•EDUCATION Deputy Minister David Mabumba (centre) receives a present from Lund University commissioned education project coordinator Adreas Bryngelson while the ministry’s Deputy Permanent Secretary Christine Mayondi looks on at Mukuba Hotel in Ndola yesterday. Picture by CHATULA KAMPO

By CHATULA KAMPO-
GOVERNMENT has called on school councils and authorities to exercise discipline in ensuring that children’s rights in classrooms are enhanced.
Education Deputy Minister David Mabumba said there was need for school councils and school authorities to exercise discipline in the implementation of children’s rights in schools.
Mr Mabumba said the introduction of school councils on the Copperbelt had increased participation of pupils in decision making and school governance.
He called on school authorities not to undermine the councils that were advocating their fellow pupils’ rights in schools.
Mr Mabumba also called on pupils not to abuse their powers when exercising their rights in schools.
He said this during the children’s rights in classrooms and school management international progress workshop for networking batch 19 programme.
Batch 19 is a group of guests from 10 countries currently undergoing training on children’s rights in classrooms and school management at Lund University in Sweden.
The group is on the Copperbelt for 14 days to review the programme with the 30 Zambians trained at the same university in the same programme.
They would also visit projects at Mitobe Primary School in Kalulushi and Chingola High School in Chingola District.
The guests are from Colombia, Indonesia, Sri lanka, Tanzania, South Africa, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Malawi and Namibia.
Chingola High School council chairperson Monica Mbuzi said the school councils had increased participation of pupils in decision making and school governance in the province.
Ms Mbuzi said the councils had also helped in improving the behaviour and academic performance of pupils.
She said the council would carry out a sensisitisation exercise for pupils on how they should exercise their rights in schools so that they did not end up in conflict with school authorities.
Lund University education project coordinator Andreas Bryngelston said the school had trained more than 600 guests from different countries in support with the Swedish Government in children’s rights in classrooms and schools management.
He said 30 of those were from Zambia and that the training was a global network that aimed at enhancing children’s rights in schools.