UPND warns school managers – demanding user fees from learners is insubordination

By NATION REPORTER

IT is insubordination of government  policy directive for public schools to demand for user fees before learners are admitted into school, the UPND has warned school management.

UPND Lusaka Province Information and Publicity Secretary, Otis Bwalya said failure to comply with the government’s policy directive was tantamount to insubordination of the highest order by any civil servant.

Mr Bwalya said it was wrong for public school management to ask for user fees from parents before admitting pupils into school.

He said in an interview that his party had information that some schools in Lusaka and other parts of the country were demanding that learners pay some user fees before being offered places.

“But we would like to warn them to stop because that is tantamount to insubordination against government’s policy directive of free education,” Mr Bwalya said.

He said this act was clearly an affront to the party’s manifesto on free education for all as directed by President Hakiande Hichilema. Mr Bwalya said the party would not allow civil servants to be frustrating governments efforts aimed at bettering the living standards of the Zambian people.