Govt. sets aside K 9 million for upgrading community schools throughout the country

–Government says it has set aside over K9 billion for upgrading some dilapidated community schools in the country.

 

 

Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education Patrick Ngoma told parliament today that K9,053, 321, 650  has been set aside  for constructing some community schools that are pole and mud.

 

Mr. Ngoma told the House that additional 15 houses and 15 VIP toilets would be constructed at each of these learning institutions especially in rural areas.

 

The Deputy minister, who is also PF Feira Member of Parliament (MP) said pole and mud structures were not conducive for learning in especially to the young learners/pupils.

 

 

He  said government places quality buildings/structures closer to the people as one measure to attain the UN 2015 Millennium Development Goal on education.

 

 

Mr. Ngoma was responding to a question raised by UPND Nangoma Boyd Hamusonde who wanted to find out what plans the government has to improve the teaching and infrastructure standards of community schools in rural areas.  

 

 

And Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Luxon Kazabu told the House that government exported over 180,000 metric tonnes (MT) over a period of three years of lint-cotton realising over K1 billion.

 

Mr. Kazabu said government supplied abroad 185,962.3 MT and gobbled K1,723, 924, 933 from the sale of lint-cotton from 2011 to 2013 produce.  

 

 

He said 44,439.3 MT of lint-cotton were produced in 2011, 84,688.7MT (2012) and last year harvested 56,834.3MT last year.

 

 

He said dispelled assertions that PF has bad policies on cotton growing and production but attributed to the reduction in tonnages during that period as due to various factors among them poor rainfall pattern, types of soils and the capacity of individual farmers to increase their land/farms.

 

 

The Deputy Minister was answering a question by PF Kaputa MP Maxas Ng’onga who wanted to know  how many tonnes of lint-cotton were exported from 2011 to 2013 and how much money was realised from the exports by the Government.