013. This left a balance of 733,529 metric tonnes of good quality maize grain purchased in 2012. This quantity is more than sufficient to last until the 2013/2014 Harvest Season, on the basis of the current average domestic consumption of about 100,000 tonnes every month. 

Mr Speaker, based on the above, it is clear that there are sufficient maize reserves at the FRA to meet all the domestic requirements and leave some excess stocks for export. The reason exporting is necessary is that, otherwise, the stocks would deteriorate due to poor storage. 

Sir, currently, some of our neighbours require various amounts of maize. These include Tanzania, which has serious shortages and has requested about 40,000 metric tonnes; Zimbabwe, which has asked for 150,000 metric tonnes; and the WFP, which has asked for 4,000 metric tonnes. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) might also need some.

Mr Speaker, the sale of some of the current stocks will not only contribute to required revenues for the repayment of bank loans obtained by the FRA under Treasury guarantee, but will also free the much-needed storage space in order to accommodate the 2013 harvest stocks. 

Further, Mr Speaker, I am concerned that, due to the shortage of secure storage space, in the form of sheds and silos, more than 30 per cent of the crop that is purchased annually goes to waste. My worry is that even the current stocks will similarly get spoilt, as it is on slabs or, worse still, logs covered with tarpaulins, as I have already explained.

Sir, we are observing a declining trend in maize or grain prices on the South African Futures Exchange (SAFEX) market due to the anticipated favourable maize production by South African producers. This poses another challenge, that of the diminished value of the current maize stocks.

Mr Speaker, although the results of the crop forecast surveys, which are carried out jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the Central Statistical Office (CSO), will only be known towards the end of April, 2013, assuming that the five-year-rolling average trends are maintained, our initial analysis of maize production throughout the country – and I must emphasise that these figures are preliminary and will need to be revised significantly – indicates that the 2012/2013 Farming Season is likely to yield above 2 million metric tonnes. If we assume an annual consumption requirement of 2.5 million metric tonnes, the country will have a shortfall of around 500 metric tonnes, which will be covered by the current carry-over strategic reserves of around 500 metric tonnes. Hence, we will have a balanced situation.

Sir, by policy, the FRA is not allowed to offload its maize stock onto the domestic market after the end of April each year. This is to ensure that the output from the farmers onto the open market in the new season does not disrupt or suppress the maize prices at the time of harvest. In view of the foregoing, my intention is to allow the FRA to export up to 200 metric tonnes of maize and provide some to all the millers that require it until the end of April.

Mr Speaker, as I have indicated, the shortfall will be more than covered by the stocks that we have in the reserve. The selling of stocks by the FRA will also minimise further losses of maize and help to create storage space for the new stocks that will come in this year. I have just come from a field day at the Seed Company of Zambia (SEEDCO), and the indication from the 600 farmers who were there were that, despite the challenges of last year, their crop season looks bright.

In light of the foregoing facts, Sir, I hereby announce that there will be a partial lifting of the restrictions on maize exports. However, this is intended to fulfil outstanding contractual obligations only. Accordingly, with immediate effect, all dealers with existing contractual commitments will be allowed to export maize grain, mealie-meal, maize grit and under-grade maize. No one will be restricted if they have their own maize.

Sir, in future, only value-added maize products and under-grade maize will be allowed to be exported. I emphasise that only existing contractual commitments must be authenticated by show of some form of proof that will be required by my ministry before any export licences may be issued.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: As we proceed to ask questions on points of clarification on the statement issued by the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, please, bear in mind the counsel that I gave earlier this afternoon.

Interruptions

Mr Mbulakulima (Chembe): Mr Speaker, the gross domestic product (GDP) that does not trickle down to the grassroots, but just ends on paper, is pointless. The statements that you give in Parliament …

Mr Speaker: There we go with the long prefaces. I want to check this from the outset. Hon. Member for Chembe Constituency, take your seat. 

I note that some of you prepare statements and notes for long and winding preambles even before the ministerial statement is issued. How can it be so? Whatever the case, whether announced or not, you must simply ask questions. I will not hesitate to curtail you if you begin with preambles. 

Hon. Member for Chembe Constituency, ask a question.

Mr Mbulakulima: Mr Speaker, I thank you most sincerely. Hon. Minister, the price of mealie-meal in Zambezi, today, is about K120,000. You and the President have made assurances in regard to maize. Where does the problem lie? Who is in control of this commodity in this country? What will the people do to get protection? Where will they go?

Mr Speaker: Also, bear in mind that it is only one question that should be asked by each person.

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, as I have indicated, the country has sufficient grain stocks. I have checked with all the millers, apart from only one, which is not part of the Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ), hon. Member of Parliament for Chembe Constituency, and all have indicated that they have sufficient grain stocks. The challenge is that most of them are in Lusaka. Currently, we have a free market. The shortages of mealie-meal that we are experiencing are not because of inadequate stocks of grain, but because of the milling capacity being restricted to respective areas. That is what is creating the shortage that we are talking about and, clearly, dealers are taking advantage of the situation to increase prices. However, in future, we will encourage investors like you to invest in new localities. All the provinces, except for Lusaka and the Copperbelt, have shortfalls. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chungu (Luanshya): Mr Speaker, we have just been told that we have sufficient stocks of maize in the country, yet I have just come from Luanshya and there is a shortage of mealie-meal. Why is that so?

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I have just answered that question. I said that we do not have a sufficient milling capacity, particularly in the provinces.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, millers on the Copperbelt and in Lusaka are the ones that are also supplying the outlying areas. The challenge is that, when delivering to places like Solwezi and Chipata, there is an additional cost. Therefore, the millers tend to fill the local demand first before going to the outlying areas. I emphasise that the problem is that there is a shortage of milling capacity in the provincial centres.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Sing’ombe (Dundumwezi): Mr Speaker, why did this Government destroy the coloured maize, instead of selling it to livestock farmers?

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I am not aware of this Government destroying any yellow maize. If there is any evidence of that, I would be quite happy to receive it, and we will find out what happened. The hon. Member can raise it as a new question so that we respond accordingly.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Dr Kazonga (Vubwi): Mr Speaker, I hope I will qualify when I take this assessment.

Mr Speaker: Let us see.

Dr Kazonga: Yes, Mr Speaker.

Laughter

Dr Kazonga: Mr Speaker, in the absence of the annual crop forecast, in which we come up with the national food balance, what gives the hon. Minister the confidence that, as a country, we shall be food secure in the 2013/2014 season? 

Mr Speaker: You can see that it is not very difficult to ask a question. 

Laughter 

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, indeed, it is not, especially that the answer was already given in my statement. Had the hon. Member listened carefully, he would have understood what I meant when I said that the survey that is normally done annually by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, in collaboration with the CSO, is always available at the end of April. We expect it to be ready soon. On the other hand, we have been registering farmers throughout the country to identify those who will need support under FISP, and we used this opportunity to assess what is available throughout the country. Based on that, we are satisfied that we will have a yield that will exceed 2 million metric tonnes of maize. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Mr Ng’onga (Kaputa): Mr Speaker, if I heard the hon. Minister right, he talked about a partial lifting of the restrictions on the export of maize. Will that statement encourage Zambian farmers in the medium and commercial category to grow more of this crop for export? 

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I assure the hon. Member of Parliament for Kaputa that this is far from being the final statement. Once we have had the final assessment of the estimates, which I talked about, we will be in a position to indicate what can be exported. Our concern is the present period and the figures of the harvest. As a result of that, we are exercising caution. I believe that we have more than sufficient stocks because I have the figures here of what is stored in the different locations. In fact, we will encourage farmers to grow more crops, apart from maize. We want to diversify so that we are more food-secure.

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Mr I. Banda (Lumezi): Mr Speaker, before exportation of the maize stock, what does the ministry intend to do to alleviate the shortage in areas of the Luangwa Valley, especially Chiefs Mwanya’s, Kazembe’s, Chitungulwa’s, and Nabwalya’s areas of Muchinga Province? 

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, that matter falls under the Office of the Vice-President. Nevertheless, even with the sufficient stocks available, it does not mean that every single place that normally has food deficits, especially the valley areas, will have the stocks. These are deficit-prone areas even when sufficient stocks are available. It is simply the issue of transporting the stocks to the areas that is problematic. This should, therefore, really, not affect any of the current stocks that we are hoarding in any way. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kakoma (Zambezi West): Mr Speaker, can the hon. Minister explain the paradox that the country has sufficient maize stocks and that the supply is more than the demand, yet the country is experiencing shortages of maize and maize meal? Why should there be shortages in a country where supply is more than demand? 

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I have already answered that question. There is no shortage of grain on a national level. I want to emphasise this point. What may be problematic are specific areas where the grain might be needed, partly because many of our people who were traditionally providing for themselves by grinding the grain using small mills called vigayo are now buying ready-milled products. This is what is creating these shortages. I want to reiterate that we do not have a shortage of grain, except in specific areas.

I thank you, Sir.{mospagebreak}

Ms Siliya (Petauke): Mr Speaker, the Patriotic Front (PF) Member of Parliament for Luanshya, Hon. Chungu, asked a very clear question on shortages. Maybe, I am not very clever on Wednesday afternoons but I, really, want to follow up on this issue. How is it possible that the hon. Minister can be telling us about the tail-end of issues, be they export, demand or price, when the problem is that there is no mealie-meal? Even in an area like Petauke, where there is, currently, no disaster, people are queuing up for mealie-meal, yet he is telling us that there is no shortage. When are we going to have food security because this is the whole purpose of the FISP output? We do not have it. In his statement, he said that, in the 2010/2011 …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: I suppose that you have already asked the question?

Ms Siliya: Mr Speaker, he said that, in the 2010/2011 Farming Season, there was a surplus of maize because of the increase in fertiliser support from four to eight bags. 

Hon. Government Members: Question!

Ms Siliya: When are we going to have the fifteen bags that was promised so that food security continues in this country and we avoid these shortages? Tonight, the people of Petauke will go to bed hungry. When are you going to correct this situation, hon. Minister?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I am quite convinced that the hon. Member of Parliament for Petauke is intelligent enough to have listened carefully and understood what I said. I will reiterate it for her so that there is no recurrence of this question: the milling capacity in the country is not sufficient, especially …

Interruptions

Mr Sichinga: I am trying to answer the question, but you are also talking. 

Mr Speaker: Order!

Hon. Minister, you may continue.  

Mr Sichinga: Sir, I said that all provincial centres, except the Copperbelt and Lusaka, have no sufficient milling capacity. There is no shortage of grain for any miller that requires it. I also explained that, when millers produce mealie-meal, they will go to the market that is nearest to them because it saves them costs. Therefore, because of the failure of Kwacha Milling in Chipata to continue supplying Petauke, there is a shortage of mealie-meal in the area. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Let me comment. I think that the hon. Minister has made one point very clear, and I do not want us to go round the issue repeatedly. He said that there is enough grain, but inadequate milling capacity. I think that we should get this statement correctly and ask questions beyond it. 

Hon. Members indicated.

Mr Speaker: Order!

Take your time. 

Laughter 

Mr Speaker: I want to avoid repetition because the hon. Minister has reiterated this point. There is enough grain, but inadequate milling capacity. I think that these are trite statements. Therefore, as you frame and consider your questions, bear in mind those two basic statements. 

Mr Miyanda (Mapatizya): Mr Speaker, in the land of plenty, the people of Sinazongwe, Gwembe and Mapatizya constituencies are eating grain from some grass. 

Ms Siliya: On a point of procedure, Sir. 

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised. 

Ms Siliya: Mr Speaker, are we made to believe that we should take it for granted that the hon. Minister’s statement that there is enough grain, but inadequate millers is true when, in the past, there has been enough grain and millers. Is this just a PF problem? Is he in order?

Mr Speaker: The hon. Minister will take that into account as he responds. 

Hon. Member for Mapatizya may proceed.  

Mr Miyanda: Mr Speaker, in the land of plenty, the people of Sinazongwe, Gwembe and Mapatizya constituencies are eating impunga, some grain from grass. Hon. Minister, would you be so kind as to allow the FRA to open the doors of Misika Shed, which is closest to the three constituencies, so that those who can afford to buy the grain can do so.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, please, address the intervention by the hon. Member of Parliament for Petauke as you answer the question.

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I emphasise that there is no restriction of any kind on any miller or anyone who is authorised to buy maize from the FRA. I have emphasised this point and I will say it again. The restriction was on exports. However, it is also true that a number of milling companies have closed down in some places. The production in Chipata used to cover most of the Eastern Province. Kwacha Milling is, currently, not operational, but was operational before as a private business. Due to this situation, we are now having meetings. Immediately I leave this House, I will have a meeting with the millers to determine how we can service the areas that have deficits.

Mr Speaker, it is a fact that we have sufficient grain, as I already indicated with figures. If only the hon. Member of Parliament for Petauke had listened carefully, she could have got that point. However, she seems to be engaged in another altercation now.

Interruptions

Mr Sichinga: Sir, the important thing is that we need to relate what is happening on the ground in terms of physical stocks, including those that are in Petauke, with the milling capacity of the area.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mutati (Lunte): Mr Speaker, since the milling capacity has been said to be the key problem, how does the hon. Minister intend to address the issue in view of the continuous shortages of mealie-meal?

Hon. Government Members: Yes, that is a question.

Mr Speaker: That is a paragon of the questions that we expect to be asked.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I have already answered that question.

Hon. Opposition Members: No. You have not answered it.

Mr Sichinga: I said that, following …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Hon. Minister, you may continue.

Mr Sichinga: Sir, I have already answered that question. I stated that the challenge that we have is that almost all the millers are in Lusaka. There are more than twenty millers in Lusaka, alone, and more than seven on the Copperbelt. The lack of adequate facilities and capacities in the respective provinces is creating the particular challenges we are now talking about.

Mr Speaker, I also answered that, following this ministerial statement, I have already called for a meeting with the millers to discuss ways of addressing the exceeding demands of the outlying areas. Also, there has been an increase of population in major centres, and Chipata is one of them.

Hon. Opposition Members: No!

Mr Sichinga: Solwezi is another.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Sichinga: I thank you, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Member of Parliament for Gwembe, order!

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Are you through?

Mr Sichinga: Yes, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Alright.

Mr Chisanga (Mkushi South): Mr Speaker, I would like the hon. Minister to shed more light on his statement that we expect 2 million metric tonnes next year …

Mr Chikwanda: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Hon. Opposition Members: Aah!

Laughter

Mr Speaker: He is an hon. Member of Parliament.

Laughter

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Chikwanda: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am an hon. Member of Parliament, indeed, elected by Plot One. Sir, are the hon. Members on your left in order to turn an opportunity into a problem or challenge? The inadequate milling capacity is an opportunity for Zambians to go into business called milling. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Opposition Members: Protection, Sir.

Mr Speaker: The hon. Member of Parliament for Mkushi South may continue.

Laughter

Mr Mbewe: Mwasebana, bamudala!

Mr Chisanga: Mr Speaker, I would like the hon. Minister to shed more light on his statement to the effect that we are expecting 2 million tonnes of maize yield next year, yet farmers are faced with a lot of challenges, such as late delivery of inputs and army worms. Besides, commercial farmers out there are not growing maize any more, but have gone into soya beans and wheat.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, is there a question?

Hon. Opposition Members: Yes!

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I did not hear the question, but …

Mr Mbewe: Shed more light!

Mr Sichinga: … I think, I understood what he meant and I will give him a bonus answer.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Sichinga: Sir, I explained, earlier, and I appeal to the Chair to advise hon. Members to listen very carefully. I said that there is an annual survey that is carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the CSO, whose findings will be available at the end of April. I also said that, in the meantime, we are carrying out the registration of all farmers to identify those who will need support under FISP. Using that opportunity, we have assessed the situation on the ground in terms of the crop because it is already in the field and growing. We all know that. Out of this, we have been able to assess that the yield will be more than 2 million metric tonnes. That is the basis upon which we have based our estimates. 

In the question that you raised, I did not talk about next year, but about the harvest for this year, 2013. So, that is the position.

Maybe, just to give a bonus answer, Mr Speaker, a substantial part of the milling capacity has been provided by co-operatives. Currently, a number of the co-operatives are not operating, with only 20 per cent of them being functional because the previous Government had politicised them. The co-operatives now have members …

Hon. Government Members: Aah!

Mr Sichinga: … who are not doing what they are supposed to be doing.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Sichinga: That is part of the problem.

I thank you, Sir.

Ms Imenda (Luena): Mr Speaker, on the issue of exports, I believe that millers buy maize from the FRA at a subsidised Government price. That is intended to enable Zambians to get affordable mealie-meal. Are the millers and other private individuals who are buying maize at that price exporting it? 

Interruptions

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, can I seek your indulgence. There was so much noise on my right that I could not follow the question.

Hon. Opposition Members: It is your side.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: It does not matter what side the noise comes from. 

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, let us listen to the hon. Minister carefully as, supposedly, this is the genesis of some of the repetitions. Let us listen in silence and very carefully so that we make progress in this debate.

Hon. Minister, you may continue.

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I did not quite hear the question from the hon. Member of Parliament for Luena. May she, please, repeat it for me.

Mr Speaker: Please, repeat the question, hon. Member for Luena.

Ms Imenda repeated the question.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, I suppose the question is clear now.

Mr Sichinga: Yes, it is clear, Mr Speaker.

Sir, as far as we know, there are no procurers of the grain who are exporting it or milling for export. All the maize that we export is quoted at the international market prices rather than the subsidised ones.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Musokotwane (Liuwa): Mr Speaker, this country has not had a shortage of mealie-meal for more than fifteen years.

Mr Ng’onga: Question!

Dr Musokotwane: Now, the hon. Minister has indicated that the problem is the milling capacity. However, the capacity cannot just evaporate overnight, given the fact that there was enough. Similarly, the population cannot just balloon overnight to consume the maize. Further, the shortage coincided with the period when the Government announced price controls for mealie-meal.

Ms Siliya: Yes!

Dr Musokotwane: That is when it started. Would you, therefore, admit that, since the capacity to mill cannot just evaporate, and the population cannot just balloon, when you announced the price controls, millers stopped milling, as you have said, and that that is, therefore, the real cause of the problem.

Ms Siliya: Yes!

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I will not engage in speculative debate here.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Let him respond.

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I have not suggested, by any means, that the milling capacity has evaporated. I have not even suggested that the population of the country has ballooned. What I have said is that the centres …

Interruptions

Mr Sichinga: Can you listen because I would like to give you the answer now. You have asked a question, and I would like to give you the answer.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, continue, please.

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I have said that there are specific centres that have increased population. Is it not ballooning when you see the population that has gone into Solwezi? It is also not to exaggerate when we say that Kwacha Milling has stopped operating in Chipata. These are facts. If you have a question, raise it through Mr Speaker and I will answer you.

Sir, I am not confirming anything about price controls. This situation has been subsiding since this Government came into office.

Hon. MMD Members: No.

Mr Sichinga: So, to suggest that the Government has changed is, in fact, …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Mucheleka (Lubansenshi): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has indicated that almost 30 per cent of the maize goes to waste. What steps are seriously being taken to reduce the percentage of the maize that goes to waste, especially that, at one point, you had indicated that you were going to construct silos in the provinces, but that has disappeared from your vocabulary?

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, if the hon. Member had listened carefully, he would have known that the issue of milling capacity or even storage has not, all of a sudden, disappeared from my vocabulary. It has been in my vocabulary. The truth of the matter is that a high percentage of the yield is wasted. This wastage is in two ways, namely, at the handling stage and in storage. 

Sir, our current storage capacity is 1.8 million metric tonnes, but the yield for last year was 2.8 million metric tonnes. Clearly, there is a deficit now that was not there before, and it has been exacerbated. Therefore, one of the solutions to the problem of wastage is to increase our storage capacity, not slabs, but proper silos where we can measure what has been stored, aerate and fumigate. This is where the 30 per cent wastage takes place. 

Sir, we have since agreed with a number of institutions and millers to make additional investments in storage capacity at their milling plants. In addition to that, we have also engaged others who want to store stocks throughout the year. We are discussing these proposals. Once they are finalised, we will let the nation know. A ministerial statement will be made to this House on how much capacity we will have built.

Sir, I also indicated that even the capacity of 1.8 million metric tonnes is not sufficient. What we have, currently, is a capacity of 1,515,350 metric tonnes, which includes logs and slabs, not necessarily silos. Of the 225,000 metric tonne of silo space, only 15,000 has been rehabilitated and is available. These are the factors that affect the capacity because the MMD did not do its job when it was in power.

I thank you, Sir.

Interruptions

Mr Bwalya (Lupososhi): Mr Speaker, the lack of milling capacity is, indeed, an area that has been identified. Would the Government consider giving incentives to farming blocks and co-operatives for them to set up small milling companies so that the maize that is grown in a particular farming block can be milled within the area, instead of being transported elsewhere.

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, that is exactly what we are doing, currently. We are engaged with the Zambia Co-operative Federation (ZCF) and Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) to ensure that maize is not transported from the areas of production unless there is demand elsewhere. The purpose is to minimise transportation costs. However, there are some production areas that have much higher output than the ability to store. So, on the one hand, we are encouraging production and, on the other, ensuring that there is sufficient storage capacity. Apart from that, there is another issue that we would like addressed on the milling side. We are working with the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC) to ensure that the small-scale operators facilitate the re-establishment of smaller milling companies in specific areas.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Sichinga: Other than that, the fact that the bigger millers will no longer have to keep all their stocks in Lusaka, will require that there is a balance between the production areas and the consuming areas. We will only move maize when there is a necessity to supplement the production of mealie-meal in other locations.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbewe (Chadiza): Mr Speaker, the United National Independence Party (UNIP) lost power because of mealie-meal shortages in the country. Likewise, the PF is about to lose power because of the same.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Those are the classical preambles that I am trying to injunct. Go ahead.

Laughter

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, I heard the hon. Minister say that he is meeting the millers this afternoon. Hon. Minister, what will you do in the event that the millers tell you that they are not ready to sell their maize at KR50 per 25kg, which is what the Government has ordered them to do?

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, I am going to the meeting with the farmers, millers and seed producers with an open mind. I am not going to carry presumptions and pre-conceived ideas, either from the previous Government or any other. I am going with an open mind to understand what the problems are and, whatever it is, the PF Government has the capacity to deal with it.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr L. Ngoma (Sinda): Mr Speaker, despite grain being available, people in Lundazi, today, have to get permission in form of a letter from the District Commissioner (DC) in order for them to go and buy grain.

Hon. Opposition Members: Shame!

Mr L. Ngoma: Sir, when will grain be made available to those with hammer mills, which are dotted throughout the country, so that the issue of the insufficient milling capacity is addressed?

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, let me repeat what I said earlier, which is that there is no restriction of any kind on the FRA selling to those who are registered to buy maize. Please, just understand that.

Sir, additionally, despite the fact that there have been some small-scale mills dotted all over the country, most of them are, currently, not operational. I am the hon. Minister in charge, and I am telling you that this is the position. So, as far as I am concerned, there is no restriction of any kind. If there is any specific restriction, I would expect the hon. Member of Parliament to mention it. All the quantities that the millers require have been made available. From 12th January to 27th February, 2013, grain has been provided to all the millers. That is the reality on the ground.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker gave the Floor to Mr Mufalali. 

Mr Mufalali remained seated while Mr V. Mwale rose.

Mr Speaker: I believe that there is only one hon. Member of Parliament for Senanga Constituency.

Laughter

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Speaker, listening to the way the hon. Minister of Agriculture and Livestock is struggling to answer questions, one tends to wonder whether all is well. However, has he considered taking advantage of the empty silos in Karoi and Chinhoyi in Zimbabwe? We can come up with an arrangement to store the maize that is being wasted because of being kept on concrete slabs in those silos. 

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, first and foremost, I would like the hon. Member for Senanga to know that I do not struggle at all. I am very fit.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions 

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, in fact, I want to invite him to come and exercise with me this evening so that he can see how fit I am. 

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Mr Sichinga: Sir, before I can answer that question, I want him to explain to me how we would, then, improve the supply if I kept maize stocks in Karoi in Zimbabwe. Currently, the problem is the availability of the grain to millers. Would it not even be more difficult to get maize from Karoi to supply to our millers? Quite frankly, I think, …

Interruptions 

Mr Speaker: Order! 

Mr Sichinga: … that is just wishful thinking.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Pande (Kasempa): Mr Speaker, the issue of mealie-meal is a very serious one, and I urge the Government to take what is happening very seriously. The explanation of the hon. Minister on the shortage is not satisfactory. Therefore, I urge him to go back and find out what the real cause is because he has said that it is the lack of capacity of the milling companies. We have just heard about Luanshya, which is on the Copperbelt, a province that the hon. Minister said, together with Lusaka, does not have shortages. The hon. Member for the area has mentioned that there is a shortage of mealie-meal, yet there is a milling company there. So, what is the cause of the shortage? This matter should not be taken lightly. 

Mr Speaker: I am very reluctant to request the hon. Minister to respond to that because he has explained the causes repeatedly. Therefore, I will now be winding up this session. 

Mr V. Mwale (Chipangali): Mr Speaker, I want the hon. Minister to reconcile his statement that the cause of the mealie-meal shortage in the Eastern Province is a lack of milling capacity with the one he has issued in the newspapers, today, that the artificial shortage is being caused by the Malawians, who are crossing into the province to buy maize. 

Mr Sichinga: Mr Speaker, first and foremost, I never made a statement about Malawians concerning this matter. So, I would like the hon. Member to produce evidence of my having made that statement. Otherwise, what he is saying is, in fact, a half-truth. Secondly, I have explained that Kwacha Milling Limited, which was supplying mealie-meal to Chipata, is closed. The hon. Member of Parliament for Chipangali knows this because that is where his constituency is located. So, that is the position.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Interruptions{mospagebreak}

_____________

QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STATISTICS

486. Dr Kazonga (Vubwi) asked the Minister of Finance what measures the Government had taken to ensure the availability of reliable, timely and high quality economic and social statistics in the country.

The Minister of Finance (Mr Chikwanda): Mr Speaker, ...

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order, 

Mr Chikwanda: … some of the factors that have constrained the timely provision of reliable and high quality economic and social statistics in the country include inadequate staff numbers and insufficient training for members of staff. These problems will be adequately addressed when the National Strategy for Development of Statistics (NSDS) is implemented. The NSDS calls for a complete re-structuring of the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and places emphasis on human resource development. In the meantime, as a stop-gap measure, the office will increase its staff complement in order to speed up the statistics production processes.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Dr Kazonga: Sir, the hon. Minister has indicated …

Mr Mbulakulima: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mbulakulima: Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to raise a point of order, which is very serious. As you know, I rarely stand on points of order, unless it is on a critical matter like this one, …

Interruptions 

Mr Mbulakulima: … which borders on international relations. You will agree with me that Zambia has enjoyed very warm diplomatic relations with many countries, since Independence, and it is my conviction that even the PF Government would like to continue in the same vein. However, last Friday, following the harmless question from the capable hon. Member of Parliament for Lubansenshi, Hon. Mucheleka, who wanted to know the correlation between good governance and economic development, colleagues in the Diaspora have made follow-ups and asked me what has happened between Zambia and China. While in the House, I did not get the answer from His Honour the Vice-President properly. However, I attentively listened to a recorded version in my living room. In his reply, His Honour the Vice-President had this to say:

“Mr Speaker, I do not know to what extent the hon. Member is referring when he talks about a correlation between governance and economic growth. Take a country, which executes more people than the rest of the countries in the world put together, even for tax offences, which, by most people’s standards, would be poor governance, yet it is the fastest growing economy in the world; the Chinese economy.”

Mr Speaker, His Honour the Vice-President said this using a public microphone. I was disturbed and shocked that Zambia, which is a friend of China, can take such a route. Therefore, is the Government in order to attack or describe an all-weather friend like China in the manner that His Honour the Vice-President did? Further, was he in order to glorify the abuse of human rights in Zambia, especially at a time when a Commonwealth team is in the country to assess the human rights situation in this country? 

I need your serious ruling.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear! 

Mr Speaker: There is a technical problem here.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: You must listen to the technical problem. I have ruled before that a point of order should be raised at the juncture of what necessitates its being raised. Go through the records of past proceedings to find out what I have said about this. A point of order should not be raised after the event of the matter in question has passed. It does not matter how meritorious the point of order being proposed is, it must be raised at the material time.

Dr Kazonga: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has indicated one critical problem that affects the currency and quality of statistics as being that of human resource. What is the hon. Minister doing to quickly implement that strategy to improve the efficiency and level of training of staff?

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, because of the time lag between the time when the questions are asked and when they are answered, there is always bound to be a bit of water going under the bridge. However, I want to just assure Hon. Dr Kazonga that, largely due to the concerns expressed by robust hon. Members like himself, we are vigorously addressing this issue of staff inadequacy and the CSO will, now, try to increase its staff complement. In fact, I have intimated to the CSO that, when Hon. Dr Kazonga finds time, he should visit the offices so that, through his discussions with them, they can benefit from his huge reservoir of knowledge in this field.

Thank you, Sir.

INFRASTRUCTURE IN KAZUNGULA

487. Mr Livune (Katombola) asked the Vice-President when the Government would commence constructing infrastructure befitting the district status of Kazungula.

The Deputy Minister in the Vice-President’s Office (Mr Mwango): Mr Speaker, Kazungula is amongst the districts earmarked for infrastructure development just like other new districts in the country. In the 2013 Budget, KR1.6 million has been allocated for the construction of houses for Government workers in Kazungula. The contractor has been engaged and is, currently, on site. Further, during the 2014 Planning Period, as other districts are being considered for infrastructure development, Kazungula will also be allocated funds for more infrastructure development. Furthermore, the Road Development Agency (RDA) will, within the course of 2013, embark on works on the landing bay and access roads at the Kazungula Waterfront.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, may I be educated on what the Government considers to be the minimum required infrastructure in a district for it to be operational.

Mr Mwango: Mr Speaker, that is a new question. However, the minimum required infrastructure in a new district are Government offices as well as accommodation for staff.

I thank you, Sir.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KAZUNGULA

488. Mr Livune asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education when the Government would construct secondary schools in the following chiefdoms of Kazungula District:

(a)Musokotwane;

(b)Mukuni;

(c)Nyawa; and

(d)Moomba.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Mr Mabumba): Mr Speaker, in the Infrastructure Development Plan (IDP) for 2012 for the ministry, we had identified seven school projects in the Southern Province. Out of those seven, the Government has committed funds to the construction of three, which were Shungu Namutitima in Livingstone, Kaumba in Monze and Ndondi in Pemba District. In Kazungula, out of those seven school projects that have been mentioned above, there is also a school project called Makunka, except that its works have not started due to budgetary constraints. 

Sir, in addition, we also have a new school under construction called Kazungula Boarding Secondary School in Kazungula. This school is expected to be opened in the second term of 2013. The construction of school projects in Musokotwane, Mukuni, Nyawa and Moomba will now be considered in the future infrastructure plans because of budgetary constraints.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, Kazungula District is one of the biggest in this country. If the hon. Deputy Minister is talking about the secondary school being built on the other side, it is unfair to assume that all the pupils will be admitted to that school, which has over 111 pupils. 

Mr Speaker: What is your question?

Mr Livune: Mr Speaker, does the Government prioritise the reduction of the problems of the people through education in this country, especially in Kazungula?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, we do prioritise people’s education. Kazungula District benefitted from the construction of the Kazungula Boarding Secondary School. Monze is also vast, but has never benefitted from any new school project. Pemba, which is one of our new districts, and Livingstone District have equally not benefitted. So, as far as our priority is concerned, we decided to look at the districts that+ did not benefit from the on-going construction of secondary schools. Therefore, Kazungula is going to be considered at the appropriate time because the focus is on districts that did not benefit.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbewe (Chadiza): Mr Speaker, if I remember very well, the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, Hon. Dr Phiri, said, in this House, that all chiefdoms will have secondary schools that will be named after them. Why is the hon. Minister somersaulting today by informing us that only one school will be constructed, leaving out the projects in other chiefdoms?

The Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Dr Phiri): Mr Speaker, it disheartens me when I hear an hon. Member of Parliament putting words in my mouth, thereby diluting the integrity of this House by somersaulting events that, I think, he is a specialist in. My statement has nothing to do with the very good answer that the hon. Deputy Minister has given, and I will not attempt to answer that. I just hope that he will reflect on the reason we have answered Hon. Livune the way we have.

I thank you, Sir.

NAKANYAA HIGH SCHOOL

489. Professor Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda) asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education when the construction of Nakanyaa High School would be completed and opened.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, the construction of Nakanyaa High School started in 2008 and the contractor is Wajan. However, despite the construction of the school having started in 2008, it was behind schedule by January, this year, when I visited the site. The reason is that the road from the Mongu/Senanga Junction, going into Nakanyaa is so bad that the transportation of the construction materials to the site by the contractor has been a big challenge.

Mr Speaker, to demonstrate our commitment to this school project, out of the total allocation of KR25.7 million, the Government has, so far, released KR24.5 million. So, Hon. Professor Lungwangwa, you can see our commitment to that project. Against that background, we expect the school to be completed this year and be opened in January, 2014.

I thank you, Sir.

HEALTH CENTRES IN NALIKWANDA

490. Professor Lungwangwa asked the Minister of Health when the Government would construct health centres in the following areas in Nalikwanda Parliamentary Constituency:

(a)Namusheshe;

(b)Liande;

(c)Namaoma;

(d)Kaulu;

(e)Nandinga;

(f)Mukangu; and

(g)Kalonga.

The Minister of Health (Dr Kasonde): Mr Speaker, the current National Health Strategic Plan has placed emphasis on improving access to health services, through the construction of health posts to link rural health centres to the community. The Government will, therefore, construct four health posts in Nalikwanda Parliamentary Constituency under the India Line of Credit Facility towards the construction of 650 health posts in Zambia. The proposed areas for the construction of the four health posts are Natongo, Miulwe, Looma and Kasheke. Therefore, the Government will not construct health centres in the areas mentioned in the question by the hon. Member for Nalikwanda Parliamentary Constituency.

I thank you, Sir. 

CONSTRUCTION OF DIP TANKS

491. Mr Hamusonde (Nangoma) asked the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock:

(a)how many dip tanks the Government constructed in Central Province between September, 2011 and December, 2012; and

(b)whether the Government had any plans of constructing, at least, one dip tank in each rural ward.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Kazabu): Mr Speaker, the Government constructed and rehabilitated ten dip tanks in selected areas between September, 2011, and December, 2012. These are: 

    Location    District    Status

    Kabanga    Kalomo    New construction

    Kalonda    Kalomo    New construction

    Camp 3    Kalomo    New Construction

    Siachitema    Kalomo    New Construction

    Batoka    Choma    Rehabilitation

    Nteme    Monze    New Construction

    Kanchindu    Sinazongwe    New Construction

    Sinazeze    Sinazongwe    New Construction

    Nyawa Central    Kazungula    Rehabilitation

    Simukombo    Kazungula    New Construction

Mr Speaker, the Government has plans to construct dip tanks countrywide. However, the construction of dip tanks will be based on the number of cattle and presence of ticks and tick-borne diseases in an area.

Sir, in 2013, the Government has set aside KR7,308,789 million for the rehabilitation of 126 dip tanks. Funds permitting, new dip tanks will be constructed, especially, in areas where dipping facilities do not exist. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamusonde: Mr Speaker, most of the dip tanks being constructed are in the Southern Province. Why is it so? Is it because of where …

Mr Speaker: Are you now answering your own question? 

Laughter

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, the construction of dip tanks is partly demand-driven. It is also determined by the population of cattle in a particular area. It goes without saying that the herds of cattle in Kalomo District are huge. However, that is not to say that the other areas are not being considered. In fact, as we speak, we have drawn up a master plan to deliver the dipping facility to various parts of the country, where our people rear cattle and other ruminants, such as goats and sheep. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mrs Imenda (Luena): Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister aware that Shang’ombo in Sinjembela Constituency has one of the highest cattle populations in the country?

Mr Speaker: Hon. Minister, are you aware?

Laughter

Mr Kazabu: Sir, as a ministry, we are more than aware, except, for areas like the Western Province, the control of ticks and tick-borne diseases is natural. The ecological factors of that part of the country take care of the situation. The ticks that transmit the East Cost Fever, for a start, are not found in that part of the country. Secondly, even if they were to be found, the hot sands and the flooding that occur there would clear away the ticks.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kakoma (Zambezi West): Mr Speaker, given the high demand for dipping services in Nangoma, when is the Government going to construct a dip tank there so that the many head of cattle can be dipped?

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, in our plan for the period between now and 2016, we intend to construct 305 new dip tanks. Nangoma will benefit from this number.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, when is the hon. Minister going to bring the master plan so that hon. Members of Parliament can see whether their constituencies have been included in the plan?

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, I advise the hon. Members of this House not to wait for the plan to be tabled on the Floor of this House. Our doors are wide open. If the questioner is interested, he can come to the office tomorrow and I will share the details of the plan with him.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Singo’mbe (Dundumwezi): Mr Speaker, why does the ministry not send staff to monitor the effectiveness of these dip tanks? I have observed that they just construct the dip tanks and leave like crocodiles. 

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

I do not know how a crocodile behaves. Anyway, hon. Minister, please, answer the question.

Laughter

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, first of all, I want the nation to know that we are neither crocodiles, nor do we behave like them. That challenge or problem might have been there in the past. However, we will ensure that, once we deliver a dip tank, our field staff will be there to train the people of the area on how to charge the dip tank, for example, because, if the charging is not properly done, resistance can be created and the dip tank would not be effective. We have heard you, hon. Member, and we will address that problem.

I thank you, Sir.

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, the link between ticks and tick-borne diseases in the Western Province, to an ordinary person, is more speculative and hypothetical. Is the hon. Minister ready to give us well-researched scientific evidence to support that assertion?

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, first of all, this hon. Member of Parliament is not an ordinary person.

Laughter

Mr Kazabu: Secondly, there are various livestock diseases. Strictly speaking, dipping animals is about preventing the East Coast Fever, also known as Corridor Disease or Denkete. For diseases like Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia (CBPP), you do not dip animals, but vaccinate them. Therefore, the explanation from our side is that, in the Western Province, the East Cost Fever, which is caused by a particular type of tick, is not prevalent, and that is the justification, apart from the ecological factors, for not constructing so many dip tanks there. I hope that the professor has now learnt something.

I thank you, Sir,.

Interruptions

CENTRAL PROVINCE DAMS

492. Mr Hamusonde asked the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock:

(a)how many dams were constructed in Central Province between September,
2011, and December, 2012; and

    (b)    whether any of the dams at (a) were constructed by the Government or by 
        private companies.

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, five dams were constructed between September, 2011, and December, 2012, in Mkushi and Kabwe districts. Two dams were constructed in Mkushi, namely, Mkushi and Mwansa Chawa, while three dams were constructed in Kabwe, namely, Chapya, GNR and Chakwankwa.

Mr Speaker, the five dams at (a) were constructed by private individuals. However, during the same period, the Government rehabilitated two dams in Mumbwa District, namely, Butinti and Bwanga.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamusonde: Mr Speaker, is there any plan to construct a dam in Nangoma Constituency? 

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, for the 2013 Financial Year, the Government has planned to construct only three new dams as follows: Siakampu, in Lusitu, Zangala Mpongo in Luangwa and Chikowa in Mambwe. One dip tank has been planned for Nsenya in Petauke, and Hon. Siliya should be happy about this, and another is planned for Mwase in Lundazi. Nangoma has not been included among the places targeted for construction of new dip tanks. However, that does not suggest that the cries of our people in Nangoma will not be heard. We ask our people to exercise patience so that, next year, we can plan to construct a dam in that area, especially that the hon. Member of Parliament has cried and prayed on behalf the people of Nangoma.

I thank you, Sir. {mospagebreak}

RWANDAN AND DARFUR GENOCIDES

493. Mr Chisala (Chilubi) asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs:

(a)what the severest punishment the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda had imposed on the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide; and

(b)what the severest punishment the International Criminal Court had imposed on the perpetrators of genocide in the Darfur Region of Sudan.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Dr Lungu): Mr Speaker, the severest punishment that has been meted out by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) is life imprisonment.

Mr Speaker, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has not yet meted out any punishment or penalties on the perpetrators of the genocide in Darfur, as they have not yet been convicted.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, it is a well-known fact that tribalism and hatred are a leading contributing factor to genocide in any given country. What are the stop-gap measures that the African Union (AU) has put in place to avoid a repeat of such occurrences in the two countries mentioned?

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, things like genocide are not predictable, but spontaneous. The best measure that the AU has put in place is the setting up of an organ for legal affairs to preach peace and stability, and sensitise the communities on the evils of genocide. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kakoma: Mr Speaker, in the case of Sudan, can the hon. Minister confirm whether the perpetrators of the genocide are on the wanted list of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and that one of the perpetrators is the President of Sudan, who is being courted by the PF, which wants to befriend him through a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me the chance to inform the House that we do not discuss other presidents in this House because doing so would raise issues bordering on our relations with other countries.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwiimbu (Monze Central): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs has indicated that we do not discuss other nations in this House. If the leaders of the political party led by the President of Sudan came to Zambia, will the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ), which is a member of both the ICJ and the International Police Organisation (Interpol), not take action on account of the principle that we do not discuss such issues?

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, the answer is the same. I wonder how my learned friend cannot distinguish between international relations and common issues like the ones we discuss here. We cannot discuss other leaders who have already been indicted by the ICJ because this is a different situation.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS

494. Mr Chisala asked the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs which African countries had signed Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) under the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACPGS) and the European Union Development Co-operation (EUDC).

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, there are ten African countries that have signed the EPAs under the ACPGS and the EUDC. These are the Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Madagascar, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Cameroon and Ivory Cost.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, what economic benefits did Zambia gain from this agreement?

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, there are many economic benefits that Zambia has gained. The Caribbean and Pacific regions …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours.

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, before business was suspended, the hon. Member of Parliament wanted to know the economic benefits that Zambia had realised from being a member of the Pacific and Caribbean Region treaties, which have just been signed.

Sir, the benefits are in terms of trade because the Caribbean region grows a lot of cotton and sugar. So, Zambians get these in the form of finished products like clothes. 

In addition, there is what we call technology transfer in economics. In Zambia, we have the Nakambala Sugar Estate and workers from there may visit the sugar plantations in Jamaica to study the processing of sugar. That is what we call technology transfer. So, yes, there are economic benefits in terms of trade.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mwiimbu: Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister indicated to this House the number of countries that have signed the EPAs in Africa, but Zambia is not one of them. How does he expect the country to benefit from an agreement to which it is not party?

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, the process is simple. Zambia did not sign because it is chairing this group. So, we are still consulting. However, that does not prevent us from benefitting from what our colleagues have already signed for. We will sign when we are no longer chairing.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Kakoma: Mr Speaker, can the hon. Minister indicate to us when Zambia will sign the EPAs.

Dr Lungu: Mr Speaker, very soon.

I thank you, Sir.

MWERU AND BANGWEULU WATER TRANSPORT

495. Mr Mpundu (Nchelenge) asked the hon. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication:

(a)when the Government would implement the salaries and conditions of service for staff of the Mweru and Bangweulu Water Transport in Luapula Province in line with the Civil Service salary structures promised in 2005; and

(b)when the Mweru Water Transport Guest House in Nchelenge District would be rehabilitated.

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication (Col Kaunda): Mr Speaker, the Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication, through the Public Service Management Division (PSMD), is, currently, making preparations for the re-structuring of the departments under the former Ministry of Communication and Transport. It is upon the completion of this process that salaries and conditions of service for Mweru and Bangweulu Water Transport Board employees will be taken into account.

Mr Speaker, there are no immediate plans to rehabilitate the Mweru Water Transport Guest Houses in Nchelenge District, as it was not budgeted for in 2013. However, the ministry is in the process of transferring the guest houses to the Hostels Board, which is better qualified to run them.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Matafwali (Bangweulu): Mr Speaker, is the hon. Minister aware that there are people who have worked for over fifteen years without being put on the Government payroll at these two transport authorities?

Col Kaunda: Mr Speaker, I have been to these areas and spoken to the various officers and workers. So, we are aware.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Mpundu: Mr Speaker, after the conditions of service are reviewed, will they be backdated to 2005?

Col Kaunda: Mr Speaker, we shall be advised by the PSMD on that issue.

I thank you, Sir.

__________

BILLS

SECOND READING

THE HIGHER EDUCATION BILL, 2013

The Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Dr Phiri): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the Higher Education Bill be now read the second time.

Mr Speaker, since the mid-1990’s, there has been a proliferation of local and foreign higher education institutions in the country. Consequently, the provision of higher education in the country is, currently, diverse and done in autonomous, semi-autonomous and Government institutions. Further, many Zambians are enrolling in learning programmes, leading to qualifications awarded by foreign examination bodies that differ in scope, depth and duration. These developments mean that, in the absence of an integrated national regulatory framework policy for higher education, provision at this level tends to be fragmented and unco-ordinated. The nation is at the crossroads and must surmount enormous challenges in order to live up to the ambitions and expectations for higher education in Zambia.

Mr Speaker, the ministry is grateful for the contributions of the various organisations and individuals who have contributed towards the development of the Higher Education Bill. Both public and private higher learning institutions have made significant and important contributions. Professional bodies and individuals have also contributed to the development of this Bill. 

Sir, it is the wish of the ministry that hon. Members of Parliament join it in supporting the Bill.

Mr Speaker, the establishment of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) in Zambia, through the Higher Education Bill, will have the following benefits for the nation:

(a)the establishment of standards in higher education will provide for the continuous improvements in the quality of learning and qualifications;

(b)public and private providers will operate on the basis of standards applicable to all institutions of higher learning;

(c)accreditation of providers will provide incentives for quality improvement; 

(d)there will be a system for establishing equivalences of the higher education systems in Zambia with other countries in Africa and beyond;

(e)the higher education system will be able to operate in a globalised learning environment with integrity and recognition;

(f)qualifications of learners will be transferable to other higher education systems in Africa and beyond; and 

(g)learners will be assured of protection from unregistered providers.

Mr Speaker, the establishment of the HEA is also consistent with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocols on higher education.

Sir, the Higher Education Bill will enable our country to do the following:

(a)put in place an appropriate legal framework and institutional structures, including the ability to prosecute illegal operators;

(b)set up appropriate standards and criteria for recognition of higher education institutions and the qualifications they offer;

(c)audit all existing higher education institutions, be they private or public, to ensure that they meet acceptable standards;

(d)formulate appropriate policies to anchor the development of higher education in the country;

(e)put in place an efficient and effective monitoring and evaluation system;

(f)increase access, through quality distance and life-long learning;

(g)fund higher education adequately;

(h)invest in capacity building at all levels; and 

(i)invest in research and development.

Sir, it is, therefore, important that this august House joins the ministry in this noble cause. 

Mr Speaker, I beg the House to support this Bill.

I thank you, Sir. 

Dr Kalila (Lukulu East): Mr Speaker, in accordance with its terms of reference, as contained in the Standing Orders, on Tuesday, 19th February, 2013, your Committee was tasked to scrutinise the Higher Education Bill, 2013.

Mr Speaker, in order to gain insight into the ramifications of this Bill, your Committee sought oral and written submissions from various stakeholders.

Sir, since hon. Members have read the Bill and the Committee’s report, I will just touch on a few salient issues contained in your Committee’s report.

Mr Speaker, stakeholders, particularly public universities, welcomed the Bill because it repeals and replaces the University Act of 1999, which they said was too prescriptive and restrictive, thereby hampering the smooth administration and development of their institutions. 

Mr Speaker, notwithstanding the stakeholders’ and your Committee’s overwhelming support for the Bill, there are a few issues that needed to be addressed. Your Committee and stakeholders note that Clause 7(2) empowers the hon. Minister to give directives to the board, which it must follow. Your Committee observes that empowering the hon. Minister to give directives to the board gives the hon. Minister room to interfere with the independence of the board. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that this clause be deleted.

Mr Speaker, another concern is Clause 23(5), which provides that a person who contravenes sub-sections (4) or operates an unregistered private higher education institution commits an offence. Committing this offence makes one liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding 300,000 penalty units or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or both. 

Mr Speaker, some stakeholders contended that, because of the many dubious activities that took place in the field of higher education, whereby members of the public were swindled out of money, which is a serious offence, the penalty was too lenient and should be revised to two million penalty units. This would send a message to would-be offenders not to engage in the vice. Your Committee is in total agreement with the stakeholders and recommends that this clause be amended accordingly.

Mr Speaker, Clause 27 restricts the issuing of writs of execution or attachment or process of any nature against the assets and property of a public higher education institution and compels the Vice-Chancellor to pay from institutional resources. Stakeholders, particularly public universities, were of the view that, since they were having a huge debt arising from unfulfilled contractual obligations, in the form of pensions to retirees and gratuity to contract employees, this provision would grind operations of institutions to a halt because they did not have the money. Further, the Government had not allocated enough funds to cover the extra demands in addition to the terminal benefits. The stakeholders observed that, between 1998 and 2009, they saw a number of default judgments against the University of Zambia (UNZA) in favour of retirees who took the institution to the courts of law for the delayed payment of terminal benefits, and the amounts awarded to the retirees had attracted interest at commercial rates. In addition to this, lawyers were demanding colossal sums of money in costs and legal fees. They further contended that awards of interest and costs amounted to unjust enrichment because, in addition to being retained on the payroll, the retirees also remained in the houses until three months after full payment of their terminal benefits.

Mr Speaker, whereas your Committee sympathises with public higher education institutions, it finds it difficult to go along with the proposed amendment because keeping retirees on the payroll, as has been highlighted in the various Auditor-General’s reports, is, in itself, an illegality that is also not the solution to this malady. As a matter of fact, this provision short-circuits the natural process of separation by retirement.

Sir, further, although retirees are allowed to stay in institutional houses and on the payroll, this does not compensate for the loss, in value, of the terminal benefits due to inflation. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that, in order to protect both public universities and the retirees and avoid legal costs, the Government urgently provides the necessary funds to pay retirees in reasonable time. 

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, I wish to record your Committee’s indebtedness and gratitude to you for according it the opportunity to scrutinise the Higher Education Bill, National Assembly Bill No. 4, of 2013. I also thank all the stakeholders that appeared before your Committee and contributed to the process of scrutinising this very important Bill. Gratitude also goes to the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the services rendered to your Committee.

I thank you, Sir. 

Dr Kazonga (Vubwi): Mr Speaker, I stand in full support of this Bill. In doing so, I have a few observations that the hon. Minister may wish to take into consideration. 

Sir, indeed, this Bill is long overdue. We have witnessed a multiplicity of institutions of higher learning in the country, and these are both private and public. With this multiplicity of institutions, there is a need for regulation in order to provide quality assurance to the training and education taking place in these institutions of higher learning.

Sir, let me now go into some of the areas where I have suggestions or comments to make. On the interpretation, there is accreditation, which has been defined or interpreted. When I listened to the hon. Minister’s policy statement, accreditation went beyond programmes to include institutions. However, this particular interpretation is restricted to programmes. I want to suggest that you look at broadening it to include both institutions and programmes. 

Sir, there is also an interpretation for qualifications. As I analysed this Bill, I had to take into account the Zambia Qualifications Act. That interpretation talks about the framework. My proposal is that the interpretation that is in the Zambia Qualifications Act be made applicable there because it properly defines the framework in the context of the Zambia Qualifications Act. 

Sir, furthermore, under Clause 23, there is a provision for de-registration of private institutions of higher learning. I am concerned that the registration and de-registration of public institutions will be done by the hon. Minister while private institutions will be registered or de-registered by the HEA. I propose that the registration be done by the HEA for both public and private institutions because issues of quality assurance do not only affect private institutions, but public institutions as well. Issues of libraries having enough textbooks are applicable to both types of institutions. So, the registration that is being referred to in the Bill has to be for both categories. Further, on de-registration, suppose an institution of higher learning is de-registered, what happens to the students? There is no provision that stipulates what will happen to the students whose institution has been de-registered. Are they just going to be left in the cold? That is an issue that the hon. Minister may wish to consider.

Sir, Clause 40 says:

“The Minister may, after consultation with the authority, by notice in the Gazette, close a public higher institution of learning.” 

Mr Speaker, if it is possible, let the HEA do the closing so that there is room for appeal. In case an institution wants to appeal its de-registration, it should have that room. If this function is given to the hon. Minister, that recourse for appeal will be cut off. My proposal, therefore, is that this should be done by the HEA so that, in case one is not satisfied, they can appeal to the hon. Minister. That is my proposal on that provision. 

Mr Speaker, as I indicated at the beginning, in terms of the objects of the Bill, (c) in particular, talks about the provision of quality, and establishment of governance and regulation of public higher education institutions. 

The next is about registration and regulation. When I look at the two objects, object (c) places emphasis on public universities and other institutions of higher learning, where you only deal with the establishment, governance and regulation. However, with private institutions, what is there is registration and regulation, but you will notice that registration is missing in the public ones. My proposal is that the two categories be regulated, through registration and other aspects, by one authority, the HEA.

Mr Speaker, as I indicated earlier, this is a very good Bill and I support it wholeheartedly. The caveat is only those few concerns that I have raised.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to voice my support for the Bill. This is an opportunity to educate ourselves about the importance of institutions like this one and place them in both the national and international context.

Mr Speaker, this has been a long debate, and we are delighted that, finally, the debate on the establishment of this very important institution is coming to an end. Way back, in 1996, when three academics were writing Educating Our Future, the policy document currently governing the education sector, the debate between the academics in the room and the policy makers was on how higher education would be governed in our country. There were no private universities then but, in that room, people like myself, Professor Kelly and Professor Tembo, who were mandated to write the policy document, Educating Our Future, asked the following questions:

(a)who would establish the criteria for approval in the registration of private universities;

(b)who would register them;

(c)who would monitor and check their quality;

(d)who would approve their accreditation; and 

(e)who would establish academic standards, together with rules and regulations, for their operation.

Mr Speaker, these were the questions that exercised our minds and we were having a dialogue with the policy makers in the room. Clearly, we agreed that there was a need for a higher education authority to undertake these responsibilities of planning, monitoring and quality assurance in higher learning institutions. That agreement, eventually, found itself in the Educating Our Future document, in which it was proposed that there should be a higher education authority in Zambia.

Sir, over the years, there has been a major debate on the need for higher education authorities in many countries. In the developed and developing countries, equally, there has been the idea that the ‘Ivory Tower’ model of higher education, based on the autonomy and academic freedom of the institutions, should be put under microscopic scrutiny because of the need for value for money.

Mr Speaker, in Britain, which was the initiator of this debate, institutions of higher learning, under then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, were told to justify their existence, give value for money and establish institutions to oversee their operations. As a result, the Academic Audit Unit, controlled by vice-chancellors, was established. In addition, the Government established the Education Quality Council (EQC) and the University Grants Committee (UGC). These institutions were there to oversee the operations of institutions of higher education so that they were made accountable and transparent to society.

In The Netherlands, an institution called External Quality Assurance System (EQAS) was also established in 1988 to measure the quality of education in institutions of higher learning. In France, a Committee on National Evaluation of Institutions of Higher Education was established in 1985 to do the same. In Hong Kong, a Council for Academic Accreditation (CAA) was established in 1990 to do the same. In Australia, a similar institution was established for academic standards in 1987 under the auspices of vice-chancellors. In the USA, we have the Accreditation Model, which oversees the operations of universities.{mospagebreak}

Evidently, Mr Speaker, the debate on the need for higher education institutions to be regulated by authorities is an international one. In Africa, countries like South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have established commissions for higher education and, of course, those commissions have several responsibilities. These responsibilities have been referred to in the submission of the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education.

Mr Speaker, indeed, it is very important for higher education to have an authority to superintend over it. There are many aspects that can be overseen by the authority. One of them has to do with even simple things like the location of institutions of higher education. The location of a university, for example, should be looked at in terms of how much land it should have, and whether that land guarantees its future expansion.
 
Sir, the proposal for the establishment of a university, in terms of assessing the mission and vision, and linking it to the human resource needs of the country, and overall development of the nation, can best be done by an independent body like the HEA. Aspects like the academic standing of the institution of higher learning, in terms of the quality of its staff, facilities, graduates, research work, expert services being rendered, publications and whether the institution is operating at the frontier of knowledge, can best be undertaken by the HEA.

Mr Speaker, clearly, the university councils and senates cannot best undertake the very serious evaluation or assessment tasks to which the universities must be subjected. It is very important that this is done. 

Mr Speaker, there are many other aspects that the HEA can do, including evaluating the strategic plans of the universities and how the plans fit into the overall national development plan. This can best be undertaken by an independent body, such as the HEA. Universities cannot do this by themselves. Co-ordinating the overall development of higher education in the country is, again, something that ought to be done by such a body. 

Mr Speaker, it might be beneficial for the House to know that this debate has gone on for a long time. Way back, in 2002, there was a document written on this subject entitled “A Case for the Establishment of a Higher Education Authority in Zambia”. 

Mr Speaker, I will lay this document on the Table for the benefit of the hon. Members of the House. This paper was very extensive in its analysis of the need for a higher education authority in our country. Fortunately, this debate, having gone on for more than seventeen years now, has found its place in a draft Bill on higher education, which has now been brought to a conclusion. 

Mr Speaker, we are delighted that the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education has been faithful to this task and highly committed to its realisation. This is how it should be because matters of national development, when good, should unite all of us. 

Mr Speaker, the establishment of the HEA, whose conceptualisation goes way back to the mid-1990s, has been taken on by the current hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education and brought to us to approve so that this institution, which is very important for our nation, is established. 

Mr Speaker, with these comments and observations, I render my full support to this Bill and hope that the House will do the same so that this long-standing debate can be brought to a close. However, in doing so, I would like to request the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education to think in terms of excellence, as it relates to those who are going to manage this institution. Those who are going to manage the HEA ought to be individuals who have excelled in teaching, research or publication, and rendering expert service to the nation and elsewhere. It is by so doing that the HEA in the country will win the respect of both higher education institutions, other higher education authorities elsewhere as well as the respect of the academics who, to a large extent, expect those who superintend over their operations to be at the highest level of excellence, firstly, in understanding how higher education institutions ought to operate, and, secondly, in assessing them. This is very important.   

Sir, the HEA is not the type of institution for which you need party cadres, but one for national development, for which you need the highest level of merit to superintend. You need those who have been able to achieve the ripeness of judgment in academic excellence to superintend over this institution. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Lungwangwa resumed his seat. 

Mr Speaker: Order!

You said that you would lay a document on the Table. 

Professor Lungwangwa laid the paper on the Table. 

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, I am glad that we are unanimous in our position on the Bill. 

First and foremost, I would like to pay tribute, as was silently demanded of me by the hon. Member of Parliament for Nalikwanda, Hon. Professor Lungwangwa. The debate you started with Professors Kelly and Mr Tembo, as you reminded us, is resulting in this Bill. I can only pay tribute to you. Thank God, you are still alive. 

Laughter 

Dr Phiri: You will equally enjoy the accolades that will come my way by an accident of history. I do not intend to own it all. I also thank you for the various suggestions to be added to the agenda of this important authority. I will make these available to the authority when it is in place. I will also make available the document entitled “A Case for the Establishment of a Higher Education Authority in Zambia” of 2002, which you have tabled before this House. I also thank you for the reminder that this is an institution that must be driven by excellence because, if the people running it lack excellence, there is always the danger that it will quickly become …

Interruptions

Dr Phiri: … an ilomba, I am being told. 

Mr Speaker: What does that mean?

Dr Phiri: I think that His Honour the Vice-President is thinking of an undefined creature that we use in the night. 

Laughter 

Mr Speaker: Well, then, we will not take it further than that. 

Laughter 

Dr Phiri: I hope that it will not be used to derail the establishment of the authority. Mediocrity should stay away from this authority. I will continuously remind myself of that. I thank you, Hon. Professor Lungwangwa, for the elaborate consultancy and speech. Had I known, I would have made your services available to Mr Speaker’s Committee. 

Mr Speaker, let me quickly allay some fears. Dr Kalila, I want to thank you for the wonderful job that you did with your Committee on Education, Science and Technology. It is really good work that you have done in considering this Bill. We appreciate the recommendations that have emerged out of this consultative process as well the views of hon. Members of Parliament today. This input will help us to move towards the establishment of the legal framework that will lay, as we have heard from various contributions, a good foundation upon which to build a credible higher education system. 

Mr Speaker, the various issues that have been raised will be taken care of and the House can rest assured that, if need be, we will look further than where we are. However, on the whole, I value your comments, Chairperson of the Committee, Dr Kazonga and Professor Lungwangwa.

Hon. Dr Kazonga has named a few clauses. One of them is Clause 23 - Deregistration of public universities by the hon. Minister and the private ones by the authority. I agree that both should be done by the authority. Also, Clause 40 says that the authority should be the one to close both categories of institutions. This was debated, and we saw that the hon. Minister, in our view, should have the authority, subject to giving lee-way to the High Court for those who are aggrieved. Similarly, Clause 7 refers to the hon. Minister giving directives. I know that I am not the last hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education. Also, under Clause 23, the fine has been noted by the Chairperson, and has been increased to K2 million, from K300. The amendment to Clause 27 might not be supported at all and I agree with the Chairperson that it is not necessary to consider the plight of certain institutions in order to come up with a viable law. 

Sir, to all who have contributed to this debate and those who had wanted to contribute, but felt that their views had already been expressed by those who have contributed, I thank them, and thank you for the opportunity you have given me.

Thank you, Sir.

Question put and agreed to and the Bill read a second time.

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee, on Thursday, 7th March, 2013.

THE TEACHING PROFESSION BILL, 2013

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the Bill be now read a second time.

Sir, the liberalisation of education provision in this country saw an increase in the number of colleges of education and private schools. Although this development has led to increased training opportunities for our people and access to education, it has created a number of challenges. For example, teachers employed in some private institutions are under-qualified while, in some cases, teachers dismissed from the public institutions on disciplinary and other grounds are re-employed by some privately-owned institutions. These inadequacies in education delivery have led to quality being compromised and the teachers not adhering to the profession ethics and code of conduct. This state of affairs is compounded by the fact that the only piece of legislation that regulates provision of education is the Education Act, No. 23, of 2011, which does not provide, for example, for teacher competence and accreditation.

Sir, the major contributing factor is the absence of a regulatory body responsible for scrutinising and registering those intending to join the teaching profession. This needs to be corrected. 

Sir, the ministry is grateful for the contributions of the various organisations and individuals who have contributed towards the Teaching Profession Bill, 2013, and desires that hon. Members of Parliament join it in supporting this Bill.

The provisions of the Teaching Profession Bill include the following:

(a)the establishment of a regulatory body, that is, the Teaching Council (TC);

(b)registration of teachers, through the TC. Teachers will now be allowed to teach only when they have a valid teaching licence;

(c)regulation of training institutions establishment of institutional standards and accreditation procedures; and

(d)structures for dealing with teacher’s professional misconduct.

Mr Speaker, the TC will be established and be responsible for the registration and regulation of teachers and institutions that train teachers.

In conclusion, Sir, the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) will, in consultation with the TC, prescribe and publish a code of ethics for teachers, both in private and public institutions. The code of ethics will be published in the Government Gazette and daily newspapers for general circulation in Zambia, upon which it shall bind all persons regulated under this Act.

Sir, a teacher who contravenes the code of ethics or any provision of the Act will either be dealt with by the TSC or the Disciplinary Committee. The TSC will discipline Public Service teachers while private school teachers will be dealt with by the Disciplinary Committee of the TC. In terms of promotions, the TSC will deal with Public Service teachers while private school teachers’ promotion cases will be the responsibility of their employers, as can be expected.

Mr Speaker, I, once again, seek the support of this august House in turning this Bill into the Act that we have waited for a long time. 

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kalila: Mr Speaker, in accordance with its terms of reference, as contained in the Standing Orders, your Committee was, on Tuesday, 19th February, 2013, once again, tasked to scrutinise the Teaching Profession Bill, National Assembly No. 5, of 2013.

Mr Speaker, in order to gain insight into the ramifications of the Bill, your Committee sought oral and written submissions from various stakeholders. Hon. Members have read the Bill and the Committee’s report, I hope. Therefore, I will just highlight a few salient issues contained in your Committee’s report.

Sir, the background and rationale for the Teaching Profession Bill before the House today is that, whereas the Education Act, No. 23, of 2011, provides for the quality and type of education to be offered in Zambia, there is, currently, no legal framework that provides for the regulation of those who are key to its implementation, that is, the teachers. Furthermore, since Independence, in 1964, several developments have taken place in the education sector. Of particular importance was the liberalisation of the sector, which led to an increase in the number of private educational institutions.

Sir, while this is a positive development, it has brought with it some challenges, one of which concerns the regulation of teachers.

Mr Speaker, some quarters of Zambian society have argued that, for a long time now, Zambia, as a country, has not recognised teaching as a profession and, as such, all and sundry have found their way in the classroom to teach, as long as they have basic school certificate qualifications. Since the late eighties, the public has raised numerous concerns on the integrity of the teaching fraternity and calibre of teachers. Many a time, the declining educational standards have been blamed on teachers. However, while the teaching fraternity has come under serious scrutiny from the public, there has been no serious attempt, on the part of successive governments, to come up with a legal framework to provide for a code of professional ethics to regulate the conduct and behaviour of teachers in the country other than the Teaching Service Regulations and Terms and Conditions of Service, which only apply to teachers in the public sector.

Mr Speaker, the TSC handles disciplinary issues of teachers in Government schools, but who watches over those in private schools, whose numbers are also swelling? Is it not dependent on the individual school authorities, resulting in standards varying from one school to another? Even with teachers in public schools, the TSC is overstretched, as evidenced by the long time it takes for teachers to be confirmed and disciplinary cases to be concluded. Further, teachers dismissed from Government schools on grounds of professional misconduct are often employed in private schools without much trouble. Therefore, the absence of a mechanism to regulate the conduct of teachers has been a major stumbling block to the development of a professional teaching cadre for both public and private schools.

Sir, the mushrooming of private teacher training institutions has resulted in a lack of standardisation in the type and quality of the training offered. The enactment of this Bill, therefore, is long overdue and welcome to all Zambians.

Mr Speaker, let me now highlight a few specific provisions of the Bill that need to be addressed.

Sir, whereas Clause 8 makes provision for the appointment of inspectors who will have the duty of ensuring that those to be regulated by the Act are in compliance with it, it does not provide for the qualifications of persons eligible to be appointed as inspectors. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the minimum qualifications for a person to be appointed as an inspector be specified.

Mr Speaker, Clauses 15 to 22 provide for matters pertaining to practicing certificates, such as renewal, cancellation, conditions of certificate and duplicate certificate. However, there does not seem to be a linkage between the certificate of registration issued under Clause 11 and the practising certificate issued under Clause 15. It is not clear from the Bill whether registration is a prerequisite for a teacher to be issued with a practising certificate. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that this matter be clarified.

Sir, Clause 24 provides for the removal from the register of a name and condition for its restoration. However, it does not refer to the status of a practicing certificate issued to a teacher whose name has been removed from the register. Your Committee recommends that this matter be clarified.

Mr Speaker, Clause 47 makes provision for any person to lodge a complaint against a teacher for allegedly breaching the code of ethics or any provision of the Act. It further provides that where the teacher is a public servant, the complainant shall lodge the complaint with the TSC while, in the case of the teacher being in the private sector, the complaint is to be lodged with the disciplinary committee of the Teaching Council of Zambia (TCZ) to be established. The clause further allows the council or TSC to initiate disciplinary action on its own volition, provided it has reasonable grounds to believe that the teacher acted contrary to the code of ethics. However, most stakeholders were of the view that this would create disparity in the manner and speed at which disciplinary cases are discharged, resulting in the private sector being more efficient than the public sector. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the TSC be reformed to bring it in tandem with expectations of the TCZ.

Sir, Clause 53 provides for a person aggrieved by a decision of the Disciplinary Committee to appeal to the High Court. However, the stakeholders were of the view that the appeal must be to the board of the TCZ, not straight to the High Court. Further, prescribing the particular court of appeal was deemed too restrictive. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that this clause be amended to address this concern.

Sir, in conclusion, I wish to record your Committee’s indebtedness and gratitude to you for according it the opportunity to scrutinise the Teaching Profession Bill, National Assembly Bill, No. 5, of 2013. I would also like to thank all the stakeholders that appeared before your Committee and contributed to the process of scrutinising the Bill. Gratitude also goes to the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the services rendered to your Committee.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Dr Kazonga: Mr Speaker, I wish to indicate that I fully support this Bill. The reforms, that are taking place in the education sector, of which this Bill is a part, are most welcome.

Sir, thirty-three years ago, I was involved in one philosophical debate, which was on whether teaching was a profession. There were ideas for and against this proposition. Those who were against the idea that it was a profession pointed out that there was nothing in place to regulate the conduct of teachers. Today, I am happy to see a Bill that is going to regulate the conduct of teachers. The vacuum that was identified thirty-three years ago has been filled. Teaching is now a profession because it will be regulated by the provisions of this Bill.

Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Minister for the direction he has taken.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri indicated assent

Dr Kazonga: Mr Speaker, all of us, here, have gone through the hands of teachers. Some of the skills and knowledge that we are able to demonstrate now were imparted in us by teachers. Some of the skills are soft ones. They are acquired passively. For these skills to continue being imparted in the young, we need a disciplined cadre of teachers, and this Bill will be the only way by which we can have that sort of teachers.

Mr Speaker, let me acknowledge that teachers’ unions also contributed to the product that the hon. Minister has brought to this House. This shows that the unions, the Government and hon. Members of Parliament are moving together. The teachers, through their unions, fully supported the proposed law. It was very impressive to hear their concerns on the lack of this piece of legislation.

Mr Speaker, I just have one observation on the provisions of this Bill, under Clause 28, which is on the recognition of foreign qualifications. Let me quote:

“The Minister may, on the recommendation of the council, by statutory instrument, recognise any foreign qualifications for purposes of registration under this Act.”

Mr Speaker, my concern is on the recommendation that is to come from the TCZ. The issue of recognition of foreign qualifications is a job requiring its own skills. Fortunately enough, here, in Zambia, as part of the reforms in the education sector, this House passed the Zambia Qualifications Authority Bill, which is now an Act, and the responsibility of recognising foreign qualifications was given to the Zambia Qualifications Authority (ZQA). Clause 9 (1)(j) of the Zambia Qualifications Authority Act, No. 13, of 2011, states:

“… recognise and validate competencies for purposes of certification obtained outside the country.”

This implies that this work that is being imbedded in the council has to go to the ZQA, not the council. The competent authority to look at the recognition of foreign qualifications has to be the ZQA, through that Act.

Mr Speaker, a number of challenges have been experienced in the teaching fraternity, some of which are being addressed in this Bill. As I indicated earlier, the training of teachers has been provided for under Part IV, and that is also where the recognition of the ZQA has been captured. That part of the Bill indicates that there was, somehow, an acknowledgement that the competent authority to look at the issue of qualifications is the ZQA.

Mr Speaker, this Bill is going to resolve a number of problems that are, currently, being faced in this country. Just last week, we were discussing issues of discipline, such as absenteeism and reporting for work drunk. Those things will now be dealt with properly under this piece of legislation. As I have already indicated, I fully support this Bill. However, I hope that the hon. Minister will take my proposal for the amendment of Clause 28 into account.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma (Zambezi West): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me the opportunity to add my voice to the debate on this Bill. My contribution will be very short. I welcome the Bill but, in so doing, I just want to make two or three observations.

Firstly, Sir, of course, there is a need to have a professional Teaching Service. However, there will be practical realities to be faced in implementing the Bill. For example, in our constituencies, we have established community schools, and the people who teach in them are community workers, who would not qualify to be teachers under this proposed law. What will happen to that category of community workers? Looking at the penalties that have been prescribed under this Act, all of them are going to be imprisoned for five years. Obviously, that is not practicable.

Laughter

Mr Kakoma: So, in implementing this law, …

Mr Speaker: Maybe, it is not desirable.

Laughter

Mr Kakoma: … the hon. Minister will have to exercise caution or have some other power to deal with that problem.

Secondly, Mr Speaker, this piece of legislation is also going to pose challenges even to other categories of teachers, some of whom have temporarily left the teaching profession because they are in other trades, such as politics. Some former teachers who are performing other duties in the country may not qualify to be teachers because they are, for example, hon. Members of Parliament, and may not even be allowed to register as teachers under this piece of legislation. That will be a challenge to such people who, currently, may be in teaching as a part-time occupation.

Thirdly, Sir, there appears to be a duplication of work under this proposed law, in relation to other pieces of legislation that we have already passed in this House. From a business point of view, many business people are already complaining about the high cost of doing business. When you look at the private education sector, we already have many licences to be obtained under the Education Act, Higher Education Act and, now, the Teaching Profession Bill. This is going to make the life of the private institutions really difficult. Teachers will now have to obtain accreditation from the TCZ, register under the Education Act and run around to get this and that licence under other pieces of legislation. This is, really, going to make the cost of doing business in the private education sector a bit more difficult. Already, there is confusion after issues of early education were brought into the Education Act. The confusion is that the Ministry of Local Government and Housing, through local authorities, such as the Lusaka City Council (LCC), still requires owners of nurseries to register under the Nurseries Act. In fact, the Nurseries Act, if you recall, was repealed by this House, but the LCC has, since last year, been collecting fees from owners of nursery schools and quoting the Nurseries Act as their basis for charging those fees. That is the kind of confusion that can arise because of having too many authorities and duplication of functions. The desirable thing was to have all these educational issues under one umbrella or one-stop Act that can, at least, address them so that there is no confusion or duplication.

With those few remarks, I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to debate again.

Mr Speaker, thirty-three years ago, …

Interruptions

Professor Lungwangwa: … and the subsequent years thereafter, we were asking the question: Is teaching a profession or quasi-profession? Some of the people who debated that question are seated here. They are Hon. Dr Kazonga, Hon. Dr Lungu, Hon. Dr Phiri and Hon. Mweetwa.

Mr Mweetwa: Hear, hear!

Laughter

Mr Speaker: Maybe, as a student.

Laughter{mospagebreak}

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, I was talking about events that happened thirty-three years ago and the years after. People like Hon. Mweetwa belong to the latter category. 

Sir, the question of the professional status of teaching was very famous in the School of Education at the University of Zambia (UNZA), and the conclusion, then, was that teaching was not a profession, but a quasi-profession because, unlike medicine, engineering or law, it did not have institutions to monitor the professional standing of teachers and make them accountable to well-defined professional ethics. Even the matter of discipline was not clearly stipulated, unlike in the legal profession, where there is what is called the Consensus of the Learned, which, for example, regulates how lawyers are recruited in the various training programmes, the curriculum they go through, how they are trained, how they behave after their training, how they are monitored in the course of their practice and how they are certified to practice. This is done through an identified legal instrument or statutory body that ensures that those who become lawyers and are afforded the opportunity to practice, and there are some requirements that they have to meet. That is not what happens in the teaching profession.

Equally, Sir, in medicine, how the students who become medical doctors are recruited, the criterion of recruitment, how they are trained, the kind of professional discipline they are subjected to and, subsequently, after graduation, the type of certification they are afforded for them to practice medicine are stipulated. That, eventually, defines them as professionals. It is the same thing for engineers. That has not been the case with the teaching profession, and it is the reason those of us who benefitted by going through the School of Education, under able hands, concluded that teaching is not a profession, but a quasi-profession. 

Clearly, Mr Speaker, that weakness or gap in the professional standing of teaching is being addressed in the Teaching Profession Bill and the institutions and other ethical requirements that are embodied in it. This is how it should be because this, eventually, will provide the platform for the elevation of the teaching profession to make it equal to other professions like law, medicine and engineering. Once a Bill like this one is passed and superintends over the profession, then, the nation will be assured that teachers are operating at certain acceptable levels of professionalism, even in terms of how they are trained, certified and monitored.

Sir, this Bill is one of the ways in which we shall guarantee the nation that we are developing the necessary human resource to push us, as a nation, to a level of development that requires teachers who can operate at a very high level of professionalism. I am sure that some of the former students of UNZA, like Dr Hantobolo, will remember …

Laughter

Professor Lungwangwa: … this debate very vividly …

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Lungwangwa: … because he happened to be in the tutorials where these issues were discussed.

Mr Speaker, when the colleagues in the Executive do the right things, especially when they continue with issues that are pertinent to our development, there will be no argument because these are, probably, matters about which we should develop consensus, as a nation. In this case, we have a Bill that, of course, has been outstanding for a long time and that many stakeholders, as the Chairperson of the Committee pointed out, have been concerned about it. This is good for our nation and the teaching profession. We support it without any hesitation.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Brig-Gen Dr Chituwo (Mumbwa): I thank you, Mr Speaker. At long last, I have caught your eye.

In supporting this Bill, …

Mr Speaker: The debate has just commenced.

Laughter

Brig-Gen Dr Chituwo: … I will not refer to events of thirty-three years ago but, as a contributor, I also stand to support this Bill from the context that it provides the legal framework for consolidating the professional standing of teaching. 

Sir, I want to refer to Clause 35 and submit that, since we are providing the legal framework for the teaching profession, it is important that we meet the challenges that face the teacher in order to realise the aspect of professionalism in teaching.

Mr Speaker, I note that there is a provision in the Bill for in-service training. When that is done, it will be the expectation of graduates to be upgraded and promoted in good time. This, therefore, poses a challenge to the TSC and the ministry to ensure that we have an efficient system to recognise personal efforts.

Further, Sir, for teaching to be recognised as a profession, there is a challenge posed to the ministry to provide a teaching environment that will lead to the realisation of these aspirations, that is, the provision of requisite teaching and learning materials, a conducive classroom environment and the a good teacher-pupil ratio, to name but a few. These will, ultimately, add to the quality of the product of the process of teaching.

Sir, it is important to realise that, just like other professions, teachers will have expectations in terms of their living environments. I am sure that the professional teachers will now expect that, since they will be equivalent to their colleagues in the fields of health and engineering, their living conditions, too, must be equivalent. The challenge is to meet those expectations. When the expectations are met or attempts are seen to be made towards meeting them, teachers will be motivated to increase productivity. They will produce quality graduates who, in turn, will contribute to the overall socio-economic development. That is because the understanding is increased, at a personal level, in matters of, for example, nutrition, hygiene and maternal health and HIV/AIDS. Certainly, education will then be concretised as a basic foundation for socio-economic development. Therefore, the ministry must, as much as possible, ensure that there is an understanding between the providers of the facilities and the professionals who use them.

Mr Speaker, I welcome this Bill and my contribution is not to subtract anything from what my colleagues have already said, but to buttress the fact that having provided the legal framework, it is imperative that, in its implementation, the environment meets that professional status of teaching. Clearly, this will demand that the teachers meet the demands of the disciplinary code. In that case, we will be talking of quality education and quality standards.

Mr Speaker, lastly, there is the issue of the reality on the ground that has been referred to. We hope that we shall move away from community schools. Otherwise, the teachers will remain unregulated, yet provide service of some kind to the pupils who would not have seen the corridors of a conventional school.

Mr Speaker, this is a timely Bill and, although it is not thirty-three years ago, but later, as I mentioned, we were also involved in the debate on whether a teacher was, truly, professional. With this Bill, there is recognition of a teacher as a professional.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Mwanza (Solwezi West): Mr Speaker, firstly, I would like to thank the current hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education for coming up with this Bill. 

Secondly, Sir, I want to recognise those who have contributed to the debate on this topic, including the late Hon. Wesley Nyirenda, your predecessor, Mr Speaker, who was a great teacher. He talked about this in 1969. He talked about how the teacher was going to be a professional and how he/she was supposed to behave in society. I am a former teacher and very conversant with the problems of the Teaching Service. 

Sir, the second recognition is of Hon. Chimbaka. He was a champion of what we are talking about today. He always articulated issues that concerned teachers. Therefore, today, I stand as a very proud hon. Member of Parliament from a rural constituency in Solwezi, talking about the character, recognition and the profession of the teacher. 

Mr Speaker, as we start this war of professionalising the Teaching Service, we must understand that dimensions have changed. We have many private schools and institutions mushrooming that will require qualified and competent teachers. 

Sir, I am a human resource practitioner by training. So, I have digressed from talking and writing on the board to human resource management. In the human resource field, we came up with this kind of Act ten years ago, but it lacked the teeth to strengthen itself to ensure that erring human resource executives were punished adequately. I am, particularly, interested in the clause that deals with the discipline of teachers. Hitherto, we have heard that teachers go to school while drunk. When you are a teacher, you take stock of how many beautiful girls are before you. As a male teacher, you are going to look at one of them and marry that girl.

Mr Mushanga: Ah, ba Mwanza, efyo mwalechita?

Laughter

Mr Mwanza: To me, that is indiscipline. It is unethical and not provided for in this Bill. I can assure you that, in this room, people who have come from that background have had this experience.

Hon. Members: Ah!

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, it is a wrong experience, which I did not like, and which upcoming teachers must make sure that …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

We will not go into the details of that experience, thank you.

Laughter

Mr Mwanza: Mr Speaker, upcoming teachers must avoid those temptations because they are regarded as role models in society. 

Mr Speaker, when there is an opportunity for the TC to regulate the conduct of teachers, it must make sure – In Zambia, today, a number of private schools do not have adequate facilities for teaching, such as football pitches, netball pitches or laboratories, like those I knew when I was a pupil at Mwense Secondary School, many years ago. These facilities have collapsed over time. We need a council that will to take charge and ensure that what used to happen thirty-three years ago starts taking place today. 

Mr Speaker, I do not take pride in seeing a private school that has no laboratory, where children cannot learn how to kick a ball or a primary school where teaching facilities and equipment are poor. That should be a thing of the past. 

Sir, I would like to take the debates of Professor Lungwangwa and everybody else who contributed on this debate, as my own. They are great people, who are interested in education for all of us. 

With these few remarks, I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda (Luena): Mr Speaker, like the hon. Member for Solwezi West’s, my contribution will be brief.

Sir, I want to mention something on examination leakages. Examination leakages, which are a common feature in our schools, these days, must be a reflection of a lack of competence by some teachers. This lack of competence is as a result of certain issues that other hon. Members who were on the Floor earlier mentioned, such as lack of discipline, beer drinking and, maybe, even lack of the knowledge to impart in pupils. Therefore, when the time for examinations comes, the teachers have nothing to offer. Hence, they have to give some examination leakages.

Mr Speaker, I come from a rural constituency, and what happens in the schools there is that the pupils are not taught. When they are about to write examinations, that is when they go through some kind of drill on questions. If the teachers, really, knew their role and applied themselves, this situation would not arise. Even the quality of the product that we end up getting from colleges and other higher learning institutions is low because of examination leakages. Let me give you an example of the recent issue of the number of students who failed at the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE). That was a reflection of the background of those students but, when they fail, they want to blame the institution. If you want to become a professional, you must go through some tough examinations. Ask accountants about this and they will tell you. Everybody knows that it is not easy to get an Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) or Chartered Institute of Management Accounting (CIMA) qualification.

Mr Speaker, the other issue that I want to mention is the shortage of teachers. Late last year, there was a list in the newspapers of teachers who had been recruited, and I noticed that, in the Western Province, there was a big shortage of teachers. I took some authorities to task on why that was the case, and they said that it was not their fault. They advertised and the list in the newspaper was what they were able to get from the advertisement. When there is a big shortage like the one during that recruitment exercise, it becomes a big challenge because you will be forced to get untrained teachers to run some schools, especially in rural areas.

Mr Speaker, I also want to advise that, when the Teaching Profession Bill is passed, there should be categories of teachers. There should be degree holders, diploma holders and certificate holders, like it is in the accounting profession. The accountants are categorised according to their training: we have technicians, professionals and other categories. That should be considered too. I also think that there should be continued professional development once this Bill is enacted. Finishing college should not be the end. It is important that teachers are up to date with the latest developments in their profession. 

Mr Speaker, one issue that has already been mentioned is the availability of learning materials. A few days ago, I was talking to my young nieces, comparing notes with them on what I learnt when I was at school and what they are learning these days. They were surprised at what I used to learn. For example, I asked them how many books they had read in English Literature at school and on their own from libraries. They were surprised when I mentioned all the books that I read because they had not had those books. They had only read one textbook. It is very important that, once this Bill is operationalised, schools have learning materials that teachers can use to impart knowledge in the pupils. 

With these short words, I support the Motion.

Hon. Opposition Member: It is with those few words.

Ms Imenda: I thank you, Sir.

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, I pay tribute to all the contributors to this Motion. First of all, let me thank the Chairperson and members of the Committee on Education, Science and Technology for the good work that has been done in considering the Teaching Profession Bill, 2013. We appreciate the recommendations that have been made during the consultative process as well as the views of hon. Members of Parliament.

Mr Speaker, allow me to pick a few of the observations made by the hon. Members of Parliament. 

Sir, I thank the hon. Member of Parliament for Luena, whose contribution was on the same cause as Hon. Mwanza of Solwezi West. Yes, once this Bill becomes an Act of Parliament, and the professional status of teaching becomes official, we hope that the confidence of the many men and women who have decided to join this profession will be enhanced. It will also put pressure on the ministry to change the whole learning environment. I thank Hon. Mwanza for recognising my late brother, Mr Wesley Nyirenda’s contribution to the debate on the professional status of teaching. I also thank Hon. Chimbaka for his interest in this matter. He is still around and should be jubilant on this. I thank Hon. Brig-Gen Dr Chituwo for his comments on Clause 35 of the Bill. I cannot agree with more on that. The reality on the ground should match this change. 

Interruptions

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, I thank Professor Lungwangwa for those …

Interruptions

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, in short, let me say that the amendments that have been proposed will not be delayed. I hope that all this will be taken into consideration. I beg that …

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1815 hours until 1830 hours.

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

Mr Speaker: When business was suspended, the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education was winding debate on the Second Reading Stage of the Teaching Profession Bill, 2013. May the hon. Minister continue.

Dr Phiri: Mr Speaker, I finished winding up.

Laughter

Question put and agreed to and the Bill read a second time.

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee on Thursday, 7th March, 2013.

__________

MOTION

ADJOURNMENT

The Vice-President (Dr Scott): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Question put and agreed to.

__________

The House adjourned at 1833 hours until 1430 hours on Thursday, 7th March, 2013.

__________