Students Outraged by Government Decision to Remove Meal Allowances

The Zambia National Students Union has appealed to President Lungu to resolve the current meal allowance crisis.

Many are outraged by the decision to remove meal allowances, arguing that it opens up the possibility that female students from poorer families will be driven to other means of feeding themselves – like prostitution.

ZANASU spokesperson Assa Williey, implored the President not to let Higher Education Minister Professor Nkandu Luo Experiment with the provision of higher education but creating policies that are at odds with the campaign promises he made to students.

Meanwhile the Police have threatened they will spare NO student who protests against the government’s decision to scrap meal allowances.

The students have since planned to march to parliament to protest the decision, but police have warned that they will dealt with ruthlessly. This warning will send a shiver down many students’ spines as they still recover from the brutal murder of Vespers last year.

Police spokesperson Esther Katongo, in a statement, has advised the students not to take their grievances to the streets.

“We have information that students from learning institutions are planning to march to Parliament over issues of meal allowances. Our advice to the students is that they should follow the laid down procedures in airing their grievances as opposed to taking to the streets. As Police, we will not tolerate any acts of lawlessness and we do not want to have any unnecessary confrontation with anyone,” Katongo stated. “We already have details of those orchestrating the protest. We therefore warn those involved that should the planned activity materialize, we are not going to spare them.”