Stop parading students, Kang’ombe tells govt

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Patriotic Front Kamfisa Member of Parliament Christopher Kang’ombe says he does not expect to see students from higher learning institutions being paraded by the government to endorse its initiatives.

Mr. Kangombe who has clarifying his use of the word paraded, has argued that whenever government wants to implement a policy, the first people they put in front of the camera are students to say they support it, a trend he says raises questions about the state of critical thinking in higher institutions.

Mr. Kang’ombe, author of the 2013 book “Students Reclaim Their Place in Society,” grounded in his own experience as a student leader, has wondered what had happened to the once-vibrant intellectual voice of students, recalling that during the push by second Republican President Frederick Chiluba to seek a third term, it was students working with civil society who led the resistance.

Mr. Kang’mbe who is Former Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) President, has further noted that during the 1991 transition to multiparty democracy, the nation would have lost a historic opportunity had student union leaders simply agreed with the government of the day.

“We want students to analyze issues, not take sides,” he said. “As young people exposed to higher learning, they should be able to say: we agree with one or two clauses, but we do not agree with the bigger picture. We want to see critical minds.”

Mr. Kang’ombe said it appears many student union leaders feel obligated to align with government positions, a mindset he insists is misguided. 

And Mr. Kangombe has advised, unions must offer honest counsel to the government, which he believes would listen to them filling a gap where broader society often lacks strong critical voices.

Ends…………………………….

 


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