Kenneth Kaunda Boarding Secondary School in Chinsali district of Muchinga province is in a deplorable condition, forcing pupils to sleep on the floor and deplorable sanitary conditions are a possible health risk to students.
This came to light when Muchinga Province Minister, Mwiimba Malama, inspected the institution which was opened 50 years ago but has never received any serious maintenance or rehabilitation works since.
School Head teacher, Blackwell Silwenga, explained that the learning institution is faced with various challenges to host the required 1,500 pupil enrolment forcing it to cut the number to half following the introduction of co-education.
Mr Silwengwa said some of the classroom blocks have since been turned into hostels without bedding facilities such as bunkers and mattresses forcing pupils to sleep on the floor while the sanitary facility is also in a deplorable state and cannot serve the overwhelming numbers of pupils.
The head teacher commended the Provincial Education Officer (PEO), Jobbicks Kalumba, for working flat out to source the K 340,000 that has helped to work on the water reticulation system and the sanitary facility which has not improved as water is rationed and pupils have to rely on pit latrines.
And Mr Kalumba told the visiting Minister that the living conditions are unhygienic and the situation is not conducive for a learning environment.
Mr Kalumba explained that proposals to turn the institution into a national school have been shelved because of poor infrastructure and inadequate facilities to serve pupils that may be enrolled from different parts of the country.
The PEO described the learning environment and boarding facility as a total mess and unhygienic not suitable for human safety which can serve as a haven for over 700 pupils in the same place.
Speaking after inspecting the institution, Muchinga Province Minister, Mwiimba Malama, who is also a former pupil of 1994 Grade 12 in-take, apologised to the pupils for the deplorable state of the institution, saying he will ensure that he lobbies for funds from well standing people in society who once passed through the school to help out.
He said government will do its part as the school is named after a very important statesman, First Republican President, Dr.Kenneth Kaunda, and is a stone throw from his birth place at Lubwa where late President Michael Sata decided to build a university.
The minister encouraged pupils to study hard and desist from being indiscipline, saying the foundation of any bright future is when they study hard and excel in every subject they take at school.
In a vote of thanks, school head girl, Ruth Namukonda, appealed to government to improve the appalling situation at the institution, saying there is need to stock the library, improve access to clean water and create enough bed spaces in the dormitories so that learning environment is conducive.
Sorry, I never slept on a mattress from 1982 to 1986 at a secondary school in Northern Province
Hau that is shocking
It’s indeed a sad and depressing situation. I saw it two months ago. Let’s come together as former students and contribute generously to save the once proud image of our school.
Yet, we have politicians who are fine with inducing by elections and finding money for these st..d by-elections. It is shame we have an MP going away with over half a million when a school accommodating 1, 500 of our children the whole year never ever received this amount of money. What a shame.
Kenneth Kaunda Boarding School
Kenneth David Kaunda Secondary School
Helen Kaunda
Kaunda Square
Kenneth Kaunda Foundation & many other named after the dictator of 27 years.
Please, what about Gray Zulu, Malimba Masheke, Lawrence Katilungu, Maiza Chona, Malawo, et al other than one dictator of 27 years?
Its painstakingly crippling that Gray Zulu after his services to Zambia has not paid his benefits since 1991.
Too much of one KK the dictator of 27 years whilst Mandela Nelson was a prisoner for 27 years!
The dictator is luckily living happy than hounded out mates to KK who where dictators like him.
The Skeleton Key
~206~
Shut up.. Names are names.
KK ruled zambia with a loving heart. All those educated in his era have strong education background unlack the years thereafter. Poor management of the institution is to blame.
Am a former KKSS (as we used to call it in the early 80s) pupil who would like to contribute something for the reward of the good and free education that i received from this great school between 1981 and 1985. I would like to request Honorable Mwimba Malama to form a former Kenneth Kaunda Secondary School old boys association so that we can contribute finances and material to restore the dignity of this great institution.
ba Shadreck,
now I wish I had not read your post because the little respect I had for Kaunda has just been flushed down the toilet. For starters I didn’t even know there was a school named after the dictator. Then when I first read this article, I assumed his fellow dictator Sata is the one who named the school. Now you are telling me it had this stúpid name from back in the 1980s which means it was named probably at the behest of the dictator himself.
Typical dictator style. Self-aggrandizing.
I am certain yo attitude is what Rupiah Banda had when he wanted to privatize schools. Its not about always looking up to the govt fo everything. It is a goverment school. The govt shud overburden people with what is its duty.
Its not just this school, thousand of other schools are showing serious symptoms of gross government neglect. And to be fair the whole education system is actually going down. I wonder why mps are not putting Kaingu to task over the overt neglect the education is facing.
PF Vision (or lack of it) – Build universities, forget about secondary schools and primary schools!!
Always looking from gvt support .. These empty tins heading schools.. Why not collecting funds from each pupil like churches does to their members. This same amount of money if properly used can see major infrustracture maintenance in two or three years time. Wake up and be economist.
“Speaking after inspecting the institution, Muchinga Province Minister, Mwiimba Malama, who is also a former pupil of 1994 Grade 12 in-take”
Really???