Lun 1 Mar 2010 21:38
KCM fait l'actualité...du bien
By Vincent Matandiko
EDUCATION is the cornerstone of all development pursuits, goes an old adage. It is for this reason that many nations globally do prioritise education among the many sectors of the economy.
Zambia, in her quest to accelerate the nation’s economic growth, has made strides in developing the education sector.
This is evidenced by the massive construction of schools in all parts of the country to increase access, the training and recruitment of teachers as well as the revision of various syllabi at different levels of education to suit the prevailing trends internationally.
However, Government alone cannot fully harness the sector due to the many other commitments and challenges, hence the need for the involvement of stakeholders such as the Church, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector.
In line with this, various stakeholders have played a key role in the sector as they run some of the best schools in Zambia.
As part of its corporate social responsibility, Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has devised a programme aimed at promoting competitiveness in State-run schools in its quest to play a role in advancing Zambia’s education sector.
Despite running trust schools that rate among the best schools across Zambia, KCM has introduced a programme of awarding one year scholarships to the best performing pupils at grade seven and nine examination levels in Government schools.
Recently, the company held a Scholastic Excellence Awards Ceremony in Chililabombwe at which the top three grade seven and nine pupils in the district were awarded one year fully paid scholarships and hampers containing various school and home necessities.
The ceremony held at Chililabombwe’s Kamenza Basic School was graced by Copperbelt Permanent Secretary Villie Lombanya who hailed KCM for carving a reputation of being a giant in social responsibility activities that have touched thousands of individuals and households in the country.
Mr Lombanya said the scholastic awards were of great significance to Zambia’s education system, as they would instill a sense of pride and competition among pupils thus raising the standards of education in Government schools.
He urged other private institutions to emulate KCM’s gesture of partnering with the Government in the promotion of quality education and other social amenities even during the face of the global financial crisis.
The permanent secretary said the mining firm had demonstrated its commitment to contributing to Zambia’s education and economic growth by donating US $ 17.5 million to Mulungushi University as well as sponsoring childhood care centres for marketeers’ children, besides the recently introduced scholastic excellence awards.
Mr Lombanya said the company’s social responsibility programmes such as the provision of mobile clinics, tree planting, goat rearing and provision of boreholes have benefitted the less privileged members of society among them orphans, widows, retrenchees and the physically challenged.
The other social responsibility programmes that KCM runs include the sponsorship of the nation’s soccer league, provision of computers in schools, recreation facilities, reading glasses and infrastructure development.
KCM chief executive officer (CEO) Kumar Kishore said his company attached great importance to education and health in all areas of operation hence the introduction of scholastic excellence awards.
Mr Kishore said the purpose of the awards was to help improve academic standards in Zambian schools to build a strong human capital base for sustainable economic development.
He said children were a great asset for the nation’s development agenda hence the need to ensure they developed right attitudes and skills through support and motivation.
Meanwhile, the firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility Manager Chitah Sampa said the decision to award best pupils in Government schools was meant to complement Government’s efforts to raise education standards in the country.
Ms Sampa reiterated KCM’s resolve to continue working with the Government in addressing the challenges it faced so as to tap the full potential of pupils in Government-run schools to enable them perform like their counterparts in private institutions.
And Chililabombwe District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) Kelly Mwale expressed gratitude for the social responsibility extended to the sector saying education provision was involving hence the need for support from various sections of society.
Mr Mwale hailed the guardians and teachers of the awarded pupils for effectively guiding them to success during last year’s examinations despite the harsh working conditions and the various challenges that have affected the education .
He further implore the directorate of inspectorate in the district to continue working hard to further enhance the education standards having said that Chililabombwe had emerged best and second best on the Copperbelt at grade nine and seven levels respectively during last year’s examinations.
The three pupils that received the scholastic excellence awards for Chililabombwe district at grade seven level were Maxon Banda, Warren Kaira and Ivy N’gandwe while at grade nine level Moses Mwape, Godfrey Kombe and Faith Munsanza got the scholarships.
The six pupils would enjoy one year KCM sponsored scholarships in grade eight and 10 at various schools where they were accepted following their success in examinations.
Indeed KCM’s cooperate social responsibility is well intended as it targets the most cardinal aspects of economic development such as education and health.
The introduction of scholastic excellence awards would not have come at a better time that now when most households are struggling to meet the needs of their children and dependants in school fees and other requirements.
These scholarships would indeed help the less privileged but potentially capable children to excel in their education and effectively participate in the nation’s development agenda as professional in various fields.
Other corporate entities thus require to emulate KCM and partner with the Government in promoting the nation’s education system through various initiatives that would motivate and enhance a sense of excellent competition among the learning populace in the country.
Zambia’s education system requires the support of all stakeholders as exhibited by KCM.-ZANIS
