Wed, 10 Jan 2018 12:15:44 +0000
Matero Boys too expensive
Dear Editor,
Kindly allow me to express my disappointment on what Matero Boys Secondary School are charging as school fees.
The school is charging k4000 as school fees for 2018. Surely this is exorbitant and unjustifiable. Parents and guardians are struggling to make ends meet and provide for their families.
Some of the pupils at the school come from vulnerable and humble backgrounds and cannot afford these fees. We have pupils from George, Compound, Desai, Chunga, Matero, Mazyopa etc, who would like to pursue studies at this institution but it is like the administration would like to be a hindrance because of their exorbitant and unreasonable school fees.
I appeal to the Minister of Education, the Permanent, Secretary, the P.E.O and ZCCB to intervene and instruct the institution to reduce the fees. It is not a curse to come fron a humble background. Education is not just for the elite in society. We also want our boys to be educated. Kindly help.
Concerned Parent, Lusaka
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Lets resolve land wrangles amicably
Dear Editor,
THERE is need to address the issue of land wrangles which have continued rock the nation. Day in day out we hear of land encroachments or displacement of people from their land by someone claiming ownership.
Just last week over 2,800 hectares of land in Chief Mumena’s chiefdom in North Western Province was dubiously sold to an investor without the traditional leader’s knowledge. That’s too much land to be sold to one person when there are so millions of Zambians who don’t even own an inch of land in this country.
There is no way one person, no matter the investment, can own so much land while indigenous people are left languishing because of a few greedy individuals. The chief, with his royal establishment with the help of government should get back this land at all costs.
Why should Zambians be displaced from their own land as though they were foreigners? This trend is becoming common nowadays but should be stopped as it is very wrong and unfair.
I appeal to the Ministry of Lands to help Chief Mumena get back the land…after all it was sold illegally. Chances are that this investor wants to subdivide the land into small plots which he will later sell to make a killing.
I appeal to government to seriously ensure Zambians benefit from the land through a systematic plan which would enable people own at least a piece of land… at least something to point to.
Time has come for government to scrutinise the land policy and iron out all flaws that are making it difficult for Zambians to own land at the expense of foreigners or only those citizens who have money.
Don’t wait for a land crisis … don’t procrastinate because land issues are a major source of conflict globally.
Concerned citizen, LUSAKA
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Cholera is deadly
Dear Editor,
Cholera is a highly virulent bacterial disease that can kill you within hours if left untreated.
It achieves this by causing severe diarrhoea and dehydration. This disease is caused and spread by the intake of food or water contaminated with the bacterium called -Vibrio cholerae. According to WHO, researchers have estimated that each year there are…21 000 to 143 000 deaths world wide ascribed to Cholera.
This, then, kind reader, is how you may dodge cholera. Firstly, prevention being the greatest cure of all ills, shun cholera by drinking either boiled or chlorinated water. Secondly, wash your hands with soap after using the rest room. Do not handle and eat food before washing your hands. Ensure, thirdly, safe preparation and storage of food. Hence, not knowing how safe the food is, do not buy and eat food from the streets anyhow. Insects like the house flies, also, may easily bring Vibrio cholerae in your home from your surroundings. Safe disposal of faeces, therefore, becomes a matter too vital to ignore.
If, however, by neglecting the above indispensable points you get hit by Cholera; don’t be too shy to seek immediate medical attention. Cholera is a swift killer. And remember, in a nutshell, that while a cat has nine lives -you only live once!
By Matambo Andrea B,
Lusaka
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Circumcision and its benefits Dear Editor,
Where the wind blows, there, most simpletons go; but men of common sense need reason to act. Why, so, must you get medically circumcised? To break the ice, medical male circumcision is the complete removal of the foreskin that covers the head of the penis and is performed under local anaesthesia in a sterile setting, by well trained medical personnel.
Foremost, voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) improves hygiene and, we all know, cleanliness is next to godliness. As you climb up the hygienic ladder, accordingly, so your self esteem soars. You part for good with your smegma and it’s emanation, the day you embrace circumcision.
Secondly, VMMC reduces the risk of getting STIs and HIV. As an HIV prevention strategy, it has been proved to reduce the risk of contracting HIV by 60%. As regards other STIs, VMMC reduces the risk of getting ulcerative diseases; chancroid and syphilis for instance.
Phimosis and paraphimosis are both conditions of the foreskin. The former is the contraction of the foreskin ( either as a stage of development or a pathological condition) which prevents it from being retracted. The latter is a medical condition where the foreskin becomes trapped behind your glans. I remind you, here with gladness, that circumcision prevents both phimosis and paraphimosis.
Reduced risk of penile cancer (cancer of the penis) and in children, reduced risk of urinary tract infections augment the significance of circumcision. Conclusively, as we live for others here on earth, you will please, if you have, your female partner as being circumcised decreases their risk of getting infected with HIV and, or HPV; which causes cervical cancer.
Being circumcised, it should be noted, is not a password to promiscuity. You still reap what you sow. I hear, finally, you asking: does it pain? does it change my penis size or drive? The operation, as early mentioned, is done under ‘local anaesthesia’. This means medical methods are employed to eliminate pain in the organ or zone being worked on. The latter question, kind reader, I leave to your coming or thus obtained experience to figure. Remember, benefits of VMMC are forever!
By Matambo AndreaB, Lusaka
