DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE SECOND SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Tuesday, 4th December, 2012

The House met at 1430 hours

[Mr SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

PRAYER

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ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR SPEAKER

DELEGATION FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF UGANDA

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to inform the House that we have in our presence in the Speaker’s Gallery the following hon. Members from the Parliament of Uganda:

Hon. Mulongo Simon, MP, Leader of the Delegation;

Hon. Lokki John, MP;

Hon. Achile Manoah Mila, MP;

Hon. Iriama Rose, MP; and

Ms Harriet Apiny, Secretary to the Delegation.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Speaker: I wish, on behalf of the National Assembly of Zambia, to receive our distinguished guests and warmly welcome them into our presence.

I thank you.

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MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

POINT OF ORDER RAISED ON THURSDAY, 29TH NOVEMBER, 2012 BY THE HONOURABLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR LUKULU WEST, MR MIYUTU

The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Lubinda): Mr Speaker, as a result of the point of order that was raised on Thursday, 29th November, 2012, by Hon. Miyutu, Member of Parliament for Lukulu West, concerning Councillor Chikutano Nkhoma’s uncleared bills in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and following the ruling by Mr Deputy Speaker that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will attend to the matter, I wish to make the following statement:

Sir, the Government of the Republic of Zambia enjoys cordial relations with the Ethiopian Government. These relations date as far back as pre-independence days and have grown from strength to strength over the years. This is evidenced by the close collaboration of the two local authorities, namely, the Lusaka City Council (LCC) and Addis Ababa Local Authority.  It is envisaged that, through this collaboration, the councillors of the respective countries will learn and exchange best practices implemented in their respective local authorities. It is against this background that the Addis Ababa Local Authority invited a delegation of three officials from the LCC to attend the commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of the Existence of Addis Ababa as a Local Authority. 

Sir the officials arrived in Addis Ababa on 20th November, 2012, and the Addis Ababa City Government hosted and accommodated them at the Sheraton Hotel. However, despite the fact that the Addis Ababa Local Authority extended courtesies by paying for accommodation and meals for the Zambian delegation, Councillor Samuel Chikutano Nkhoma exceeded the given ceiling by US$2,000. 

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

Hon. Members should give an opportunity to the hon. Minister to issue the statement. 

The hon. Minister, continue.

Mr Lubinda:  Mr Speaker, this bill of US$2,000 was accumulated in a space of five days, between 20th and 25th November, 2012.  On 26th November, 2012, when the Mission in Addis Ababa was informed, the accountant at the Embassy informed the Town Clerk and the Mayor of the City of Lusaka of what had transpired with their official and asked for a direction on how to resolve the matter. The Zambian Government has since formally apologised to the Ethiopian Government and Sheraton Hotel through our Mission in Addis Ababa as we regret this very unfortunate incident. 

Sir, immediately the incident occurred, I wrote to the Councillor requesting him to provide a full report on the incident within forty-eight hours. I have since received his report. In addition, the LCC has set up an ad-hoc disciplinary committee, which is analysing the matter and will recommend appropriate action to be taken. Meanwhile, the LCC has been asked by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to re-imburse the said amount to the Addis Ababa Local Authority as a matter of urgency. This incident has, undoubtedly, caused embarrassment to us and such incidences have the potential of tarnishing the image of Zambians. Therefore, we ought to guard ourselves against that. My appeal to my fellow countrymen and women travelling abroad is that we all ought to conduct ourselves honourably and exhibit exemplary behaviour because, when we travel, we do not necessarily represent ourselves, but our dear country.

As for civil servants and politicians travelling on Government duty, it is not only an expectation of the Government, but an obligation on our part to conduct ourselves well. Further, for those travelling on Government duty, my ministry wishes to suggest that our missions abroad be informed about our presence in the countries in which they operate so that matters like the Addis Ababa incident could be addressed speedily. 

Sir, I thank you.

Mr Speaker: Hon. Members are now free to ask questions on points of clarification.

Ms Siliya (Petauke): Mr Speaker, will the disciplinary procedure include getting back the money from the councillor involved since this is tax payers’ money which was paid off by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, let me clarify that the money is not from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed the LCC to reimburse the Addis Ababa Council. I am a member of the LCC, which has formed an ad hoc committee to investigate the matter and, thereafter, make a recommendation to the full council. As all of us in this House are aware, decisions of such nature have to be adopted by a full council. I should, however, say that Councillor Chikutano, in responding to my letter, was very apologetic and remorseful over the incident, and promised, even before the disciplinary action is taken, to reimburse the US$2,000.     

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mooya (Moomba): Sir, what was the ceiling? Further, was the councillor aware of it?

Mr Lubinda: Sir, in his letter, Councillor Chikutano stated that this was his first high-profile trip.

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: He said that, when he found the drinks, …

Laughter

Mr Speaker: The hon. Minister is clarifying. Please, give him the latitude to do so.

Mr Lubinda: ... in the room, …

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: ... he thought that all of them were complimentary.

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: Unfortunately, he did not even see the price list. So, he continued to consume.

I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

Mr Speaker: I presume, it was for five consecutive days.

Laughter

Mr Mbulakulima (Chembe): Mr Speaker, you will agree with me that Addis Ababa is the nerve centre of the African Union (AU).  Therefore, an embarrassment like this one is not only confined to Addis Ababa and the concerned country, in this case, Zambia, but goes all over the world. Now, with this propensity by the PF leadership  to include cadres in civil offices, what stringent measures are you putting in place when it comes to sending lower organs outside Zambia so that we can avoid this kind of embarrassment?         

Mr Lubinda: Sir, in anticipating a question like that from, particularly, Hon. Mwansa Mbulakulima, I asked whether this matter had happened for the very first time and the old hands in the ministry informed me that there are some former hon. Ministers who fell prey to the same circumstance. Therefore, it is not a partisan issue. It has occurred before and there are records in the ministry, but I do not want to go into that any further than this. Let me just say that Mr Chikutano is a councillor elected by the people in his ward and was travelling to Addis Ababa in that capacity. He was not travelling as a cadre and that is not even the issue.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Nkombo (Mazabuka Central): Mr. Speaker, I share the embarrassment with the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs on the conduct of Councillor Chikutano, especially that he represents the ward in which I reside in Northmead.

Sir, there is a propensity by PF councillors to exhibit such behaviour. One of them who was in your committee at the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Jakarta pulverised a mini-bar and caused embarrassment to the Speaker’s delegation. Is it not in order that, beyond the contrition that Councillor Chikutano has given, the hon. Minister categorically indicates that our councillor will pay that K10 million back to the council and be punished the way the other councillor who was in this House was censured?

Mr Lubinda: Sir, I tried to explain that this is not a partisan issue. I also appeal to all of us in this House that, when we travel abroad, especially at Government expense and duty, we must conduct ourselves beyond reproach. I would expect that, when we travel, we desist from doing anything that will create embarrassment for ourselves and the country, such as impersonating an hon. Minister and jumping on a vehicle that is meant for an hon. Minister and pretending to be one. That is totally unacceptable.

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: I stated, very clearly, that there is an ad hoc committee of the LCC which is investigating the matter, and that the councillor has said that he will pay the US$2,000.  Therefore, I would like to appeal to my good friend, Hon. Nkombo, that when he travels, next time, he must travel as an hon. Member of Parliament, instead of impersonating an hon. Minister.

 I thank you, Sir.

Laughter

Mr Mutelo (Lukulu West): Mr Speaker, indeed, the point of order had come from Lukulu West. However, is Mr Miyutu the hon. Member of Parliament for Lukulu West? The hon. Minister stated, and I quote:

“Hon. Miyutu, Lukulu West.” May I get the clear position?

Laughter

Mr Speaker: I think that it was just a slip of the tongue.

Dr Kazonga: Mr Speaker, taking advantage of the fact that the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs is a councillor in the LCC, I would like to find out whether there is any timeframe that has been given to the ad hoc disciplinary committee in which to complete its work so that the full council can make a decision on this matter?

Mr Lubinda: Mr Speaker, the last meeting of the disciplinary committee was this morning, and I have been informed that the council will be sitting to receive the recommendations of the ad hoc committee next week. 

I thank you, Sir.

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QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

NSUMBU NATIONAL PARK

282. Mr Chansa (Chimbamilonga) asked the Minister of Tourism and Art when the wildlife camps in the following areas in Nsumbu National Park would be opened in order to curb illegal activities:

(a)    Chomba Wakasaba;

(b)    Kalongola;

(c)    Kasaba Bay;

(d)    Katele;

(e)    Tondwa;

(f)    Kakoma;

(g)    Kambyolwe;

(h)    Nkamba Bay;

(i)    Ntasa; and

(j)    Nsama.    

The Deputy Minister of Tourism and Arts (Mr Phiri): Mr Speaker, only four of the areas referred to above by Hon. Chansa are inside Nsumbu National Park. These are Chomba Wakasaba, Kambyolwe, Kasaba Bay and Nkamba Bay. The rest are outside the national park. However, they are also closed. These wildlife camps were closed over a decade ago. However, the current position is to re-open all wildlife camps that were closed as well as open new camps within the park at strategic locations in order to control poaching activities. We plan to open these camps after the recruitment of wildlife police officers and when construction of houses is completed in 2014. Construction of the camps will begin in 2013. The Government has allocated K500 million in the 2013 Budget to commence construction of wildlife camps in Nsumbu National Park.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chansa: Mr Speaker, following the current reports of rampant poaching from the surrounding communities of Nsumbu National Park, what is the hon. Minister’s immediate plan to curb the rampant poaching there?

Mr Phiri: Mr Speaker, Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) is putting some immediate measures in place. For instance, a week ago, Nsumbu National Park was given a brand new pick up land cruiser which brings the number of vehicles there to two. We have also deployed additional wildlife police officers in Nsumbu National Park.

I thank you, Sir.

NATIONAL INFRASTUCTURE

283. Mr Chisala (Chilubi) asked the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock what progress was made towards the development of the following infrastructure countrywide in 2011:

(a)    Disease-free zones;

(b)    regional laboratories; and 

(c)    quarantine stations.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Banda): Mr Speaker, under the disease-free zones, five checkpoints were earmarked for renovation and construction. Progress made is as follows:

(i)    at the Kafue Bridge Checkpoint, two blocks of 1x 2 bedroom houses have been rehabilitated, while construction of a loading and offloading bay as well as a paddock and crush pen has been completed. Construction of an office block has also been completed;

(ii)    at the Lusaka West Checkpoint, construction of an office block and 2 x 3 bedroom houses has been completed;

(iii)    at the Luangwa Bridge Checkpoint, construction of an office block is not yet complete. The building is being plastered, while rehabilitation of  two blocks of 2 x 1 bedroom houses as well as construction of an offloading bay, paddock and crush pen has been completed;

(iv)    at Nkalamabwe, renovation of one house and construction of an office block is complete while renovation of four houses is 95 per cent complete; and

(v)    at the Central Veterinary Research Institute, construction of an office block and renovation of the vaccine unit and biotechnology laboratory has been completed, while renovations of the diagnostic wing are 85 per cent complete.

Mr Speaker, construction of Choma Laboratory has reached roof level and is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. The foundation for the Mongu Laboratory has been dug and pillars are being erected. Works for the Chipata Laboratory are in progress and tenders for work to be done for the Ndola Laboratory are being worked on.

Mr Speaker, the perimeter electric fence for the Lusaka Quarantine Station has been erected, a borehole has been sunk at the Simoonga Quarantine Station in Livingstone and the station has also been fenced.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, my question arises from part (c) of the Question …

Dr Kaingu: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Order!

A point of order is raised.

Dr Kaingu: Mr Speaker, I am sorry to disturb the hon. Member of Parliament on the Floor. This point of order is compelling and it is very important. It borders on the fundamental right of freedom of an individual whose name is Mr Mumena.

Mr Speaker, today marks twenty-four days since the police, acting on the instructions of the Government, picked up our Provincial Chairman, Mr Mumena and put him in police custody. Mr Mumena has been in police custody without being charged. There is no law in this country that allows the police or the Government to keep an individual in police cells for more than forty-eight hours without being charged. Is this Government in order to take advantage of a toothless, moribund and incapacitated Human Rights Commission (HRC) to incarcerate people without charging them? Is this Government in order to continuously keep Mr Mumena for reasons of him being Soli and a member of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD)? 

I need your judgment on this, Sir.

Interruptions

Mr Speaker: Order!

I wish to remind hon. Members about the ruling I issued on Wednesday, 7th March, 2012. I indicated then, that points of order are primarily meant for interpretation and enforcement of the rules of procedure and conduct of business in the House. That is a general rule. I emphasise that that is a general rule. However, there is an exception.

Dr Kaingu: Like this one.

Laughter

Hon. Government Member: You are indisciplined, iwe.

Mr Speaker: Order!

There is an exception. I indicated, in qualifying that exception that, however, in very exceptional circumstances, if a matter is grave, urgent and of utmost national importance, I may allow that point of order. I must note that over the past period, there has been spurious points of order raised. I wish to take this opportunity to indicate that I will administer this exception very strictly. This point of order you have raised, in my opinion and judgement, does not qualify as a matter which is grave, urgent and of national character. I would, therefore, urge the hon. Member should counsel the affected party that resort should be had to the appropriate organs of the state. I have said that in terms of Article 28 of the Constitution of Zambia, if you want to vindicate your right, we have established courts of law for that purpose. That is my ruling.

The hon. Member can continue.

Mr Chisala: Mr Speaker, before I was interrupted by the hon. Member for Mwandi, I was asking when the quarantine stations will be constructed throughout the country.

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (Mr Kazabu): Mr Speaker, allow me to take advantage of that follow-up question to explain to the House that, as a country, we have four international quarantine stations, namely Lusaka, Chanida, Mwami Border and Simonga. 

As regards when the Government will establish quarantine stations in the other provinces, that is an ongoing programme. We have plans, as a ministry, to establish, at least, one quarantine station in each province.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Katuka (Mwinilunga): Mr Speaker, may I learn from the hon. Minister which these disease-free zones in the country are.

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, so far, there is one disease-free zone which covers all the districts in Lusaka Province, the districts in the Central Province, except Mumbwa, because of its proximity to the game park, and Mpongwe and Masaiti on the Copperbelt. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbewe (Chadiza): Mr Speaker, the hon. Minister has mentioned Chanida Border Quarantine which is in the area where I come from. I am very proud that the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) Government gave me that quarantine.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear! 

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, when is the Government going to open that quarantine so that it can start providing services to the people of Chadiza?

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, the quarantine centre will be opened soon because we have received authority from the Treasury to recruit additional veterinary assistants. We will now be able to send staff there and ensure that the quarantine station is operational.

I thank you, Sir.

DISTRIBUTION OF HEIFERS 

284    .    Mr Hamusonde (Nangoma) asked the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock which non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had been involved in the distribution of heifers to the vulnerable people in rural communities countrywide.

Mr N. Banda: Mr Speaker, the NGOs that have been involved in the distribution of heifers to vulnerable people in the rural communities countrywide are Land O’Lakes, Heifer International, Village Water Zambia, World Vision and YAPYA.
    
The following are the total numbers of animals distributed to date:

    Non-Governmental Organisation    Number of Animals

    Land O’Lakes        1,172

    Village Water        84

    Heifer International        4,905 (dairy and 6,046 draught cattle)

    Word Vision         395 (dairy and 625 beef cattle)

    YAPYA        54

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamusonde: Mr Speaker, do these organisations train the beneficiaries or do they just dump the animals on them?

Mr Kazabu: Mr Speaker, before a household can benefit from this programme, they have to belong to some kind of club that should walk them through the necessary training on how to look after the animals that they are going to receive as a gift. The beneficiaries are trained before the gifts are passed on to them.

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BILLS

SECOND READING 

THE CUSOM AND EXCISE (Amendment) BILL, 2012

The Minister of Finance (Mr Chikwanda): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the Bill be read a second time.

Mr Speaker, for a long time, the Zambian economy has been characterised by high costs of doing business and narrow industrial base. It does not favour local production of most essential goods that are required in industrial production. As a result, our country has remained a net importer of most basic goods. 

Mr Speaker, the objective of the Bill is to address the following:

(a)     bottlenecks to industrialisation and growth of industry through reduction of the cost of doing business;

(b)     promote local value addition;

(c)     encourage growth and expansion of the tourism sector; 

(d)    contribute to employment creation interventions; and 

(e)    promote inclusive growth.

Sir, the Bill before the House is, therefore, primarily seeking to remove the customs duty on:

    (a)    a wide range of electrical and mechanical machines and tools;

    (b)    ambulances, motorcycles, water vessels and engines;

    (c)    cameras, specially designed for medical or surgical examination of internal organs and comparison cameras for forensic or criminological purposes; and 

    (d)    instruments, appliances and furniture used in the medical, surgical, dental or veterinary sciences. 

Mr Speaker, this Bill is straightforward and I commend it to the House. 

Mr Speaker, I beg to move.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West): Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for giving me an opportunity to present a report of your Committee on Estimates on the Customs and Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2012 for the Second Session of the Eleventh National Assembly. 

Mr Speaker, let me from the outset, state that your Committee supports the Customs and Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2012 referred to it for consideration on the 14th of November, 2012. In doing so, I would like to highlight some of the pressing issues that arose from the interaction between your Committee and various stakeholders. 

Sir, your Committee observes that the Bill proposes to remove duty on railway locomotives and water vessels. Your Committee is aware that the state of railway infrastructure in Zambia is in a deplorable state and puts considerable pressure on the roads as the transporters prefer using roads. As a result, the Government has continued to spend huge amounts of money on maintaining the road infrastructure. With this unfortunate background, your Committee appreciates any strategies which are meant to improve the railway infrastructure. However, your Committee is concerned that in the past, the Government has proposed very good plans, but there has always been a challenge of inadequate and poor implementation. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government should take the issue of improving the railway infrastructure seriously and must ensure implementation of various policies and programmes. 

Mr Speaker, your Committee observes that the Bill proposes to remove Customs Duty on mechanical and electrical machines as a way of ensuring that there is increased production in the construction and manufacturing sectors. Your Committee is aware that the construction sector has been growing steadily over the years, and therefore, the proposal will consolidate its growth. While your Committee appreciates this well-intended proposal, it urges the Government to seriously consider reducing the overall cost of doing business in Zambia. The high cost of doing business can be attributed to various factors which include, but not limited to the deplorable road infrastructure, high cost of transport, limited access to markets, limited access to affordable finance and high taxes. Your Committee also urges the Govenrment to seriously consider conducting a comprehensive tax review to make it simple, progressive and equitable. 

Mr Speaker, your Committee appreciates various measures taken by the Government meant to promote service delivery and investment in the health sector. While your Committee appreciates the proposed amendments by the Government, it is aware that in the past, similar interventions have not benefited the poor majority in the rural areas. In this regard, your Committee recommends that the Government should ensure that the proposed measures lead to quality service delivery and should uplift the well-being of the ordinary people, particularly the poor in the rural areas. 

Mr Speaker, your Committee notes that the Government has proposed to remove duty on water and aerated non-alcoholic beverages. This measure is meant to promote the growth of the beverage sector by reducing the cost of non-alcoholic beverages. This will stimulate the consumption of these products. The sector has been identified to be strategic in creating opportunities for forward and backward linkages in the economy as well as promoting exports and creating employment. The removal of duty on water will also make clean water more affordable to Zambians. 

Sir, while your Committee welcomes the proposed provision, it recommends that as a way forward, the Government should also consider reducing duty on products such as milk, which have a positive effect on the nutrition of the people.

Mr Speaker, your Committee notes that Zambia is currently facing a huge power deficit which has resulted in power supply outages or disruptions, thereby, negatively affecting production. This is due to the increase in the demand for power arising from the expansion of economic activities and the growth in the population. In this regard, the move to remove duty from electrical capacity could encourage the usage of other sources of energy other than hydro-electric energy thereby reducing pressure on existing hydro power capacity. However, in order for the measures to truly achieve the required benefits, your Committee recommends that these measures should be accompanied by improved access to finance in order to encourage investment in the sector. Further, your Committee recommends that as a way forward, duty on gas, which is used in these appliances, should also be reduced. 

Mr Speaker, your Committee appreciates the various incentives that have been granted to various companies as a way of stimulating growth. However, your Committee is concerned that most of these measures are targeted at promoting selected sectors as opposed to generally reducing the cost of doing business in Zambia. In this regard, it recommends that the Government should come up with measures that will reduce the cost of doing business such as increasing access to cheap finance, reducing the cost of communication, improving road infrastructure and reducing the administrative procedures for starting businesses. 

Sir, I wish to conclude by thanking all the witnesses that appeared before your Committee for their valuable input into our findings. I also wish to thank you, Mr Speaker, for affording your Committee an opportunity to consider the Bill. Lastly, I wish to thank the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the assistance rendered during the deliberations of your Committee. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, I wish to thank the Committee on Estimates for the splendid work they have done in supporting this Bill. As regards the Chairperson of the Committee’s concerns in as far as they relate to revamping the railway system, I want to assure him that we are very serious about this programme as indicated by Government’s allocation of K640 billion to the exercise. It has been a practice in this country that first you must go to the external benefactors before you can put in your own contribution in a programme. This time, we are doing it the other way round. First we start and then, when we have made some progress, if at all necessary, we might then have recourse to the external benefactors. Reducing the duty charged on milk is a compelling need. You should forgive our inadvertence. We shall revisit the matter, I can assure you. 

Sir, we can only make reductions of various forms of taxes in phases because we need the revenues to ran the country. Our revenue options are very limited. One major concern which we will carry throughout the debates, of course, is the cost of money in this country. Last week, the President was very categorical in expressing profound concerns of his Government over this matter. To quote him, the President said, “I give the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Zambia very limited space.” What the President said shows that the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Zambia have failed to tackle the issue of interest rates as vigorously as it should have done. The President has signaled an end to the games over this matter because it is a matter of life and death. We are seriously addressing it. I can assure the House that you will soon see some very positive moves in this direction. 

Mr Speaker, as I wind up, I wish to thank, the Committee of Estimates, and the hon. Members of Parliament, for unhesitatingly supporting the Bill.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

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

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee, on Thursday, 6th December, 2012.

THE INCOME TAX (Amendment) BILL, 2012

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

Mr Speaker, the Bill before this House among other measures is principally seeking to give tax relief on personal incomes of workers. It also seeks to rationalise capital deductions applicable in the mining sector and to revise downwards the corporate tax rate for income earned from agro-processing. Specifically, the Bill proposes to increase the threshold of exempted income on pay-as-you-earn (PAYE), to K2.2 million from K2 million per month and, consequently, to adjust income bands, accordingly, so as to give more tax relief to workers, particularly, those in the low income brackets.

Sir, the Bill also proposes to reduce the company income tax rate for income earned from agro-processing from 35 to 10 per cent. This is intended to bring the taxation of income from agro-processing in line with the taxation of income from agriculture, thereby, removing the disincentive not to add value to agriculture products. It is envisaged that this measure will encourage value addition to agriculture products and, thus, enhance employment creation.

Mr Speaker, in order to restore the culture of saving and investment, the Bill seeks to remove evolving tax of interest earned by individuals from savings and deposit accounts as well as abort the medical levy which is charged on income earned from the financial products such as Treasury bills.

Sir, the Bill further, proposes to reduce to 25 per cent from 100 per  cent, the capital deduction rate applicable in the mining sector and further to provide that capital expenditure in the mining sector will only be claimed for deduction from the time capital assets are brought into use in the business. These measures are intended to strike a balance between promoting investment in the mining sector and generating revenue for the Government.

Mr Speaker, this Bill is straight forward and I commend it to this august House.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for giving me yet another opportunity to present a report of your Committee on the Income Tax Amendment Bill, 2012.

Mr Speaker, your Committee, considered the Income Tax Amendment Bill, 2012 which seeks to amend the Income Tax Act in order to provide for various concessions and revenues generating measures. Considering that the hon. Members have read the Bill, I will limit my comments to only a few pertinent issues that arose during our Committee’s interaction with various stakeholders who appeared before it.

Sir, your Committee, appreciates the proposal to increase the PAYE threshold for the exempt income for individuals from K2 million to K2.2 million per month. Your Committee notes that, this proposal is meant to give further relief to workers especially those in the lower income bracket. While your Committee appreciates the proposed amendment, it is of the view that the exemption threshold falls short of meeting the basic needs of the food basket put together by the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR), currently, estimated at K3.4 million. In this regard, your Committee recommends that, as a way forward, the tax exemption threshold should be revised upwards by keeping it in line with the JCTR basic needs basket.

Mr Speaker, your Committee also notes that, the Bill does not address the critical problem of the high tax burden on the few people in the formal sector. For many years, the Government has been collecting tax from the few people that are in the formal sector leaving out the majority who are in the informal sector. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that, going forward, the Government should:

(a)    broaden the tax base; and

(b)    adjust the tax bands downwards with the highest band being thirty per cent.

Sir, your Committee notes that in the past, the Government has failed to maximise the benefits from the mining sector even in times of high copper prices. In light of the foregoing, your Committee appreciates the various proposed amendments meant to increase the revenue from the mining sector such as the reduction of capital allowance from one hundred per cent to twenty-five per cent. However, going forward, your Committee urges the Government to devise a mining tax regime that is not only effective, but one that will ensure that the sector contributes a fair share of tax to the Government.

Mr Speaker, your Committee is also concerned about the contradicting reports that continue to come out from the mining companies and Government institutions regarding statistics on mining output and revenues. This clearly shows a lack of transparency and accountability regarding the output and value of the minerals being extracted in this country. In view of the numerous challenges regarding the mining sector, your Committee recommends that, the Government should establish an independent institution, specifically, to check and monitor the operations of mining companies. This institution should have the capacity to ascertain the operations of the mining companies in order to appreciate the mining costs structure and, therefore, tax due to the Government. The institution shall also conduct effective mining audits in a bid to enhance transparency and accountability by these mining conglomerates. Your Committee calls on the House to support and pass the Bill.

Sir, in conclusion, let me end by thanking all the witnesses that appeared before your Committee for their invaluable input to our findings. I also wish to thank you, Hon. Mr Speaker, for affording your Committee an opportunity to consider the Bill.

Lastly, but not least, I wish to express my gratitude to the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the advice rendered during the committee’s deliberations. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, I wish to thank the Committee on Estimates and the hon. Members of Parliament for supporting the Bill. I also wish to take note of the concerns raised in the report of the Committee. Let me take this opportunity to respond to some of them. 

Mr Speaker, I have heard stakeholders’ submissions to provide more tax relief to workers. The Government’s assurance is that we will continue to review the tax system in order to ensure that meaningful relief is provided to low-income earners. It is admitted that the current relief offered falls far behind what has been computed as the poverty datum line. In 2013, we shall undertake a comprehensive tax reform that will address most of the challenges, including the issue of tax relief for formal-sector employees. The ultimate objective is to increase disposable incomes to workers in line with the PF Government’s pledge of putting more money in people’s pockets.

Mr Livune: Question!

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, I have taken note of the apprehension of some stakeholders regarding the proposal to reduce to 25 per cent from 100 per cent the capital expenditure rates applicable in the mining sector, which I will come back to. This measure is simply intended to strike a balance between promoting investment in mining and the Government’s objective of generating commensurate revenue from the sector. We are also aware and appreciative of the substantial investment that mining companies committed to this country and wish to assure the nation that the PF Government is fully-committed to ensuring that the tax regime of the mining sector remains fair and stable so that we can secure a win-win outcome for both the country and the investors. 

Mr Speaker, I have further taken note of the important observation that the Government should urgently put in place an organised framework for monitoring mining activities. I, therefore, wish to inform the House that interventions to actualise this agenda are already being implemented so that an interface between relevant departments is established to monitor mining activities. We are confident that we will be operational very soon. 

Mr Speaker, I do not think that it would be useful to have a proliferation people doing the monitoring, including the independent ones. How independent these people would be and how much they would cost is something worth pondering on. We admit that the current taxation of mining companies is not yielding the expected results because it is based on the volumes declared. Therefore, our whole thrust, in terms of monitoring, is to ensure that we base our tax on correct volumes. If we do this, the current taxation measures will be quite adequate. 

Sir, as for the contribution of the mining sector, one hon. Member mentioned in the debate last week that taxation from the mining is much less than the contribution of Pay As You Earn (PAYE), which is at 21 per cent of the expected revenue. I would like to remind the hon. Members that more than 50 per cent of the PAYE emanates from people working in the mining sector and companies which are set up to service the mining industry. The question of disparities in the output figures from the mining sector are quite glaring. However, this is why we are addressing the issue. I hope that the monitoring exercises that are being undertaken by the Zambia Revenue Authority, in conjunction with the Department of Mines, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, and the Bank of Zambia (BoZ), will result in some very concrete results so that the fraudulent information that is given to the Government upon which taxation is based, resulting in inadequate taxation levels, can be put behind us. 

Mr Speaker, once again, I thank the hon. Members for supporting the Bill. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

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

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee on Thursday, 6th December, 2012. 

THE VALUE ADDED TAX (Amendment) BILL, 2012

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

Mr Speaker, the Bill before this House basically seeks to make it mandatory for Value Added Tax (VAT) registered suppliers dealing in taxable supplies to submit output tax schedules for supplies made to other taxable suppliers and reduce the validity period within which a VAT invoice can used to make a VAT refund claim to six months from the very long twelve months. 

Mr Speaker, currently, VAT-registered suppliers are mandated to submit VAT input schedules, but not VAT output schedules and, in the absence of output schedules, it is a challenge for the ZRA to thoroughly assess all VAT refund claims. Submission of output schedules will enhance audits for VAT claims and reduce the risk of revenue loss through possible tax fraud. 

Mr Speaker, it has been observed that, when the validity period within which a tax invoice can be used for claiming VAT refund is too long, it creates opportunities for VAT-refund fraud because long periods bring about administrative challenges in authenticating old invoices for refunds. The Bill, therefore, proposes to reduce the validity period within which VAT invoice can be used to make VAT-refund claims to six months from twelve months. 

Mr Speaker, the Bill is straight forward and I commend it to the House. 

Sir, I beg to move. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, thank you very much, once again, for giving me this opportunity to present a report of your Committee on the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, National Assembly Bill No. 14 of 2012, for the Second Session of the Eleventh National Assembly.

Sir, your Committee on Estimates was tasked to scrutinise the Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, No. 14 of 2012, referred to it on Wednesday, 14th November, 2012. 

Mr Speaker, your Committee supports the Bill and urges the House to support it. In supporting the Bill, your Committee observes that the Government has proposed to reduce the validity period of Value Added Tax (VAT) invoices from three years to six months. While your Committee supports this provision, it is of the view that, if applied uniformly, the proposal might adversely affect some products in the agricultural sector that are only sold at the end of the farming season. In this regard, your Committee recommends that this provision should exempt some products in the agricultural sector, where the period for claiming VAT might take slightly longer than the proposed six months.

Allow me, Mr Speaker, to conclude by expressing my gratitude to you for the opportunity given to your Committee to scrutinise this Bill. Gratitude is also extended to the stakeholders who gave both written and oral submissions, which greatly assisted your Committee in its work. Last, but not the least, I thank the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the services rendered to your Committee throughout its deliberations.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

Mr Muntanga (Kalomo Central): Mr Speaker, I support the Bill, but wish to make a few observations.

Sir, while the hon. Minister has shortened the validity period, the concerns raised by the Committee regarding the agricultural sector are quite serious. You will note that all the accounts for agriculture-related businesses are a complete one year. Now, if you force them to start declaring within six months before the end of the financial year or business transactions, it means that many things will be left out. You are aware that a number of items in agriculture are not exempted. The VAT threshold has been raised to K900 million, or there about, so that many small-scale farmers and other businesses may not register. What of the other companies? This Government is known to have declared that agriculture is one of the serious industries to develop the economy of this country. Why would you ignore this fact?

Mr Speaker, it is only that the hon. Minister needs to raise money. If this reduction of the validity period to other industries will entail that you will be able to take in the retirement and payment of VAT early and be sure of recovering the money, then, why do you not consider also reducing VAT from 16 per cent to 14 per cent in the future? This is what is making most goods expensive. Currently, the moment, Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) has pegged the food basket at K3 million. If you look at some of those items in this food basket, there is VAT included. 

Sir, even if you exempt the people and say they will not register, what are the benefits? If you are a small business person, how do you recover? It is intended that, if you are paying for goods that are charged with VAT, you will be able to recover it at some point. However, without registration, there is no way you can recover your VAT. Therefore, a number of the small-scale farmers will not recover. You have made it even more difficult for those who are registered to be able to cover everything in six months. Therefore, knowing the hon. Minister, I think that he will consider this. You can make special arrangements so that the ZRA does not charge penalties on delayed submissions because the only industry that will suffer is agriculture. I want you to take note of these concerns.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, I wish to thank the Committee on Estimates and hon. Members of Parliament, in particular Hon. Muntanga, for supporting the Bill.

Sir, let me allay the fear that the amendment regarding the validity period of tax invoice for purpose of VAT refunds might adversely affect certain products in agriculture that are sold at the end of the farming season. Firstly, small and medium-scale farmers who deal in products which may only be sold at the end of the farming season are outside the VAT net and, therefore, this measure will not apply to them. Secondly, as long as one remains in business and they incurs VAT on their inputs, they are still entitled to claim the VAT refunds even when the VAT on their sales, that is, output VAT, is only declared after a charged year.

Sir, the VAT credits that may be due to VAT registered businesses can be claimed within a month, and the Treasury provides adequate resources every month in order to sustain and remit the refunds.

Mr Speaker, I have nothing more to add. Again, I want to thank the hon. Members for their unqualified support of the Bill.

Thank you, Sir.

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

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee, on Thursday, 6th December, 2012.

THE ZAMBIA DEVELOPMEMNT AGENCY (Amendment) BILL, 2012

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

Sir, the Bill before this House principally seeks to amend the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) Act so as to provide for the withdrawal of tax incentives to an investor who fails or neglects to fulfil a pledge to create employment for Zambians.

Mr Speaker, currently, the ZDA Act provides for benchmarks that the ZDA Board may have regard to in considering applications for investment permits or licences. Under the proposed measure, the ZDA Board will now also be required to consider the applicant’s pledge for employment creation and training of Zambian workers. Where an investor fails or neglects to fulfil their employment and training pledges, tax incentives available to such investors shall be withdrawn.

Mr Speaker, the Bill also seeks to empower the Zambia Development Agency Board to enter into investment protection and promotion agreements with investors. Such agreements are used by many countries to guarantee property rights of investors, and Zambia is not an exception. With this approach and, as a democratic and peaceful country, we believe that more investors will be encouraged to invest in Zambia.

Mr Speaker, this Bill is straightforward and I commend it to the House without hesitation.

Sir, I beg to move.

Hon. Government Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwango (Kanchibiya): Mr Speaker, your Committee considered the Zambia Development Agency (Amendment) Bill, 2012, which was referred to it on Wednesday, 14th November, 2012.

Sir, the objects of the Bill are to provide for:

(a)    the withdrawal of tax incentives to an investor who fails or neglects to fulfil a pledge for employment creation and training for citizens of Zambia; and

(b)    matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing.

Mr Speaker, let me begin by stating that your Committee supports the Bill and commends the Government for bringing it to the House. In supporting the Bill, your Committee wishes to make the following observations and recommendations:

(a)    the Bill does not outline clear parameters regarding the guidelines and procedure for the evaluation of whether an investor has fulfilled the investment pledge made or not. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that an evaluation process should be provided for in the Act, which should take into account factors which may mitigate against the fulfilment of investment pledges, including factors such as the time it took the enterprise to obtain industry or sector specific licences and permits or authorisations, title to land, the Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) clearance or any other relevant factors. This evaluation process should be based on a point system to guide the scoring of the investor’s achievements for the period under review;

(b)    notes that the Bill does not deal with issues of the quality of employment created and skills imparted to Zambian citizens. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government should take steps to ensure that issues of quality of employment and level of skills imparted to Zambian citizens are considered, as opposed to mere job creation. This should be clearly provided for in the regulations to the Act;

(c)    observes that the power to withdraw incentives in Section 69 (3) has been left at the absolute discretion of the Commissioner-General and can, therefore, be subject to abuse. Your Committee is of the view that in order to reduce arbitrariness and enhance transparency, the Commissioner-General should exercise the power to withdraw incentives on the recommendation of the board. An amendment to this effect needs to be effected; and

(d)    observes that there is no provision for the Commissioner-General to give notice of withdrawal of incentives to the concerned investor prior to effecting the withdrawal. This should be disruptive to the investor’s business and ought to be avoided. Lack of notice also deprives the investor of an opportunity to correct omissions, if any. In this regard, your Committee strongly recommends that the law provides a requirement for the Commissioner-General to give prior notice of withdrawal of incentives to facilitate corrective action by the investor and avoid unnecessary disruptions to business operations.

Sir, in conclusion, I would like to thank all the witnesses that appeared before your Committee for their valuable input to the findings of the Committee. I also wish to thank you, Mr Speaker, for affording your Committee an opportunity to consider the Bill. I would also like to thank the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly for the services rendered to your Committee.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Muntanga (Kalomo Central): Mr Speaker, I am only supporting this Bill because of the aspect of the withdrawal of the tax incentives. However, I am afraid that this law is a bit subjective and depends on other measures to be undertaken for it to be effective. For now, the ZDA applies or gives tax incentives to investors even when they know they have failed to undertake or put up an organisation that will create employment in Zambia. When some of these investors come into the country, they are given tax incentives, but fail to establish any meaningful investment. Some of them end up being employees of other investors in similar organisations when they initially came into the country as developers. Are there any measures put in place to detect such people? A lot of people were given such incentives and we know that they have done nothing. Now, we are saying these tax incentives can be withdrawn from such investors on condition that they have not created any employment to Zambians. What system or mechanism has the Government put in place to check for such occurrences? If, currently, we are failing to check them, how do we know which investor is genuine or not?

Mr Speaker, your Committee’s report has said, in order to reduce arbitrariness and enhance transparency, the Commissioner-General should exercise the power to withdraw incentives on the recommendation of the board. We are still going to have a certain organ to check what happens to the people we have allowed to be investors in the country. Why is that organ not there now? We are so fast to give investors tax incentives even when we do not know what they are doing. Now, we want to say we are going to check if the investors have done what they agreed to do when the tax incentives were given to them when we do not have a system to check. That is why I am very uncomfortable with the Government saying they will check which investor has complied with the agreement or not. The best would have been not to give these investors any tax incentives at all. That way, they would be required to apply for the tax incentives after they have done their job. In that case, investors would be justified to apply for these tax incentives. The suggestion by the Government that it will check on the investors will not happen. It will just be a question of saying the law is there like is the case with other laws that are not complied with. I think that I am totally uncomfortable and would have been comfortable if the Government had, instead, said investors will claim tax incentives after they have done something, and not the Government to check if the investor has done what he pledged.

The Government is already complaining that the civil servants are not working. So, who will check or follow up these investors? The Government will come here and want to amend this same Act within two or three months because what we are creating has no proper framework to back this law. Those are my concerns and I hope, before we effect that law, certain amendments can be made. This will enable the Commissioner-General to execute his duties and responsibilities well. It will also help us make sure all investors honour their investment pledges to this country.

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Speaker, the concerns raised by the Committee and reinforced by Hon. Muntanga are very legitimate. Without a mechanism to try and check excesses, it is not possible to monitor the situation. Therefore, the purpose of this law is to provide an institutional mechanism for checking likely cases of abuse. In any case, the Commissioner-General will not just withdraw incentives arbitrary. He/she will only act on the recommendations of the ZDA. 

Fortunately, for us, in this country, this is one institution which really works very efficiently. Now that we have reinforced it, it will monitor things even more closely. Companies are also subject to other pieces of legislation like the Companies Act, which requires them to submit annual returns. So, we are strengthening the mechanisms. If there is a need to release certain parameters and reinforce, again, we shall do so. In coming up with legislation in the real world, we cannot put all the details in one piece of legislation. It is not possible and we are dealing with dynamic volatile situations. This is not theology.

Laughter

Mr Chikwanda: Running a country requires a lot of broad-minded thinking. We should not put ourselves in a straight jacket. However, let me assure, particularly Hon. Muntanga, that we will make sure that everything is thoroughly scrutinised. Of course, people given powers like hon. Ministers and Commissioner-Generals and so on and so forth are human beings and can abuse those powers. That is why we have institutions like Parliament and the Public Accounts Committee to try and check things so that people do not run amok with whatever powers they are given. These are institutions which play an oversight role. 

We are right to be concerned and raise those issues, but I can assure you that we are not giving the Commissioner-General a lavish unfettered sanctuary to use his/her power arbitrary. He/she can only exercise the power to withdraw the incentives upon specific recommendations by the ZDA. This institution has a board which will thoroughly scrutinise these matters. As I have said, in this country, we do not have many success stories but, fortunately, I think the ZDA is one such success story. I can rest assure hon. Members that this institution will perform to the best of its ability.

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

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

Committed to a committee of the Whole House.

Committee on Thursday, 6th December, 2012.

____________ {mospagebreak}

COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY 

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the 
Chair]

VOTE 80 – (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education – K5,619,228,754,118).

(Consideration resumed)

The Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Dr Phiri): Mr Chairperson, before business was suspended last week, I presented some of the achievements and challenges the ministry made in 2012. I now move on to present the 2013 budget highlights.

Mr Chairperson, as I had earlier stated, the ministry intends to improve access to early childhood education to 30 per cent by 2015 and to include improved access for the rural poor communities. Beginning in 2013, the ministry will endeavour to provide the much-required co-ordination synergies in the programmes that involve other sector ministries. A number of early childhood education centres will be established. A total of K6.8 billion has been allocated for this in the 2013 Budget.

Primary School Education

Mr Chairperson, the Government remains committed to achieving the millennium development goals (MDGs) and the Education for All goals. To this end, the ministry will continue to encourage the provision of private sector education to augment the Government’s efforts. In 2013, the ministry will continue building primary schools in order to raise access to education and contribute to the attainment of the Education for All goals through increased enrolments. Upgrading will be in the form of both infrastructure and recruitment of trained teachers. A total of K110.2 billion has been allocated for construction of primary schools countrywide.

Secondary School Education

Mr Chairperson, at the secondary school level, forty-four schools will be ready for use by January, 2013 to allow opening of the schools for Grades 8 and 10 intakes. When completed, these schools will bring on board a total of 21,120 pupils. Additionally, 880 houses will be available to accommodate teachers. The House may wish to know that my ministry is putting considerable emphasis on the construction of secondary schools in order to address the steep pyramidal structure in the education system as a consequence of previous emphasis on primary schools. This has resulted in limited space for learners at the secondary and tertiary levels. A total of K389 billion has been allocated for secondary school construction.

Tertiary Training Institutions and Universities

Mr Chairperson, the House may be aware that only 6 per cent of the children that enter the school system reach tertiary level education. This situation cannot be allowed to continue. In this regard, my ministry has embarked on a programme to expand tertiary level education by establishing more colleges and universities. To this end, the ministry is transforming some colleges into universities and will establish new universities with a target of, at least, one university in each province. 

Hon. Opposition Members interjected. 

Dr Phiri:  Sir, an amount of K75 billion has been provided for this activity. Let me mention that a university cannot be established in one year. There are silent developments which last for as long as one year before the construction of physical infrastructure is seen. The other point worth mentioning is that the ministry will build the institutions in phases. Let me echo His Excellency the President’s statement that we shall establish one university per province. To this end, the ministry has established a committee of eminent scholars and academicians to give it a blue print on the establishment of universities in the provinces. King Lewanika University in the Western Province and University of Luapula will be the pioneer universities that will leave us with only four provinces where to establish universities in the near future. 

Professional Development and Deployment

Mr Chairperson, the quality of education to a large extent depends on the quality of teachers as well as the teaching and learning resources available to facilitate lesson delivery. My ministry will recruit 5,000 teachers in the year, 2013. To this effect, it has allocated K89 billion for this purpose.

In the year, 2013, the ministry intends to construct 400 houses in order to provide decent houses for teachers who serve in schools where they are deployed. I also wish to call upon hon. Members of Parliament, the traditional leaders and the communities at large to ensure that teachers who are deployed to rural and remote areas are supported and protected so that they are able to deliver their obligation of educating our children in a peaceful manner.

Learning and Teaching Materials

Mr Chairperson, the provision of relevant educational materials is critical in determining the quality of education. The procurement of learning and teaching materials is a continuous exercise. In 2013, we will continue with the procurement of learning and teaching materials. Therefore, a sum of K44.2 billion has been provided for the procurement of learning and teaching materials for learners with special needs and also learners in ordinary classes. The increase is meant to help cater for the implementation of the two pathway career option that we are implementing where one will be for learners who will follow an academic path and the other for learners who will follow a vocational training path.

Teacher Education

My ministry started, Mr Chairperson, the programme of upgrading teachers from a diploma to degree level with preference to mathematics and science teachers. This programme is an intervention that aims at reversing poor pupil performance by raising the quality of teachers. So far, 925 teachers are pursuing this programme. The allocation of K7 billion in 2013 will allow the programme to continue with an enlarged target group.

Standards and Curriculum

I have already outlined our policy to provide the tool path to learning system at Grade 8 where learners will have a choice between academic and vocational learning pathways. In the year 2013, the ministry will continue with its goal of improving the quality and relevance of education through the implementation of the comprehensive and diversified curriculum that is interlinked throughout the education levels. The ministry will pay particular attention to ensuring that the revised curriculum is sufficiently responsive to the educational system by including the implementation of emerging issues such as information communication technology (ICT), entrepreneurship, practical and life skills and the localisation of the curriculum. This localisation is intended to empower the children to receive education which is responsive to the local needs. Piloting of the new curriculum begins in January …

Mr Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours.

[THE CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the

Chair]

Dr Phiri: Mr Chairperson, when business was suspended, I was saying that piloting of the new curriculum begins in January, 2013 for a period of four months. Three districts in each province have been selected and five schools have been picked for the pilot. This gives a total of 150 schools. These schools will include private community schools as well. Orientation of teachers in the 150 schools has been done. Trials will be at early education, Grades 1, 5, 8 and 10 and adult education. All subjects will be involved at these levels. The finalisation of the new curriculum framework and syllabi will be in May, 2013 and the launch is expected to be done, thereafter. A total of K558.3 million has been allocated towards the curriculum development process.

Adult Education
 
Mr Chairperson, this Government considers adult literacy as the engine for development. As a result of this, the ministry has increased the budgetary allocation to adult education from K259 million in 2012 to K932.7 million next year. This increased budgetary allocation will facilitate a creation of additional adult literacy centres, finalisation of the development of teaching and learning materials in both print and electronic formats. This provision aims to reduce illiteracy which stands at 34 per cent in the country to at least 15 per cent by the year 2015. I would like to further inform this House that my ministry will use different methodologies in delivering the Adult Literacy Education Programme. 

Let me turn my attention, Mr Chairperson, to Science and Technology Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TEVET). In the 2013 Budget, K217.9 billion has been allocated to the science, technology and technical education vocational training sector. 72 per cent of this allocation has been given to capital projects and other poverty reduction programmes such as the bursary scheme and a strategic research fund. Sir, 28 per cent of the budget will be channelled to the operations of the various implementing agencies of the ministry such as the National Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research (NISIR), the National Science and Technology Council, the National Technology Business Centre, TEVET and the various national training institutions across the country.

Mr Chairperson, in TEVET, the priority in 2013 will be to continue and complete the current infrastructure development works initiated in 2012 in line with the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP). My ministry will also continue with the construction of new trades training institutes in Isoka, Milenge, Kalabo, Sesheke, Mumbwa, Mporokoso, Mwense and Lundazi. This programme aims at establishing a trades training institute in each district of this country by the year 2030. The ministry will also increase its investment in the procurement of workshop and other teaching equipment and materials so as to equip the institutions where new infrastructure has been built. Sir, K83.1 billion has been allocated to these programmes.

 My ministry has started the process of merging the three Luanshya based training institutions into one polytechnic. This is being done in order to provide a strategic site in the mining area of Zambia for the development of highly trained resource so as to narrow the gaps and inadequacy in skills for the industrial development of our country. In addition, under technical education, vocational and entrepreneurship training, we plan to procure and provide equipment for the commencement of new programmes at Luanshya. These programmes include Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Bachelor of Technical and Vocational Education and a Bachelor of Commercial Teacher Education. Sir, K2.5 billion has been allocated for this activity. 

Sir, in line with the PF Government’s objective to advance science and technology in Zambia, my ministry has decided to revitalise the National Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research (NISIR). In this regard, my ministry has allocated K22 billion for the recruitment of scientists and to harmonise terms and conditions of service and the transformation of research management systems at the institution. 

My ministry has also increased the allocation to the Strategic Research Plant and Technology Business Development Fund in order to promote research and enhance technology transfer. An allocation of K3 billion has been made to this programme to focus on key areas such as indigenous knowledge systems, especially in agriculture and health sectors. With this allocation, the implementation of research projects will be accelerated.

Mr Chairperson, job creation for the youth will remain a pipe dream if we do not invest in the promotion and transfer of technologies for value addition. My ministry will play a key role in value addition by increasing the allocation to the National Technology Business Centre and the Technology Business Development Fund. This allocation will be used to enhance the promotion and creation of small and medium scale enterprises in order to provide jobs for the youth. 

The ministry will continue to focus on upgrading research facilities so as to ensure that they are modernized to an extent that they will meet international standards. We also want to ensure international accreditation of the laboratories.

Mr Chairperson, let me turn to efficiency considerations. In previous years, it was observed that most of our schools and institutions did not perform well due to maladministration. In 2013, this will be addressed through the training of administrative staff at primary and secondary school levels in management skills. A total of K2.6 billion has been set aside in the 2013 Budget for the training of administrative staff at various levels with a view to improving and sharpening their management skills. In this way, it is hoped that the pupil performance will be enhanced and that there will be less administrative lapses and examination malpractices. 

Mr Chairperson, equity of access to education by different categories of learners is important towards the attainment of education for all. The Government will continue to promote inclusive education by integrating children with moderate learning disabilities in the mainstream schools and offer special education to those that require it. In addition, the Government will ensure that all schools have interventions being implemented in a learner friendly atmosphere, especially to learners with special education needs, girl children and rural children in general. In order to allow the equitable enjoyment of their rights and opportunities, the ministry has provided a total of K25.3 billion towards bursaries.

Mr Chairperson, let me discuss the issue of free education. It is still the Government’s desire to ensure that there is free and compulsory education to children up to grade 12. The ministry has been working on modalities on the implementation of free education. This is intended to provide equity in that children from poor and vulnerable families will be able to send their children to school. The cost for the full implementation of free education is huge. In this regard, my ministry is still not in a position to immediately implement this policy although committed to it. The implementation of free education will take a phased approach. To mitigate the suffering of the poorest of the poor, in the interim, my ministry will, with support from cooperating partners, increase the budgetary support for vulnerable children. 

Mr Chairperson, in conclusion, I now state that quality education is a pre-requisite for the development of our nation. My ministry will continue to respond positively to the education needs of our people so that together we can celebrate the development arising from it. 

I wish to take this opportunity to pay special tribute to our cooperating partners for their continued support to the education and skills development sector. I also wish to compliment civil society organisations and communities at large for their active participation in the sector.

Sir, allow me to pay glowing tribute to the noble men and women who have chosen to be teachers who open the eyes of our children. I pay tribute to the teachers and their union leaders for working with this Government. On behalf of the ministry, I can only pledge to work with them more closely in the near future.

 I call upon hon. Members to support the Budget of the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education as presented. By doing so, they will be helping the many children the ministry would like to reach and graduate to a better life tomorrow.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for the opportunity that you have given me to make some comments on the budget for the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education. First of all, let me commend the hon. Minister for acknowledging the fact that reality guides our expectations. Expectations or aspirations are, in most cases, modified by reality. It is true that the aspiration that there will be free and compulsory education up to grade 12, as the hon. Minister has acknowledged, is not tenable within a short period of time given our meager resource base. I think that the acknowledgement of that fact is extremely important. 

Mr Chairperson, countries which have made tremendous development have focused their attention on education. In most cases, they have focused on what is educationally relevant in their country. They have focused their attention on the interface between the teacher and the pupil. That is what is happening in the classroom. Those countries which have made tremendous improvement and rapid economic development have focused their attention on four pertinent questions and these are:

(i)    why should we educate;

(ii)    how should we educate;

(iii)    whom should we educate; and

(iv)    to what goals or objectives should we be educating?

These are very important questions to ask because they touch on what is educationally relevant. You may be building classrooms and putting up a lot of infrastructure in several places. However, if you do not pay attention to these questions, we are going to miss the whole challenge of human resource development in our country. That is the difference between those countries that have made tremendous improvement economically and those that are lagging behind. The challenge we have is to pay attention to issues of the purpose of education. What, really, is the purpose of education? What type of education are we managing? And, what are the benefits of education? If we do not pay attention to these critical areas that are relevant to education, then we will miss the point. This is the challenge that the hon. Minister has as he guides the ministry. 

Sir, guiding the civil servants to think more profoundly of the challenge of educating our people, especially in a modern and knowledge driven society, is the challenge that the hon. Minister has in guiding the ministry. That is very important. 

Mr Chairperson, what I have indicated in my opening remarks shows that the ministry should pay more attention to issues like curriculum development. The philosophy of our curriculum, which will be, of course, the philosophy of our education, is very important, and we need to pay attention to it. Educational materials, the contents of the curriculum, the quality assurance system, teacher education, research and methods of teaching are also very important if we are to make a difference in the quality of human resources; ...

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Lungwangwa: ... in how the human resources will interact with our natural resources in order to bring meaningful development in our country. If we will not do that, we shall continue to lag behind in development. For instance, if you look at Korea, which has made tremendous improvement over the last couple of years, it has paid attention to these issues. I think that, if we do the same, we are going to see a tremendous improvement in our education system.

Mr Chairperson, having said that, let me focus on a few areas. First of all, the budget for the ministry is K5.6 trillion, and there has been an increase of K768 billion from last year’s budget which was K4.8 trillion. That K768 billion increase has been a problem in terms of the challenge of education. 

Mr Chairperson, it is shocking that some of our critical areas in the education system have not been paid serious attention to. For example, if you look at grants to the universities, we have a very depressing situation in this budget. The allocation to the operations of the Copperbelt University (CBU) has only risen by K3.6 billion. From K56.4 billion this year, it has now been allocated K60 billion for next year. The allocation for Mulungushi University (MU) operations has gone up by only K1.2 billion. This year, K18.2 billion was allocated for operations of MU while, next year, K19.4 billion has been allocated. The allocation for operations for the University of Zambia (UNZA) has gone up by K8.6 billion only. From K138.5 billion allocated this year, K147 billion has been allocated for next year. That is very meagre, given the challenges of these universities. 

Sir, a lot of consideration should have been given to the funding of operations of the universities. I would have loved to hear from the hon. Minister’s policy statement how the ministry hopes to address the problem of funding in the universities. If you look at the allocation for students’ tuition and accommodation at the CBU, you will notice that it has gone down by K1.4 billion. From K20.5 billion allocated this year, K19.1 has been allocated for next year, which means that there will be very few students next year who will be sponsored by the Government. 

Sir, looking at UNZA, the students’ tuition and accommodation allocation has gone down by K2.8 billion, from the K41.1 billion allocated this year, to K38.3 billion for next year. The question is: Why has this happened when there are so many students who want tuition support? The allocation for student awards abroad has gone down by K600 million, from K8.9 billion allocated this year, to K8.3 billion for next year. Why. Student loan and bursary award has been reduced by K3.3 billion, from K49.5 billion to K46.2 billion has been allocated for next year. Student loan and bursary award at the CBU has gone down by K2.5 billion from K22.2 billion allocated this year to K20.7 billion allocated for next year.

Mr Chairperson: Order!

Let me get some clarification, Professor. When you say that a certain amount of money was allocated last year, do you mean this year compared to what is provided for next year?

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Chairperson, I mean 2012 compared with 2013. There has been some reductions in the allocations to these areas when you compare the 2013 allocations with the those for 2012. The question is: How does the ministry hope to address the increasing number of students who want to get into the universities? Is there any hope for them? Are they likely to have tuition paid for in any of the universities?

Mr Chairperson, for infrastructure development, there has been an allocation of K389.1 billion for the construction of secondary schools. However, considering the cost of constructing secondary schools, K389.1 billion could translate into ten secondary schools countrywide. For instance, the construction of Mwandi Secondary School cost K33 billion. The cost of constructing a secondary school has gone up. If you look at the allocation for construction of primary schools, K110.2 billion has been allocated. That will only be enough for the construction of about eleven primary schools countrywide. The K75 billion allocated for tertiary education will not enable the construction of tertiary institutions, especially the many universities which are have been thrown around. This is the challenge that the hon. Minister is going to have. The biggest challenge will be on procurement of educational materials. As the hon. Minister pointed out, only K44 billion has been allocated in the entire Budget for this. We have many pupils who need educational material support. That allocation is, clearly not sufficient when compared to with the challenge that has to be addressed. 

Mr Chairperson, a few months ago, there was a major outcry for educational materials in Limpopo, South Africa. There is bound to be an outcry for educational materials here as well. When we come to the provincial allocations, we shall see a poor situation in terms of allocation towards educational materials. Many districts do not have provisions for education materials. The materials are, of course, procured centrally, but there still will be a major problem there.

Mr Chairperson, the hon. Minister should pay particular attention to the Planning and Information Directorate. There is money there which should have been looked at very critically. Planning, policy, coordination, research and legislation have been allocated K885.6 billion. The question is: What is all that money for? Monitoring and evaluation has been allocated K506 billion. Information Systems has been allocated K1.1861 trillion and Education Centralisation and Early Childhood Education Policy has been allocated K1,220.5 trillion. If these could have been looked at critically, they could have been reduced, leaving some of the money to be relocated to areas that are educationally relevant. 

Sir, in general, the allocation to education sounds large in terms of figures but, when you look at what is behind the figures, you will find that it is extremely depressing, and we are going to continue having problems in the education sector given this type of budgeting.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Ng’onga (Kaputa): Mr Chairperson, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the Vote that has just been presented by the hon. Minister of Education Science, Vocational Training and Early Education. In supporting the Vote, allow me to echo what the hon. Minister stated: 

“Education empowers the old and the young, and evens out the playing field for children born in both the rural and urban areas. A number of people, including myself, probably, would have never seen the corridors of Lusaka were it not for education. It is important, especially, for our rural communities.”

Therefore, the hon. Minister should make efforts to ensure that those who are less-privileged, especially the rural communities like Kaputa, are empowered through education so that they may be able to build their future.

Mr Chairperson, the hon. Minister indicated that there are a number of policies that the ministry has formulated which have enabled the gap between the poor and the rich to shrink, especially in relation to female participation in schools. These include the re-entry policy, the quota system and girl-friendly schools. However, I urge the hon. Minister to ensure that this Budget addresses these areas so that we see increased participation of our children in these schools. 

Sir, this brings me to our bursary system. It is not uncommon to find some of our children in the rural places like Kaputa languishing in the village when they have six points like another child here in Lusaka and other towns because they have no information on how to can access the Government bursary system. A person like me would not have ordinarily entered university because I never had access to that information. However, during the Kaunda Era, there was a system that enabled you to enter university as long as you had an acceptance letter. All you had to do was sign some forms because the institution would have already arranged your bursary. However, we cannot blame these children because even the education system at our local level does not give them information on how to access the bursary scheme. It is, therefore, important that we find a way of making bursary information to get to our rural children so that those who excel can find their way into the higher education system. 

Mr Chairperson, it saddens me to note that only a few teachers are deployed to the rural areas like Kaputa. It is also unfortunate that we have outdated staff-lists containing names of some teachers who are no longer in Kaputa, but still appear on the payroll of the teachers of Kaputa. For example, when forty teachers are allocated to Kaputa, the ministry will review this outdated list and get the impression that Kaputa has got over eighty teachers and give us only twenty. However, in reality, the twenty that they see on the list would have already left Kaputa for the obvious reason of wanting to be where their lives would be more comfortable. Therefore, it is necessary that we find ways of removing these ghost-teachers from our rural areas so that we can monitor how many teachers there are and where they are at any given time.

Sir, there is also a need to settle outstanding payments to retired teachers. We have many teachers in the rural areas who retired a long time ago, but continue to live in staff houses because they have not yet been paid. I, therefore, hope that this budget will be able to address the issue.

Mr Chairperson, the hon. Minister indicated that there would be a 30 per cent improvement in terms of access to early childhood education centres. Early childhood education, in places like Kaputa, probably, begins at the primary level. Nursery schools or basic early education is non-existent. We would like to have these early childhood education centres started in the rural places because we have noticed that children who are born in the urban areas are exposed to education at an early age and, consequently, more advanced than our children in the rural areas.

Mr Chairperson, allow me to talk about girl child education. The importance of educating a girl child is that we are educating the mother to be. We all know that once we have educated the mothers, their children will definitely go through school. We have also seen that for mothers who have not been to school, chances are that most of their children would not do any better in schools. Therefore, putting money to girl child education becomes extremely important. 

Sir, the disadvantage we have in the rural places is that schools are wide apart. We lack boarding facilities in both basic schools and high schools in our rural areas. Therefore, you will find that girl children tend to fail to complete school. Therefore, I would wish to see that we put more emphasison this matter. For example, as Kaputa High School is being constructed, we should make sure that the boarding facility is attended to early enough so that we can lessen the number of girl children that are falling pregnant because of the circumstances that surround them. If you makea young girl to go to a schoolwhere she has to look for her own accommodation, you will find that she tends to be the most vulnerable. The girl children have ended up not attaining the school levels that we want them to attain. As I mentioned earlier, if we do not educate the girl children, we,in the rural areas, are destined for failure. Even if we have as many boys as possible that goto school, we still do not have the foundation that is required. Therefore, through this Budget, I hope that the hon. Minister will be able to put more money into providing boarding facilities so that they are well attended to, even before the schools are opened so that the girls can be safeguarded.

Mr Chairperson, allow me to also briefly talk about community schools. I know that our Government has ably acknowledged that with time, it will phase out community schools. The disadvantage of community schools is that they do not have trained teachers, teaching materials or teaching aids. The children lack confidence and do not behave like they have been to school. Community schools have no water and sanitation facilities. 

Mr Chairperson, we should all endeavour to phase out community schools as quickly as possible. If there is any money that we can allocate to the phasing out of community schools, let it be done as quickly as possible because these are definitely not schools where any of us seated here can take our children to. We know for sure that these schools will not produce people who will take over from us. So, we must ensure that we put as much money as possible in phasing out community schools. It is within the ambit of the Patriotic Front (PF) Government to do this. The earlier it is done, the better. 

Mr Chairperson, finally, allow me to speak about the issue of transport. I know that the hon. Minister may not have touched it in his policy statement, but we know that it is a big challenge for the education system, especially in Kaputa. It is not common to find the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) with no reliable vehicle. Even if you gave the people in Kaputa a vehicle, it would not last beyond two-and-half years due to bad roads. Therefore, I would suggest that we look at the provision of motor vehicles so that the education system can tick. We look forward to the implementation of this budget for the ministry so that all of us in the rural can benefit from it. 

I thank you, Sir.{mospagebreak}

Ms Imenda (Luena): Mr Chairperson, may I compliment the hon. Minister for the manner in which he has presented his policy statement. I have observations, comments and concerns to raise. 

Sir, first and foremost, let me talk about the rural school infrastructure. I think the school infrastructure in Luena Constituency has been neglected. I do not know if that is the only rural constituency that has been neglected. If you go to Luena, you will find that there is a lot of temporary and semi-permanent school infrastructure. I would like to invite the hon. Minister to go with me to Luena…

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Laughter

Ms Imenda: …so that he can see the type of infrastructure that is there. We are crying for permanent structures. Teachers’ houses and classroom blocks are made of mud and pole. The iron sheets that were used on some buildings were bought by the previous hon. Member of Parliament for Luena through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). 

Sir, may I also talk about the boarding facilities in Luena Constituency. Luena Constituency is very big, but you will find that there is only one high school which is Limulunga High School. How can a child walk from places such as Sikusi, Sikeyenge…

Hon. Opposition Member:Situya!

Ms Imenda: … and Situyato Limulunga High School? Children walk very long distances to go to Limulunga High School because there are no boarding facilities at the school. In this case, what are we saying? You will find that a fifteen-year-old girl is expected to find temporary accommodation somewhere and she will be away from the parents. You will recall that I put a question on the Floor of this House about the number of girls that fell pregnant at Limulunga High School. We did not get a correct response concerning that issue because the figures kept changing. Firstly, it was said that there were fourteen. After that, the number kept increasing from sixteen to twenty-two. Now, which of these figures is the correct one? In any case, even if it was just one child, that is not acceptable. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: Mr Chairperson, I know the figure was not twenty-two, but that does not matter because I know that it was more than that. However, authorities acknowledged that the figure was twenty-two, but is it acceptable?

Hon. Opposition Members: No.

Ms Imenda: Therefore, boarding facilities are very important and are required. We actually need them urgently in Luena. Let me also comment on the quality of education. I would like to welcome the hon. Minister’s policy statement on the Curriculum Development Centre. It, indeed, needs revamping. There is a need for change in the curriculum so that we can get quality education. 

Mr Chairperson, with the current education system, Grade 9 pupils cannot read, not even in Silozi.

Hon. Opposition Member: Sure.

Ms Imenda: A priest from my constituency came to see him and expressed concern over this issue. He said that in church, when people are asked to read the bible in Silozi, it is people that are of my age and others that are closer to my age who read because the younger ones cannot read. 

Hon. Opposition Member: Shame.

Ms Imenda: This experimental system of basic and high schools is not working. Can the Curriculum Development Centre, please, come up with a proper education curriculum that will ensure that our children get a good education. Most teachers in rural schools …

The Chairperson: Order!

Ms Imenda: … are not teaching. Let me give you an example of Nangili School, which is the school I went to in Grade 6. By the time I finished Grade 6 at that school, I was able to read very well even in the English Language, although it was called Standard 4 then. Currently, I get complaints that teachers at that school are not teaching. However, it is not the only one, but there are many rural schools where teachers are not teaching. They spend their time trekking from the school to some centre to get their pay, and in the process, …

The Chairperson: Order, order!

Let me just guide the hon. Member on the Floor. One of the rules is that we should not mention people that are not here to defend themselves. I have no problem when you generally mention that teachers in some schools, but when you mention a particular school, then everybody will know who the teachers at that school are who are not able to defend themselves.

Ms Imenda: Therefore, let me say that teachers in rural schools countrywide are not teaching.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: I am actually wondering what is happening to the inspectors of schools. They do not visit these schools, because they would have noticed this. In most cases, because of this low quality in education, the University of Zambia is getting students that are raw. 

Hon. Opposition Member: Like Professor Luo.

Ms Imenda: It is for this reason that when the time to write examinations at this institution comes, a few students create fiascos in order to desist from writing examinations. In some instances, teachers go through examination papers together with the pupils which I call parrot learning. This is not the type of learning that we want in these schools. We want proper learning and a systematic way of rising from low to high standards. That is what we want. Sometimes, examination scripts for certain pupils go missing. Let me give an example of a child who came to my home for holidays. He had to rewrite Biology and another paper because, last year, two his papers went missing. One tends to wonder how the papers can go missing. The whole system has gone down the drain. This is an eyebrow-raising situation and we should not allow it to continue.

Mr Chairperson, as I talk about the rural schools, let me also talk about the rural hardship allowance which is not properly administered. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Imenda: In some cases, it is given selectively because, when, for instance, I look at the teachers at Limununga High School – Sorry, I have been reminded not supposed to mention names of schools.

Laughter

Hon. Opposition Member: Yes, somewhere there.

Ms Imenda: Teachers are not getting the rural hardship allowance, but their colleagues, the Government workers, are getting it.

Hon. Opposition Member: Shame.

Ms Imenda: I also know of teachers from other rural schools in Luena who are not getting the rural hardship allowance.

Hon. Opposition Member: Don’t kubeba.

Ms Imenda: What is going on? Can the authorities, please, look into this matter.

Mr Chairperson, let me also talk about the issue of the National Council of Scientific Research, which was mentioned by the hon. Minister in his policy statement. I would like to welcome the fact that you are as concerned as I am about this institution. The country invested a lot of money in putting up the infrastructure of that institution but, for the past years, it has gone down the drain and has been ignored. Even part of its land was grabbed by an hon. Minister at the Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. I would like …

Hon. Government Member: Do not mention names.

Ms Imenda: … the hon. Minister to liaise with the hon. Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection so that the land can be given back to the institution.

Hon. Opposition Member: Shame.

Ms Imenda: Mr Chairperson, as I wind up, let me talk about the infrastructure at UNZA. The state of lecture theatres, laboratories and other facilities at the institution are a source of concern to all those who love tertiary education, including the hon. Minister. Let me urge him to look at this issue because this is the highest institution of learning in the country which is supported by the Government. Can the Government, please, take steps to restore its status. This was a well-respected institution worldwide and graduates from there where respected. However, if it were to be graded, I do not know what grade UNZA would get. My plea to the hon. Minister is that we should not neglect that institution because it is our pride. 

With these few words, I support the Vote.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma (Zambezi West): Mr Chairperson, I thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the debate on budget for the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education.

Mr Chairperson, it is very difficult to support the budget for this Ministry in the form it has been presented.

The Chairperson: Order!

Please, hon. Government Members, you are too close to me and that is why I get distracted. I have no problem when you consult quietly.

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, it is very difficult to support the Vote for this ministry. I have just been counting, very quickly, the number of mistakes that were made in coming up with the budget for this ministry. 

Mr Nkombo: Tell us!

Mr Kakoma: I saw about 39 mistakes on the heads of expenditure. There are also 113 budget lines which have mistakes. Now they are bringing amendments to try and correct these mistakes. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, can you see how many blue papers are on my desk?

Laughter 

Mr Nkombo: They are all amendments! 

Mr Kakoma: This is in spite of them telling us that they would present their best Budget yet.  

Hon. Opposition Members: Shame!

Mr Kakoma: They have presented two Budgets so far and they have proclaimed the 2013 one as their best yet. However, it is the most amended in the history of this country.

 Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: How can it be the best when it is the most amended? 

Hon. Opposition Members: Shame!

The Chairperson: Order!

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, …

The Chairperson: Order!

I want to protect you, hon. Member. There are a lot unnecessary comments being made while seated. Please, give the hon. Member time to debate. 

You may continue, please. 

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, I thank you for your protection.  

Sir, in a serious jurisdiction, instead of fumbling with amendments here and there, they should have simply resigned ... 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: … because they have failed to present a credible Budget. When one fails to present a credible Budget, the credible thing for one to do is to resign. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: You cannot subject us to looking at all these amendments. They are all over the desks. One cannot even know which amendment is coming when. 

Mr Chairperson, this Government should have simply resigned. 

Laughter 

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, the people of Zambia were made to vote for this PF Government because they did them a “Don’t kubeba” on education. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: They told them that they would provide free education for their children. Today, the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education is saying that it has become difficult to implement free education. 

Interruptions

Mr Livune: Question, hon. Minister!

Mr Nkombo: This one is a pseudo Government. 

Mr Kakoma: That is hoodwinking the Zambian people. This is because the Zambian people …

Mr Livune interjected. 

Mr Chairperson: Order!

Hon. Livune, can you please sober up. 

Laughter 

The Chairperson: The hon. Member is debating. Please give him chance. 

You may continue. 

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, in the run up to elections, some people phoned me that they had heard a PF official on television saying that the PF Government would provide free education. They asked me if it were true because as far as they were concerned, only the UPND had enshrined that policy in their manifesto. 

Mr Livune: What was the answer?

Mr Kakoma: I told them that they were just hoodwinking them into voting for them. It was a “Don’t kubeba” gimmick and it has happened. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, what is so hard about providing free education? In any case, a lot of the expenses in education are already being met. The biggest cost in the provision of education is the payment of salaries and other conditions of service for workers. However, the Government is already doing this. The Government has already bought the books and everything else. What other big cost remains for this Government not to provide the free education that they promised the Zambian people?

Today, you are telling us that even if you came to a point where you were able to provide free education, you could only do so up to Grade 12. What is Grade 12? 

Mr Nkombo: They are Grade 12 those. 

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, do Grade 12s have the skills that are relevant for the industry in this country?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: The only people who you produce at Grade 12 level are those who are without skills. It is the people that follow the President when he goes to the agricultural show to officially open it. They only go there to boo him because they have got no skills. These are people who were promised jobs within ninety days, but which did not come through. All they can do is go and boo the President. 

Mr Chairperson, in every country, including the most developed like the United States of America and the United Kingdom, you will find public universities where the Government provides free scholarships to the poor in society to enable them to reach a higher level of education. You cannot tell us that here in Zambia you will only provide free education up to Grade 12. What about the poor people who are intelligent and need to go to university? What will happen to them? 

Mr Chairperson, this is unfair. Those who are part of this Government …

Mr Nkombo: Must resign. 

Mr Kakoma: … must resign because they cheated the Zambian people that they would provide free education, but have failed to do.  

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, …

Mr Kalaba: On a point of order, Sir. 

Mr Chairperson: A point of order is raised. I hope that we are not debating through points of order. You have your point of order, Hon. Kalaba. 

Mr Kalaba: Mr Chairperson, I rise on a very serious point of order on the hon. Member debating who is debating in a far and wide manner such that we are finding it very difficult to pick what he saying.

Hon. Opposition Members: Order!

Mr Kalaba: Mr Chairperson, in fact, the hon. Member looks as if he passed through somewhere and dipped his lips in something alcoholic.

Laughter 

Mr Kalaba: Mr Chairperson, is the hon. Member in order to say that those who are part of this Government should resign because of the amount of amendments which have been made when these amendments were made with the full concession of this House? Is he in order to suggest something like that? Sir, I need your serious ruling. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Chairperson: Order!

 I have no serious ruling. The hon. Member is expressing an opinion which can be rebutted later when the hon. Minister responds. 

The hon. Member may continue. 

Mr Nkombo: One zero!

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, I thank you for your protection. 

Sir, he must resign because he has failed to provide direction for this country. 

Interruptions

Mr Chairperson: Order!

Honestly speaking, we are debating and the hon. Member is expressing an opinion. I do not think that we should become jittery. The hon. Minister will respond. Let him say what he wants. He is expressing an opinion which you can disagree with. 

You may continue. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, before I continue with my debate, I would like to ask Hon. Kalaba to apologise to me because he said I am drunk when I am not. 

Mr Chairperson: Order!

Mr Kakoma: I am just telling him to provide the correct budget for the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education. 

Mr Chairperson: Order!

Mr Kakoma: Since he failed to provide the correct Budget, he must resign. 

Laughter 

Mr Chairperson: Order!

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, …

Mr Chairperson: Order!

Can we please debate with a view to convincing each other. When you become unruly, this is the point where you will find Presiding Officers, me in particular, realising that maybe you could be tired and that we need to move on. Therefore, debate with the idea of convincing the other side. Let us not be confrontational. 

You may continue, please. 

Mr Kakoma: I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Chairperson, the hon. Minister in his policy debate indicated that there was need to create universities throughout the country, especially in provincial headquarters. I took that statement with a pinch of salt. This is because in this policy of inclusive development, we have seen a situation where, and the hon. Minister admitted to this, four provinces are not being provided with universities. This is contrary to their policy. 

The North-Western, Western and Luapula provinces do not have a single university and yet in other provinces, there is a serious concentration of universities. Do you call this inclusive development when other regions have been left out? 

Hon. Opposition Members: Let them resign!

Mr Kakoma: In some districts there are even two public universities, and yet you have excluded whole provinces from access to universities. How can you call that inclusive development?

Interruptions

Mr Kakoma: Can you call that a good educational policy which we must support in this budget?

Hon. Opposition Members: No!

Mr Nkombo: They must resign!

Mr Kakoma: That is why they must resign, Mr Chairperson.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, Hon. Professor Lungwangwa has analysed the expenditure for the public universities that we have in this country. We have seen a situation where the budget lines for the public universities have either been reduced or remained stagnant. 

Hon. Opposition Member: So what is the problem?

Mr Kakoma: So, what has changed?

The people of Zambia voted for hon. Members of the PF Government so that they bring change in the education sector. They wanted to put an end to the strikes and demonstrations at the University of Zambia (UNZA).

Mr Nkombo: Yes!

Mr Kakoma: Nevertheless, we will continue to experience demonstrations by our children at the university because this Government has failed to adequately finance higher education at UNZA. Therefore, they must resign.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Livune: Yes Sir!

Mr Nkombo: Now!

Mr Kakoma: When the students demonstrate at UNZA, they are quick to blame Hon. Kakoma or the United Party for National Development (UPND). They say that we are the ones organising the students to rise against the PF. If you fail to provide their meal allowances then resign.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Muntanga: Resign!

Mr Kakoma: What has it got to do with UPND inciting them?

Laughter

Mr Kakoma: If they are hungry they will demonstrate. 

Mr Nkombo: And resigning is simple!

Mr Kakoma: So, if you fail to provide for education at the universities, then you resign because that shows that you have failed to manage this country.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!{mospagebreak}

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, we have seen a situation where when planning even for primary infrastructure, this Government is highly misguided. We have seen even in their Infrastructure Development Plan which they circulated to all Members of Parliament, a situation where, in an area where people have been crying for a primary or basic school, instead of building a classroom block there, they have provided for the construction of one toilet.

Laughter

Mr Nkombo: These same people!

Mr Kakoma: How? Is that making sense?

Laughter

Mr Kakoma: Instead of constructing classrooms and teachers houses which the people want, they first start to construct a toilet.

Laughter

Mr Kakoma: That is simply annoying the people.

Hon. Opposition Member: Yes!

Mr Kakoma: The people are asking for a classroom block and you build a toilet for them. That is going to annoy the people and make them vote this Government out of power very soon.

Mr Chairperson, in the rural areas, we have seen places were teachers have no houses. Despite that predicament, the hon. Minister said that the ministry is going to recruit 5,000 teachers next year, but only build 400 houses for them. There will be 5,000 teachers against 400 houses. Where will the 4,600 reside?

Mr Nkombo: Under trees! Resign!

Mr Kakoma: They have failed to provide teachers’ houses and so, they must resign.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear! Yes!

Mr Nkombo: They are incompetent!

Laughter

Mr Livune: With immediate effect!

Mr Kakoma: Sir, we have seen a situation in rural areas where one teacher is handling the whole school from Grade 1 up to Grade 7. The hon. Minister must be able to tell us what the actual shortage of teachers is. We need to know the gap which is required to be filled in the education sector for us to be comfortable. 5,000 teachers are not going to improve the situation. Can the hon. Minister tell us how many teachers he is going to employ and when he is going to employ them? Certainly not 5,000 teachers because they are inadequate. If you fail to provide teachers, especially in rural areas, then you would have failed and you must resign.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Nkombo: They look mesmerised!

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, let me make a serious point.

Mr Nkombo: Hear, hear!

Mr Kakoma: This Government made a policy pronouncement that it is going to create separate primary and secondary schools and abolish the basic schools. 

Mr Nkombo: Yes! When is the time?

Mr Kakoma: However, we will see a situation in rural areas a situation where we will have pupils that were at a basic school failing to proceed to higher grades because there are no secondary schools where they stay.

Hon. Opposition Members: So, they must resign!

Mr Kakoma: To make matters worse, they have provided inadequate resources in the budget for next year to build enough boarding schools to cater for the many pupils who will graduate from primary school to secondary school. This will make a lot of children to fall out of the school system.

Mr Ntundu: So, they must resign!

Mr Kakoma: Since they have failed the Zambian people, they must resign.

Laughter

Mr Livune: Hadimu dimu!

Laughter

Mr Kakoma: Mr Chairperson, we have seen situations where a lot of schools that they have started to build are being abandoned halfway because the resources they provided in the budget were not enough to complete those schools. Most of them have gone to window or roof level only. Most of the times, they are asking the poor Zambians in the rural areas to contribute materials in order to complete the construction of those schools. Certainly, the construction of those schools is the responsibility of the Government and not the parents who are contributing tax money to this Government so that it can provide education facilities and services. Since they have failed to provide the necessary education facilities and services, they must resign.

Mr Nkombo: Today!

Mr Kakoma: This is a very serious issue, Mr Chairperson. In a serious country and serious jurisdiction when a government comes to power on a false promise, …

Mr Musukwa: Question!

Mr Kakoma: … and that promise is proved to be false, that government automatically should resign.

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Chairperson: Can I have somebody who will bring in new points?

Mr Mutale (Kwacha): Mr Chairperson, I would like to contribute to the debate on the Vote of Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education. I will look at things from the context of Kwacha Constituency where I come from.

However, before I say much about Kwacha Constituency, I would like to challenge the people who lost the elections to tell me why they did so.

Hon. Opposition Members: Question!

The Chairperson: Order!

That is the problem with you people on my left. When you were debating and called on the people on my right to resign, it was a pleasure.

Laughter

The Chairperson: However, now you are questioning whatever Hon. Mutale tries to say.  

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

The Chairperson: Let him also debate. That is why I gave him the floor so that he can respond. Give him chance to debate.

Can you continue, please.

Mr B. Mutale: Thank you, Mr Chairperson again I wish to thank you for giving me this opportunity to debate on the Vote which we are currently considering. These gentlemen and ladies or hon. Members on your left, Sir, lost the past elections of 2011 because of their poor performance in the education sector.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr B. Mutale: Those who were in charge as ministry then 

Mr Mwila: Dora!

Mr B. Mutale: … built schools in their own constituencies at the expense of the other areas.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Ng’onga: Bwekeshapo!

Mr B. Mutale: Today, some of these Members are third-termers …

Interruptions

Mr Nkombo: On a point of order, Sir!

The Chairperson: Order!

When your friend is debating, even when you do not agree with what he or she is saying, it is better to listen. When the other person is hitting back, then it becomes a problem.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Chairperson: Let us not debate through points of order. Anyway, a point of order is raised.

Interruptions

Mr Muntanga: You must resign!

Mr Nkombo: Mr Chairperson, I am indebted to you for permitting me to raise this point of order which is not personal nor is it directed at the hon. Member who is debating on the Floor. We all know that the rules of the House are that we are not permitted to discuss our previous lives.

Hon. Government Members: Aah!

Mr Nkombo: Yes, because I cannot say that Hon. Mwaliteta was a bus driver before.

Laughter

Mr Nkombo: My point of order is: Is the hon. Member debating in order …

Laughter

The Chairperson: Order! 

Hon. Opposition Member: Taxi driver!

The Chairperson: Order!

I think that you are testing me to the extreme. I have tried to be as patient as I can, but you are putting me to the test. You see, I react, sometimes. Please, can we debate. Do not find an excuse in the Chair because, when we make rulings and give guidance, some of you have the habit of finding an excuse in the Chair and you run away from the House in order to …

Laughter

The Chairperson: Order!
 
I have seen this. Points of order are raised and, when I make a ruling, some individuals want to find an escape in the ruling of the Chair and some of them have immediately after the ruling, walked out. Now, in that situation, I, as Presiding Officer, can allow you to walk out a thousand times without changing the rules of the game. These rules are made by you. Now, if we are going to be unruly, I have permission from you and can easily call upon the hon. Minister to wind up debate. If that is the only option I have, I will use it. If you do not want me to use that option, can we listen to each other. Let the hon. Member make his point of order and I will either rule on it or, if unable to make a ruling there and then, I will reserve ruling to a later date. 

Can you, please, continue, Hon. Nkombo.

Mr Nkombo: Sir, I am, once again, indebted to you. 

Sir, rulings have been made in this House that our previous lives must never be subject to debate. In any case, when hon. Government Ministers are discharging their duties, they normally do not look at their particular constituencies. Therefore, is the hon. Member in order to insinuate that these people who were in the Government before should have concentrated on building schools in their constituencies?

I need your serious ruling, Sir.

The Chairperson: Can you take into account that point of order and resume your debate, hon. Member.

Mr B. Mutale: Mr Chairperson, I am alive to the fact that you can learn a lot from the past. However, I know, for instance, that my brother there is trying to derail my line of thinking, but I will continue with my thoughts. I am very disappointed, to a certain extent, that in the one year that we have been in office, we in the PF Government have seen all the bad things that the bad things the MMD left and are trying to improve on them, yet you are telling us to resign. I am telling you that you lost power because you failed to deliver to the Zambian people’s expectations. That is why they had to remove you from the Government and replace you with a Government that will provide for people’s needs.

Mr L. Ngoma: On a point of order, Sir.

The Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

Mr L. Ngoma: Mr Chairperson, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to rise on a point of order. You have always guided that we have to be factual in our debates. What I know is that a person who was contesting an election in a particular constituency, but lost cannot be here in this House. Is the hon. Member on the Floor in order to call us, on the left, losers, yet we are here as full and bona fide hon. Members of Parliament?

The Chairperson: That is why I am saying that these points of order, sometimes, have the tendency to derail progress. When the hon. Member said, “you people on the left”, my understanding was that he was referring to the loss of control of the machinery of Government, not necessarily the constituency seats. So, I think that, to that extent, it is true, there was a change from the MMD Government now to the PF Government. In that context, you are still in the Opposition. 

Can you continue, hon. Member.

Laughter

Mr B. Mutale: Mr Chairperson, in my constituency, we have several schools. If you visit the ablution blocks used by our children, you will be very disappointed when you see the state they are in. These are some of the structures the MMD left for us. Now, the hon. Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education is talking about improving these things, which were left in a very bad shape. I will not mention names because some of the people who served as hon. Ministers of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education are here. I know for a fact that Hon. Dora Siliya was an hon. Minister of Education.

Laughter

The Chairperson: Order!

You are contradicting yourself. You are saying you will not mention names, but that is what you are doing.

Mr B. Mutale: Mr Chairperson, I withdraw the name.

Laughter

The Chairperson: Order! 

Ms Siliya: On a point of order, Sir.

The Chairperson: Hon Mutale, before you withdraw, a point of order has been raised.

Ms Siliya: Mr Chairperson, I reluctantly rise on this point of order. Is the hon. Member of Parliament who is debating in order to continue wasting the time of this House by debating things that are in the past, clearly demonstrating that he has not read the Yellow Book, and that, maybe, that is why Hon. Kakoma was lamenting that his Government should resign so that we do not continue to have Grade 12 hon. Members of Parliament in this House.

Laughter

The Chairperson: Order!

It seems clear to me that we seem to be running short of ideas. Therefore, I will now invoke the powers you have given to me …

Hon. Members: Hear. Hear!

The Chairperson: … not to allow any more points of order until we are through on this Head. So, no more points of order and, hon. Member, can you be focused. As somebody says, let us not throw jabs at each other. Let us just concentrate on the ideas. 

Continue.

Mr B. Mutale: Mr Chairman, some of the schools in Kwacha Constituency were built during the days when Dr Kenneth Kaunda was still President of this country while others were built during the second Republic. Other schools are being re-constructed now. We feel that education is the key to our children’s future, especially the girl child, who normally gets deprived of the much-needed education due to early marriages. I would like to urge the hon. Minister to look at some areas in Kwacha Constituency, especially Shantete area. In Shantete, education does not exist, save for a few community schools.

Mr Chairperson, I would like to appeal that this budget line on infrastructure for schools should include areas like Chantete, which is a peri-urban area across the Kafue River. Currently, the Mufuchani Bridge is being built there. So, that will be part of the new Kitwe. We should be looking at improving the infrastructure in that area because most of the population in the surrounding areas will be shifting there. 

Mr Chairperson, the other big issue is lack of high schools. We have only got one high school in Kwacha Constituency, which is based in Kwacha Township, but the population is very big. I know that the hon. Minister has provided for another high school to be built in Kwacha Constituency.

Mr Mwila: Hear, hear!

Mr B. Mutale: That is a plus for the PF Government because we have lived in Kwacha Constituency without these facilities. Now that the 2013 Budget is providing for another high school to be constructed in my constituency, I am, really, grateful as a representative of the people of Kwacha.

Mr Chairperson, the other thing I would like to ask the Government to do is embark on the drilling of boreholes in schools and clinics. This will help address the erratic water supply in our schools and communities. We should not allow children to go to schools that have no water, which has been a big problem not only in Kwacha Constituency, but in Kitwe, as a whole. We should address this with the utmost urgency. Boreholes should be drilled while the Government is looking at improving the infrastructure of water utility companies so that school-going children are not exposed to water-borne diseases. If there is no water in schools, they may as well not open the schools. Schools and clinics should not operate without water. 

Mr Chairperson, I am, therefore, appealing to the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education to apportion some money to schools for water reticulation so that, when children go to school, they are able to wash their hands and flash the toilets. This will improve the health of children as we will not expose them to diseases.

Dr Mwali: Communicable diseases.

Mr B. Mutale: Yes, communicable diseases. If we do that, a lot will be achieved in terms of good health.

Mr Chairperson, this problem of water in schools and communities was left by many regimes. I will not mention the names now because it will bring about points of order.

Laughter

Mr B. Mutale: The infrastructure of water utility companies was not improved for a long time. Demand for water does not balance with supply. There is more demand than supply. So, there will always be a shortfall of water until such a time when infrastructure is improved upon …

Mr Mumba: By this Government.

Mr B. Mutale: … by this Government. I have seen that local authorities have been allocated some money for water and sanitation. In the interim, as we are doing things to expand the infrastructure of water utility companies, I would like to see boreholes drilled at each school and clinic in selected communities where there is no water, such as Chantete, Kapoto, Chipata Compound and Mwaiseni. If all these areas are given boreholes to alleviate the shortage of water, disease outbreaks will be controlled.

Mr Chairperson, with these very few words, I thank you.

Hon. PF Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwanza (Solwezi West): Mr Chairperson, thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the important Vote on the Floor. I will restrict my debate to the blame game, infrastructure, teacher training and private schools. You will note from what has been said that the PF Government is blaming the MMD too much for whatever has gone wrong in this country. I must give advice here that, when you are in the Government, you assume the assets and liabilities of the former administration. So, there is no stage where the MMD Government stopped and the PF Government took over. There is a thin line between the two regimes and this is the distinction that our hon. colleagues are not realising.

Hon. PF Members interjected.

Mr Mwanza: Mr Chairperson, having said that, I would like to support the budget for the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, although the K5.6 trillion is not adequate. As our friends play the blame game, they should note that the MMD is in three parts. The first part started in 1990 and I am a founder member of that group. The majority of those hon. Members of Parliament on your right belong to this group, including President Sata. He is our product. We are very grateful that, as MMD, we have produced four Presidents, one of whom is Mr Sata.

Hon. MMD Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwanza: The Vice-President, Dr Guy Scott, was our first hon. Minister of Agriculture, but he messed up the agricultural sector.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mwanza: Swine Fever was rife during his tenure. You will also notice that Hon. Nkandu Luo was our hon. Minister of Transport. She introduced the blue public buses that you can see all over the country, and we are proud of that as the MMD. So, the blame game must stop.

Professor Luo got up from the Back Bench to return to her seat.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Laughter

Mr Mwanza: Mr Chairperson, secondly, I would like to talk about infrastructure. The infrastructure in most of our schools is in a deplorable state. I am an hon. Member of Parliament from a rural area, and this rural area …

Professor Luo: On a point of order, Sir.

Interruptions

The Chairperson: Order!

Hon. Minister, I made a ruling on points of order. You may not have been here. My ruling was that, because of the series of points of order that were distracting attention, I was not going to allow any more points of order on this subject. That decision still stands.

The hon. Member for Solwezi West may continue.

Mr Mwanza: Mr Chairperson, I was moving to the subject of infrastructure and was saying that I am an hon. Member of Parliament from Solwezi West Constituency, which is in a rural area, and that makes it different from constituencies along the line of rail. There is, however, a lot of urbanisation coming through, but the schools in Solwezi West Constituency are in a deplorable state. I do not want the PF Government to say that the MMD should have taken care of that. That is a wrong way of arguing or debating because the PF is now in the driving seat. Our colleagues on your right should be able to share the national cake equally.

Mr Chairperson, with regard to the provision of universities, in some provinces, the President has gone to tell them, “I am one of you. You voted for me. I will give you a university.” However, no leader from the PF Government has ever told the North-Western Province that a university would be built there. In the President’s Speech, there was mention of each province getting a university. Now, that is general. We want the President to come to the North-Western Province and tell the people that the PF Government will construct a university in the province.

The third point, Mr Chairperson, relates to teacher training.  When I started to train as a teacher many years ago, most of the hon. Members here were young and others were not even born. In those days, education was critical. The Second Speaker of the National Assembly, May His Soul Rest in Peace, Mr Nyirenda, made me become a teacher because when he came to Mwense Secondary School in 1969, he said, “I would like you to train as teachers so that when you graduate, you can come back to Mwense Secondary School and teach.” That is exactly what I did. Teacher training is not adequate, particularly for rural constituencies like Solwezi West. Most of the people nowadays are going to Solwezi West to look for employment. The schools there have the same teachers and same standards, but the ministry has not rehabilitated them. In some cases, communities have encroached schools like Manyama Basic. It cannot expand because villagers have been encroached the school. Therefore, I appeal to the hon. Minister to always allow Government institutions like schools and clinics to have title deeds. The hon. Minister should liaise with the hon. Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection to ensure that schools have title deeds. The MMD Government did that and I am sure some of the schools have title deeds.

The other issue is about construction of schools in, for example, X and Y constituencies. When these are being constructed in some parts of the country, they are shown on television. Why is it that Solwezi West Constituency does not have a school constructed by the ministry or Government of Zambia?  From the policy statement, it is clear that the North-Western Province is, once more, not included,  particularly Solwezi West Constituency. I do not want to ask the PF Government to resign like Hon. Kakoma said, but must reconsider this pact very seriously.

Mr Chairperson, on the question of private school, they are in a deplorable state. Every boarding school is supposed to have a football pitch, proper ablution block and boarding facilities. When I first went to a boarding school, the headmaster that I found there gave me a good pair of khaki trousers and a shirt, but my father was asked to provide a pair of shoes. Today, this never happens.  Most of the private schools have no or playgrounds and football pitches. Quality education abstract of proper training facilities for the pupils is nothing.  So, I would like to implore the hon. Minister to ensure that the so-called inspectors of schools are given more money to check on the facilities that are prevailing in private schools. In Solwezi, where I live, there is a private school close to my house. The facilities that are at this school cannot compare to the schools during my time. 

Mr Chairperson, all of us are what we are today because of the concept of free education it the time of the First President, Dr Kaunda. He stated, at one time, in 1976, that a university would be built in Solwezi. As I end my contribution, I would like to request the PF Government to ensure that a university is built in Solwezi in the North-Western Province.

Thank you, Mr Chairperson.

Dr Phiri: Mr Chairperson, I now know that this House is an endurance test institution. Thank you for the various contributions even from people who were not here when I started my presentation because they decided to walk out. They know fully well that they missed half of my speech, especially where I indicated the achievements and challenges that the ministry has faced in 2012.

Let me appeal to all hon. Members that when it comes to education and skills training, let us unite in this fight because these children we are preparing the future for do not even know whether there is PF, UPND or MMD.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: Together, we can achieve more rather than asking each other to resign or shift.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: For the sake of emphasis, let me say that the education system that we are running is pyramidal, meaning that it is broader at the base and becomes narrower as you go higher. This means that there are serious challenges for the Government to make it a broad-based arrangement. At the base, yes, I have said it several times that we have done well by expanding enrolment at the primary school level but, as you go to the secondary school level, the challenges are very obvious and, as you go into tertiary, it is even worse. However, even worse still is that those 300,000 per year coming out of the system have no skills which they can use to enter any meaningful job or self-employment. Outside this pyramid …

The Chairperson: Order!

Business was suspended from 1815 hours until 1830 hours.{mospagebreak}

[THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON in the
Chair]

Dr Phiri: Mr Chairperson, before business was suspended, I was attempting to emphasise that the pyramidal nature of our education system creates a lot of challenges which this Government is trying to resolve. I was sayingthat the primary sector has recorded quite significant strides. However, even there, the quality of education, as you heard from hon. Members of Parliament, is worrying. We are working on the Language of Instruction Policy as well as interventions that can guide the ministry into improving this quality.

Sir, from the primary sector, there are many more children qualifying to Grade 8. Our secondary schools did not benefit from any meaningful investment. This is why this year, we have allocated K389 billion to this sector. However, this is compromised by the fact that we inherited a lot of projects numbering eighty-three which were chasing K303 billion. Some wise people who contributed where asking why these projects are dragging on. Simply put, you cannot have eighty-three projects against K303 billion, as this means that each contractor receives less than K3 billion per year. This is why these projects have dragged on from 2008. To date, we are talking about the same projects. The Government that Hon. Kakoma desires that it resigns has resurrected forty-four of these and the schools will be opened in January, 2013.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: So, resign!

Dr Phiri: The other projects are at various levels. I am talking about Hon. Kakoma’s submission. He has been around for fifteen years and I have just resurrected him as hon. Member of Parliament by planting a secondary school in Zambezi.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: Is this a Government that should resign?

Hon. Government Members: No!

Dr Phiri: This is a Government that must be encouraged to move on ...

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: … because it is promising a new dawn. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: This is a Government that, at the tertiary level, has accepted that, as it expands the secondary school sector, it children should go higher in education. Its focus is on one university per province regardless of what has happened in the past. In my submission, I indicated that we have four more provinces. We now have in place a committee of experts to give us a blue print on how these provincial universities will look like because we want these new universities to answer the real challenges of our people and not for the sake of talking brilliant English or parading credentials and putting on gowns. No. Let us move and equip our children for the challenges of the modern era.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: Hanjika!

Dr Phiri: I want a university in the North Western Province, for example, to specialise in the emerging mining industry, in Luapula, that can specialise in marine sciences and so on so forth, and not sending children to Lusaka or the Copperbelt University to memorise Psychology which you use to mesmerise people. No.

Laughter

Hon. Member: Professor!

Dr Phiri: Let us move and equip our children with real skills.

Hon. Imenda, I am proud of you and can proudly escort you to your constituency.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Hon. Member: When Sir?

Laughter

Dr Phiri: You have joined Washishi as a voice for those voiceless children in the rural areas.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Phiri: I will tell you that it is depressing. God has put me in this position and I say, Lord what is this?

Hon. Member: Amen!

Dr Phiri: Sir, one hundred and forty-nine of the 518 mud and pole schools, for example, forty-eight years after Independence, are in the Western Province. These are statistics you may not find. I had to go directly to the district to get them. I am determined, with or without a limited Budget line, to suffer for these children because the future is only in education. This is why I said that you and I should stop politicking and concentrate our efforts in providing this key to the future for our children. Even if you use only K100,000 towards finishing a school in your areas, hon. Members of Parliament, you will have done my ministry a great service.

Mr Lubinda: Chalesi, resign!

Dr Phiri: Instead of resigning, we will be forcing bye-elections now.

Laughter

Mr Lubinda: Especially in Zambezi.

Laughter

Dr Phiri: Mr Chairperson, generally, all the hon. Members were contributing on problems that we are all aware of. However, the question is what next? Within the limited budgetary allocations, I promise that we will do our best to produce results. I repeat what I started with on Friday that the K5.55 trillion may be exciting on face value. However, you must remember that K3.92 trillion of this amount is on personal emoluments. This means that the ministry is left with K1.6 trillion on non-personal emoluments. With the large number of projects left for us to finish, and we will willingly finish them because these people belong to all of us without discrimination, our first allocation for projects have been balanced to three per province. We are hoping that, as we go on, we increase the number of projects per province regardless– I do not want to go into gymnastics of where more schools were built than the others. That is not my line of doing things.

To all of you who have contributed and those who wanted to contribute, the ministry pledges to work closely with you because you are at the grassroots and, together, we should be able to deliver more children from the jaws of illiteracy and poverty. 

Mr Chairperson, I know that my ministry has forty-nine Votes, which is quite intimidating. I can only end by stating that I have gotten your concerns and plead with you – plead is not the right word – encourage you to work with us and support this budget for the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education.

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lubinda: Chalesi Kakoma must resign!

VOTE 80/01 – (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education – Headquarters – K729,315,692,589).

The Minister of Finance (Mr Chikwanda): Mr Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment under Unit 01 Headquarters, Programme: 5001 General Administration, by the deletion of Programme Total K20,885,834,586 and the substitution therefore of K20,885,834,586.

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5001, Activity 028 – Retention Scheme for Rural Head Teachers – Nil and Activity 029 – Retention Scheme for Provincial Staff – Nil. Why is there is no allocation for these two activities in 2013?

Mr Chairperson, may I have a clarification on Programme 5001, Activity 739 - Motor Vehicle Procurement – K8,159,460,459. Who are the beneficiaries of these motor vehicles?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, the retention scheme for rural head teachers has not been budgeted for because there is a pending introduction of a credit union bank for the public workers.

Mr Chairperson, the allocation for motor vehicle procurement is meant for the buying of vehicles for the provincial education officers (PEOs) and district education officers (DEOs) in the new districts.

I thank you, Sir.

The Deputy Chairperson: order!

There was also a question on retention scheme for provincial staff.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, the answer is the same reason as the one given for the retention scheme of rural head teachers. It is because of the pending introduction of a credit union bank for the public workers.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr V. Mwale (Chipangali): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5001, Activity 030 – Teachers’ Distress Grant – Nil. There is nothing allocated next year for this activity. Previously, there used to be an amount allocated for this activity. What is happening? Why do we not have the teachers’ distress grant anymore?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, I think there were some discussions and an agreement was reached with the Public Service unions on this issue. I think the Government is planning to introduce a health and insurance scheme. I am sure Cabinet Office has advertised for this scheme.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Simbao (Senga Hill): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5000, Activity 009 – Salaries – Teaching Service – K89,006,203,923. I want to understand why there has been such a reduction on the amount allocated on this item.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, the reduction is due to the anticipation that the ministry might recruit less teachers in 2013 than the number recruited this year.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Antonio (Kaoma Central): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5005, Activity 700 – School Grants (Including Community Schools) (1) (2) – K18,500,000,000. May I know which schools will benefit from this allocation.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, the school grants are meant for primary and community schools. This money will come from donors.

I thank you, Sir.

Professor Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Chairperson,  may I have clarification on Programme 5005, Activity 191 – Student Bursary - Awards Abroad – K8,273,672,717, Activity 192 – Students Loan and Bursary  Award – UNZA – K46,156,520,245, Activity 210 – Bursaries Committee Administration – Nil and Activity 211 – Students Loan and Bursaries Awards CBU – K20,701,660,461. These activities for the universities have had their funding reduced for next year. Why has that happened?

Mr Chairperson, Programme 5001, Activity 005 – Support to Permanent Secretary’s Office – Nil and Activity 006 – Support to Minister’s Office – Nil. There are no allocations for these activities. Where are the allocations for support to these two offices?

Professor Wilombe (The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education): Chair,

The Deputy Chairperson: Order! 

It would be better if you said Chairman. I think I am not a chair.

Laughter

Professor Wilombe: Mr Chairperson, Programme 5005, Activity 191 – Student Bursary Awards - Abroad – K8,273,672,717, the reduction for this activity is due to the anticipated establishment of the loans fund.

Mr Chairperson, Programme 5005, Activity 192 – Students Loan and Bursary Award – UNZA – K46,156,520,245.  This allocation caters for loans and bursary awards to students at UNZA for their meals, books and research projects. The reduction of the allocation is due to the anticipated establishment of a loans revolving fund.

Mr Chairperson, Programme 5005, Activity 210 - Bursaries Committee Administration – Nil, this activity has been moved to the Department of Directorate of Planning.

I thank you, Sir.

The Chairperson: Order!

What about the question on student loan and bursary award for CBU.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, there is another clarification which the hon. Member wanted on Programme 5001, Activity 005 – Support to Permanent Secretary’s Office – Nil. This activity has been budgeted for under Programme 5001, Activity 003 – Office Administration – K590,752,000.

Mr Chairperson, Programme 5001, Activity 006 – Support to Minister’s Office – Nil, the budget line for this activity has been moved to Programme 5001, Activity 072 – Ministerial Tours – K516,000,000.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kazonga (Vubwi): Mr Chairperson, Programme 5043, Activity 182 – Administering Grade 9 Examinations – Nil, Activity 185 – Administering Grade 12 Examinations – Nil and Activity 188 – Administering Grade 7 Examinations – Nil. This year, provisions were made for these three activities, but next year, there are no provisions for each of these activities. May I know why?

Sir, may I also have clarification on Programme 5005, Activity 125 – TEVETA – K8,335,200,000. The Budget allocation for this year is K6,900,000,000 while the allocation for next year is K8,335, 200,000. May I know why there was only an increase of about 22 per cent while the work has increased particularly in relation to the implementation of the TEVETA qualifications framework?

Professor Willombe: Mr Chairperson, for the first question, all the three activities have been moved to Activity 730 under the same programme.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, on the second question, there is an increment, but this increment falls within the budget ceiling that we had. 

I thank you, Sir.     

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5005, Activity 700 – School Grants (Including Community Service Schools) (1) (2) – K18,500,000,000 .I would like to find out whether the grant will also be used to pay teachers salaries because there are a lot of complaints about them.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, we stated earlier that this money was going to be used for the operations of primary and community schools. 

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Milambo (Mwembeshi): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5001, Activity 739 – Motor Vehicle Procurement – K8,159,460,459. How are they going to handle the insurable risk on these vehicles since there is no activity on insurance?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, insurance has been covered in the budget. We will be able to see the allocation as we go on.

I thank you, Sir.

Vote 80/01, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 80/02 – (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education – Human Resources and Administration – K47,980,450,127).

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move the following amendment:

(i)    under 01 Human Resource and Administration Unit, Programme: 5001 General Administration, by the deletion of Programme Total K6,430,936,532 and the substitution therefore of K6,430,936,533;

(ii)    under 02 Human Resources Development and Management Unit, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K6,060,490,357 and the substitution therefor of K6,060,490,356; and 

(iii)    under 02 Human Resource and Administration Unit, Programme: 5001 General Administration, by the deletion of programme Total K2,485,828,202 and the substitution therefor of K2,485,828,201.

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

Mr L. Zimba (Kapiri-Mposhi): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5002, Activity 011 – Public Functions and Ceremonies – K30,000,000.  Why has this year’s allocation of K600,000,000 been reduced to K30,000,000? 

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, the reason for the reduction is due to cost saving measures. We have proposed that we will only have the science fare.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Simbao: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5079, Activity 005 – Insurance of Motor Vehicles – K300,000,000. I have noticed that there is an increment from this year’s allocation. How many vehicles will be insured?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, we do not have a specific number of vehicles in mind. All I can say is that the allocation is meant to insure vehicles under the ministry.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mulomba: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5001, Activity 118 – Office Maintenance – Nil, Activity 700 – Administration – K2,829,612,075, Activity 720 – Human Resource Management – K707,403,019, Activity 721 – Human Resource Development – K578,784,288, Activity 722 – Recruitment and Deployment – K514,474,923, Activity 723 – Industrial Relations – K450,165,557 and Activity 724 – Staff Welfare for all Directorates – K643,093,653. I have noticed that there is no allocation for these activities in this year’s Budget, but there is an allocation for them in next year’s Budget. Are they new activities altogether?

Professor Willombe: Mr Chairperson, Programme 5001, Activity 118 – Office Maintenance – Nil, this budget line caters for good office accommodation, fixtures and fittings in order to facilitate a conducive working environment. Activity 700 – Administration – K2,829,612,075, the budget line has been created to carter for activities such as security management, transport management, record management, events and celebrations. The allocation will also carter for fire and office insurance as well as office management. Activity 720 – Human Resource Management – K707,403,019, this budget line has been created to carter for activities such as human resource management, information systems and performance management packages. Activity 722 – Recruitment and Deployment – K514,474,923, this activity has been modified to carter for all the costs related to teacher recruitment and deployment such as advertising and hosting the selection committee. Activity 723 – Industrial Relations – K450,165,557, this budget line has been modified for negations with unions and will carter for all industrial relations related activities. Activity 724 – Staff Welfare for all Directorates – K643,093,653, it will carter for some old activities which have been realigned.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kazonga: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5002, Activity 003 – National Sanitation Fare – K13,720,000. May I know what this activity is all about.

Sir, I also seek clarification on Programme 5008, Activity 008 – Verification Audit – K131.2 million. This year, there was an allocation of K17.6 million. Why has it been proposed to increased this allocation to K131.2 million? 

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, Activity 033 has been introduced to facilitate the participation of members of staff in the National Sanitation Day and Keep Zambia Clean Programme while Activity 008 caters for the verification audit so that the ministry can comply with financial regulations.

I thank you, Sir.

  Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 5026, Activity 006 – Human Resource Administration – K1,064,927,198. This is a new activity. How different is it from the other administration activities under General Administration on Programme 5001?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, this Budget line will cater for the administration of human resources activities in the ministry. It is, of course, different from the earlier one which Professor Lungwangwa has referred to, which is to cater for activities such as Human Resource Management, Information Systems and Performance Management Package.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 5036, Activity 193 – Scholarships to Female Postgraduate Students – K933 million. Do we have any scholarships for female postgraduate students within this amount? 

Sir, I also seek clarification on Programme 5003, Activity 013 – Orientation Workshop – K106,650,000. Who are being oriented under this activity?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, the allocation to Scholarship to Female Postgraduate Students, which has grown to K933 million from K900 million this year, will cater for granting bursaries to female postgraduate students in science-related fields. The increase is meant to enhance the participation of females in science-related fields. In fact, not too long ago, there was an advertisement in the papers which asked the public, especially females, to apply for these scholarships.

Sir, the orientation workshop is meant for the induction of management personnel in Technical Education Vocational and Entrepreneurship (TEVET) institutions on audit mattes. The increase is due to the many institutes under the ministry.

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

Vote 80/02, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 80/03 – Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education – Planning and Information Directorate – K644,750,458,919).

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment under 01: Planning and Information Unit, Programme 5000: Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K5,467,474,567 and the substitution therefor of K5,467,474,566.

Mr V. Mwale: Mr Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 5027, Activity 003 – Project and Programme Monitoring – K595,151,533,567. There is K595 billion that has been allocated for Infrastructure Development, yet we seem not to have budgeted anything on Activity 003 – Project and Programme Monitoring. Last year, we had at least K587,350,169. What has happened for us not to monitor and evaluate our projects worth K500 billion?

Professor Wilombe: Mr Chairperson, this item has been moved to Programme 5001, Activity 743- Monitoring and Evaluation – K506,045,020.

I thank you, Sir.

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 5001, Activity 026 – Administration – K3,651,737,574. The allocation for this year was K1,622,990,731. We have more than doubled the allocation to this activity for next year. What is the justification for that?

Sir, secondly, we have new activities, such as Activity 741 – Planning, Policy Coordination, Research and Legislation, Activity 743 – Monitoring and Evaluation and Activity 745 – Information Systems. How different are these new activities from Activity 026 – Administration, which is going to gobble K3,651,737,574?

Professor Wilombe: Mr Chairperson, this budget line comes from Programme 5001, Activity 004 and caters for the administrative operations of the directorate in order to realise the objectives. The increase is to enhance effective and efficient implementation of the Education Policy, Budgeting and Coordination of Planning Activities.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, on Activity 741 caters for the timely initiation and coordination of formulation of education policies and legislation, as well as the analysis and review in order to facilitate the effective implementation of education development and comes from Programme 5030, Activity 002 – Policy Analysis and Activity 082 – Planning and Research.

Sir, Activity 743 comes from Programme 5027, Activity 003 – Project and Programme Monitoring and caters for the facilitation of periodical monitoring and evaluation of educational programmes and projects in order to assess their impact and determine appropriate interventions. 

Sir, Activity 745 caters for the establishment and management of an education database and information system in order to facilitate the dissemination of relevant information to end-users and comes from Programme 5001, Activity 115 and Programme 5010.

Mr Chairperson, the other one he referred to, which is on administration, is for new activities, such as events, motor vehicles and transport, and is totally different from the other activities.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Chisanga (Mkushi South): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5011, Activity 057 − Infrastructure Rehabilitations – (UNZA) − nil, Activity 060 − Construction of Basic Schools (Contractor Mode) − nil, Activity 061 − Construction of Basic Schools-Community Mode − nil, Activity 062 − Construction of hostels and Lecture Theatre-Nkrumah − nil, Activity 063 − Construction of hostels and Lecture Theatre- COSETCO − nil, Activity 064 − Infrastructure Development-ZAMISE − nil, Activity 065 − Infrastructure Development-Mulungushi University − nil, Activity 067 − Infrastructure Development-CBU School of Medicine −nil, Activity 068 −Construction of DEBS Offices − nil, Activity 069 − Construction of High Schools − nil, Activity 182 − Completion and Rehabilitation of Schools − nil, Activity 183 −Construction, Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Building − nil, Activity 184 −Infrastructure Development-Headquarters − nil, Activity 185 − Rehabilitation of Mulakupikwa − nil and Activity 186 − Plant Equipment −nil. I have noticed that there are no funds allocated for these activities for 2013. Why is this so when these are important projects?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, as part of reforming our budget, most activities from 057 to 185 under Programme 5011, have been budgeted for under Activity 700 − Secondary Schools − K389,100,000, Activity 702 − Administrative Offices − K7,600,000,000, Activity 703 − Auxiliary Institutions − K10,000,000,000, Activity 708 − Primary Schools − K110,200,000,000 and Activity 709 − Tertiary Institutions − K75,071,533,567.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5100, Activity 009 − Rehabilitation of Blown-Off Roofs (Schools) − nil. There is no allocation for this activity next year. What has happened? 

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, the activity has moved to Programme 5011, Activity 700.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Katambo (Masaiti): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5021, Activity 008 − Procurement of Student Requisites (Grades 1 to 7) − nil. There is no provision of this activity for next year, yet, if I heard correctly, the hon. Minister indicated that procurement of learning and teaching materials is one of the focus areas for the PF Government under the ministry. Why is there no provision for this activity?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, the procurement of student requisites which, of course, the hon. Minister referred to in his policy statement has been moved to Programme 5021, Activity 752 − Procurement of Free Education Requisites − K6,427,029,877.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Livune (Katombola): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5001, Activity 102 − Budget Management − K802,587,402. What warrants such huge expenditure on managing a particular budget? I need guidance from the hon. Minister.

Professor Willombe: Mr Chairperson, Programme 5001, Activity 102, caters for the timely preparation of the ministerial budget in order to facilitate the acquisition of resources. The increase is to enhance effective and efficient running of the directorate.

I thank you, Sir.

Dr Kazonga (Vubwi): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5011, Activity 054 − Programme Administration − K3,180,000,000. What is involved in this activity for it to gobble this amount?

Professor Willombe: Mr Chairperson, Programme 5011, Activity 054, is meant for the co-ordination and supervision of all construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of infrastructure and procurement of furniture and equipment in this sector.

I thank you, Sir.

Vote 80/03, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 80/04 − (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education − Standards and Curriculum Directorate − K60,600,365,510).

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move and amendment under 01: Standards and Curriculum Unit, Programme 5000: Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K11,367,687,103 and the substitution therefor of K11,367,687,104.

Mr Chishiba (Kafulafuta): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5018, Activity 15 − Administration Curriculum − K1,072,270,251. This year there was a provision of K450,198,277 but, for next year, it has been proposed raise it to K1,072,270,251. What is the activity content that has necessitated this increment?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, Programme 5018, Activity 15 − Administration Curriculum − K1,072,270,251 as the hon. Minister indicated in his policy statement, the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education is reforming the curriculum. Consequent to that, there will be a number of activities like he alluded to which include piloting the curriculum in many schools across this country. Therefore, this justifies the increment.

Mr Taundi (Mangango): Mr Chairperson, this year, the following activities under Programme 5005 were allocated resources as follows: 032 − Grant to School Sport Associations − K70,309,666; 034 − Grant to Subject Associations − K172,921,041; 038 − Grant to JETS Association − 76,372,933; and 121 − Teaching Council − K30,321,333. However, I have noticed that there is no allocation to these activities for next year. What is the reason for this?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, Activity 032 catered for the management of sports activities and has been moved to Programme 5043, Activity 702 – Co-curricular Activities and Subject Areas (Local and International) − K1,073,993,846; Activity 034 catered for the management of subject associations and has moved to Programme 5043, Activity 702; Activity 038 catered for the management of Junior Engineers Technicians and Scientists (JETS) Association activities and has also moved to Programme 5043, Activity 702. Activity 121 catered for preparatory activities for the establishment of the Teacher Professional Body and it has moved to Programme 5044.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mulomba: Mr Chairperson, I seek clarification on Programme 5043, Activity 006 – National Qualification Framework – K20,000,000. In 2012, there was an allocation of K917,372,324. I note, with sadness, that the 2013 Budget has an allocation of K20,000,000. I would like to know why there is such a significant reduction. 

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, Programme 5043, Activity 006 – National Qualification Framework – K20,000,000 has already been done. As we go on, we will see where we are proposing the formation of the National Qualification Authority. The reduction, therefore, is due to the fact that most activities that were being done under the National Qualification Framework have already done. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr L. Zimba: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5018, Activity 702 – Educational Materials and Equipment (1) (2) – K42,602,610,997.  There was no allocation for this activity in the 2012 Budget, and from the blues, you have provided K42 billion. What kind of educational materials and equipment are you going to purchase?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, in the 2012 Budget there is a requirement for us to procure materials. Therefore, Programme 5018, Activity 702 – Educational Materials and Equipment (1) (2) – K42,602,610,997is not a new budget line. This budget line caters for the procurement of educational materials and equipment for early child education, primary, secondary, adult education and tertiary levels. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly. 

Vote 80/04, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates. 

VOTE 80/05 – (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education – Teacher Education and Specialised Services Directorate – K18,727,996,064).

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move an amendment under 01 Teacher Education and Specialised Services Unit, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K8,118,626,423 and the substitution therefor of K8,118,626,422.

I thank you, Sir.{mospagebreak}

Dr Kazonga: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5044, Activity 015 – Upgrading of Diploma Holder Teachers to Degree Level – K7,002,342,874. In 2012, K6 billion was provided and there is a proposal of K7 billion for 2013. 

Sir, according to the hon. Minister’s policy statement, the target, this year, is 900 teachers. Since the amount allocated has increased to K7 billion, how many teachers are targeted for upgrading in 2013? 

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, Programme 5044, Activity 015 – Upgrading of Diploma Holder Teachers to Degree Level – K7,002,342,874, this budget line caters for the upgrading of diploma-holder teachers to degree level. The hon. Minister, in his statement, referred to 925 teachers. This is the same number that we will target. This is a continuous programme which will see us adding on more teachers. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Mufalali: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5005, Activity 087 – National Science Centre – Nil. Sir, K1.8 billion was allocated in 2012. However, there is no allocation for 2013. I would like to know why. 

Sir, may I also have clarification on Programme 5044, Activity 727 – Transformation of Colleges into Universities – K300,000,000. How do you intend to utilise this money?

Professor Willombe: Mr Chairperson, Programme 5005, Activity 087 – National Science Centre – Nil, this budget line caters for the production of science requisites for learning institutions. This line has been moved to Programme 5005, Grants to Institutions – Operational. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Mabumba: Sir, Programme 5044, Activity 727 – Transformation of Colleges into Universities – K300,000,000 will be used to meet administrative expenses for the staff that will need to travel to these institutions in accordance with our transformation agenda. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Kunda (Muchinga): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5044, Activity 004 – Zambia Library Services– Nil. I have noted that, in 2012, there was an allocation of K250 million,but no provision has been made for 2013. I would like to know why this is so. 

Professor Willombe: Mr Chairperson, Programme 5044, Activity 004 – Zambia Library Services has been moved to Department One, Headquarters, Programme 5005, Activity 732. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Livune: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5044, Activity 727 – Transformation of Colleges into Universities – K300,000,000. How many colleges are targeted for transformation into universities?

The Deputy Chairperson: Hon. Minister, you may repeat for his benefit. 

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, I answered this question. However, for the benefit of the hon. Member, Kwame Nkrumah, Copperbelt Secondary Teachers College (COSETCO) and Chalimbana will be turned into universities. 

I thank you, Sir. 

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly. 

Vote 80/05, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates. 

VOTE 80/06 − (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education − Distance Education Directorate − K9,768,084,097).

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move the following amendment:

(a)    under 01 Distance Education Directorate Unit, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K6,096,482,641 and the substitution therefor of K6,096,482,642; and

(b)    under 01 Distance Education Directorate Unit, Programme: 5019 Distance Education and Open Learning, by the deletion of Programme Total K2,738,882,501 and the substitution therefor K2,738,882,502.

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

Vote 80/06, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Vote 80/08 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

Mr Livune: On a point of procedure, Sir.

The Deputy Chairperson: The point of procedure is granted.

Mr Livune: Mr Chairperson, the copy of the Yellow Book I have does not have Vote 80/07. I seek your clarification on this matter, Sir.

The Deputy Chairperson: Hon. Member, what you have to do is to look at the Order of the Day, item 5; you will see that there is no Vote 80/07.

Laughter

Hon. Government Members: Seminar!

The Chairperson: Order!

VOTE 80/09 − (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education − Basic Schools − Lusaka Province − K276,483,062,673).

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move the following amendment:

(i)    Under 01 Luangwa District, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K9,375,952,774 and the substitution therefor of K9,375,952,773;

(ii)    Under 02 Chongwe District, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K30,380,418,479 and the substitution therefor of K30,380,418,480;

(iii)    Under 03 Kafue District, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K27,876,510,356 and the substitution therefor of K27,876,510,357;

(iv)    Under 05 Chirundu District, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K890,889,011 and the substitution therefor of K890,889,010;

(v)    Under 06 Chilanga District, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K890,889,011 and the substitution therefor of K890,889,010;

(vi)    Under 07 Rufunsa District, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K890,889,011 and the substitution therefor of K890,889,010; and

(vii)    Under 08 Shibuyunji District, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K890,889,011 and the substitution therefor of K890,889,010.

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

Vote 80/09, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 80/10 − (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education − High Schools − Lusaka Province − K86,822,716,159).

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move the following amendment:

Under 01 High Schools − Lusaka Province, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K82,441,413,870 and the substitution therefor of K82,441,413,869.

Ms Imenda (Luena): Mr Chairperson, I do not know whether, procedurally, I should raise a point of order. 

Interruptions

Ms Imenda: I thought …

The Chairperson: What is your contribution, Ms Imenda?

Ms Imenda: Mr Chairperson, this Government promised that it was going to do away with basic and high schools. When is this going to take place? This is because we are still looking at basic and high schools in the Budget. When are we going to have secondary schools …

The Chairperson: What Vote are you looking at? Time for policy debate is gone. Can you refer to the Vote and Programme.

Interruptions

Mr Simbao: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5021, Activity 002 − School Health and Nutrition − Nil. This year, we provided for nutrition. What is gonna happen in 2013 when there is no nutrition?

Laughter

Mr Simbao: I am copying slang from …

The Chairperson: Our policy on language, here, does not allow the word ‘gonna’.

Laughter

The Chairperson: That is for the outside. May you put your question properly.

Mr Simbao: … Hon. Moyowamisa.

Laughter

Mr Simbao: What is going to happen to nutrition in Lusaka in 2013?

Mr M. H. Malama: Go and ask Kachingwe!

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Professor Willombe): Mr Chairperson, the budget line caters for the promotion of good health, clean environment, personal hygiene and sanitation in high schools. The budget line has been moved to Programme 9000.

Mr Simbao: Which page is that?

Professor Willombe: The same page.

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

Vote 80/10, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 80/11 − (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education − Teacher Training − Lusaka Province − K11,427,614,909).

Mr Chikwanda: I beg to move the following amendment:

Under 02 National Service In-Service Training College (NISTCOL), Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K5,380,770,251 and the substitution therefor of K5,380,770,252.

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

Vote 80/10, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 80/12 − (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education − Regional Headquarters −Copperbelt Province − K23,859,476,803).

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move the following amendment:

(i)    Under 01 Regional Headquarters − Copperbelt Province, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K15,826,652,952 and the substitution therefor of K15,826,652,951;

(ii)    Under 01 Regional Headquarters − Copperbelt Province, Programme: 5001 General Administration, by the deletion of Programme Total K1,484,308,455 and the substitution therefor of K1,484,308,456;

(iii)    Under 01 Regional Headquarters − Copperbelt Province, Programme: 5011 Infrastructure Development, by the deletion of Programme Total K1,071,046,260 and the substitution therefor of K1,071,046,259;

(iv)    Under 01 Regional Headquarters − Copperbelt Province, Programme: 5019 Distance Education and Open Learning, by the deletion of Programme Total K58,303,472 and the substitution therefor of K58,303,473;

(v)    Under 01 Regional Headquarters − Copperbelt Province, Programme: 5021 Equity, by the deletion of Programme Total K87,455,208 and the substitution therefor of K87,455,209; and

(vi)    Under 01 Regional Headquarters − Copperbelt Province, Programme: 5043 Standards and Assessment, by the deletion of Programme Total K291,517,361 and the substitution therefor of K291,517,360.

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5044, Activity 009 − Special Education − K38,480,292, I can see that this budget line was increased from K7,776,809 this year to K38,480,292 next year. Sorry, K7,776,809 to K38,480,292. Aah! This is a small one.

Laughter

Mr Lufuma: I withdraw the question, Mr Chairperson.

Laughter

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

Vote 80/12, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 80/13 – (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education – Basic Schools – Copperbelt Province – K504,631,010,232).

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move the following amendment:

(i)    Under 02 Mpongwe District, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K27,422,606,757 and the substitution therefor of K27,422,606,758;

(ii)    Under 04 Chingola District, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K57,566,420,798 and the substitution therefor of K57,556,420,797;

(iii)    Under 04 Chingola District, Programme: 5021 equity, by the deletion of Programme Total K935,368,022 and the substitution therefor of K935,368,021;

(iv)    Under 07 Ndola District, Programme: 5021 Equity, by the deletion of Programme Total K K1,305,532,253 and the substitution therefor of K1,305,532,252;

(v)    Under 08 Kalulushi District, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K46,381,766,150 and the substitution therefor of K46,381,766,151;

(vi)    Under 09 Lufwanyama District, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K33,514,979,367 and the substitution therefor of K33,514,979,368; and

(vii)    Under 10 Mufulira District, Programme: 5021 Equity, by the deletion of Programme Total K976,835,061 and the substitution therefor of K796,835,060.

Mr Simbao: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5000, Activity 009 – Salaries-Teaching Service – K24,635,307,385. In the 2012 Budget, the allocation was K18,514,395,906 and earlier on, when I asked why the figure had gone down, I was told the Government did not foresee employing more teachers. So, what has happened on the Copperbelt?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, the earlier budget line which was Salaries-Teaching Service under headquarters and this one, are two different ones. The other one is meant for the recruitment of new teachers while this one will carter for the existing teachers under Masaiti District and the increment is because of the general upward adjustment of the salaries which was given to the Civil Service.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mufalali: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5021, Activity 700 – Grants to Free Primary Education – 806,923,584 and Activity 701 – Grants to Free Early Childhood Education Centres – K17,139,120. How does the Government intend to apply those two allocations?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, let me just say something which will apply to a number of activities to do with the operation of the districts. We have provided the grants because we are migrating from having this huge book to having a narrow book for 2014. So, Programme 5021, Activity 700 – Grants to Free Primary Education – 806,923,584 is meant to replace the grants for free basic education and is aimed at meeting costs of goods and services in primary schools.

Sir, Programme 5021, Activity 701 – Grants to Free early Childhood Education Centres – K17,139,120, like the hon. Minister had said in his ministerial statement, we are starting to have an early childhood education budget allocation. So, this Budget line is meant to establish early childhood education centres as well as meeting the cost of goods and services for the centres.

I thank you, Sir.

Amendment agreed to. Vote amended accordingly.

Vote 80/13, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 80/14 – (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education – High Schools – Copperbelt Province – K97,309,776,690).

Ms Imenda (Luena): Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5021, Activity 706 – Grants to Secondary Schools – K4,759,327,523. I would like to know which one is a secondary, high and basic school. I kind of confused.

The Deputy Chairperson: May you clarify which one is secondary, high and basic school.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, the grant in Activity 706, as it reads, is meant for the secondary schools so, it is totally different from the one where we have come from, which was I think, is under Activity 814, if I am not mistaken.

I thank you, Sir.

Vote 80/14 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 80/15 – (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education – Teacher Education – Copperbelt Province K29,120,705,716).

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move the following amendment:

(i)    Under 01 Copperbelt Secondary Teacher training College, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K10,803,530,362 and the substitution therefor of K10,803,530,361; and

(ii)    Under 03 Kitwe Teacher Training College, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of Programme Total K8,579,104,474 and the substitution therefor of K8,579,104,473.

     Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5044, Activity 006 - Monitoring of Student Teachers – Nil and Activity 010 - Student Teaching Practice – Nil. Why is there no allocation in the 2013 Budget for the two activities?

    Professor Wilombe): Mr Chairperson, both activities have been moved to Programme 5021.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Opposition Member: Which page?

The Deputy Chairperson: The page was already identified by the Professor so the answer related to the page as identified by the Professor.

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Chairperson, can the hon. Minister be clear on what he is referring to under Programme 5021, Activity 702 – Grants to Colleges of Education – K1,003,987,726. Is that really the same as monitoring of students and the students teaching practice supervision?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, like I said earlier on, most of the institutions under the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education will be receiving grants. All the activities to do with their operations will fall within that grant. To answer Hon. Lungwangwa’s question, the activities of monitoring of students and student teaching practice supervision will be catered for under Programme 5021, Activity 702 – Grants to Colleges of Education (1)(2) – K1,003,987,726.

I thank you, Sir.

Amendment agreed to. Vote accordingly amended.

Vote 80/15, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Estimates.

VOTE 80/16 – (Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education – Regional Headquarters – Central Province – K18,519,685,222).

Mr Chikwanda: Mr Chairperson, I beg to move the following amendment:

(i)    Under 01 Provincial Education Office – Central Province, Programme: 5000 Personal Emoluments, by the deletion of the Programme Total K10,352,195,883 and the substitution therefor of K10,352,195,883; and

(ii)    Under 01 Provincial Education Office – Central Province, Programme: 5043 Standards and Assessment, by the deletion of the Programme Total K306,824,984 and the substitution therefor of K306,824,985.

Mr L. Zimba: Mr Chairperson, I am on page 1068, Activity 700 – Secondary Schools. An amount of K322 million has been allocated …

Hon. Government Members: What programme?

The Deputy Chairperson: Come again for the benefit of those that were not paying attention.

Mr L. Zimba: Mr Chairperson, I am on page 1068, Programme 700 …

Hon. Government Members: No, it cannot be. 

Mr L. Zimba: Oh, I am so sorry.

Laughter

Mr L. Zimba: It is page 1068, Programme 5011, Activity 700 – Secondary Schools – K322,073,129. How many schools will be constructed with this amount and where about in Central Province?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, just like Hon. Zimba knows, most of the infrastructure development is catered for under the allocation for the ministry’s headquarters. This amount of K322 million will enable the Central Province regional headquarters to undertake some rehabilitation works in some schools.

I thank you, Mr Chairperson. 

Mr Chishiba: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5001, Activity 023 – Human Resource Policy and Management – K153,412,492. What is the activity content that has necessitated the increment from K33 million to about 153 million?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Chairperson, this activity is part of our decentralisation programme. Of course, the provincial allocations under this programme have gone up. In short, the budget line is aimed at improving operations related to the human resource policy in the province.

I thank you, Mr Chairperson.

Mr Lufuma: Mr Chairperson, may I have clarification on Programme 5001 – General Administration, Programme 5003 – Capacity Building, Programme 5005 – Grants to Institutions – Operational, Programme 5011 – Infrastructure Development, Programme 5018 – Curriculum Development and Education Materials, Programme 5019 – Distance Education and Opening Learning and Programme 5021 – Equity. I notice that there is allocation this year …

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

(Debate adjourned)

¬¬____________ 

HOUSE RESUMED

[MR SPEAKER in the Chair]

(Progress reported)

___________

The House adjourned at 1957 hours until 1430 hours on Wednesday, 5th December, 2012.