By CATHERINE NYIRENDA –

STUDENTS at Mayukwayukwa Refugee settlement in Kaoma in Western Province yesterday joined calls to demand for the release of the 230 girls held captive in Nigeria by the renegade group Boko Haram.
The students carrying placards, called for the release of the students, when Home Affairs Deputy Minister, Nickson Chilangwa, United Nations (UN) resident co-coordinator, Janet Rogan and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Zambia, Laura Lo Castro toured the school.
As the team toured the basic and high school, all the students, carried placards reading “BRING BACK OUR GIRLS”, as a sign of sorrow and solidarity over the plight of the girls abducted in Nigeria a few weeks ago.
Ms Rogan in a statement released yesterday commended the pupils for showing solidarity with their fellow students in Nigeria.
Ms Rogan called for the protection of the girl-child and called on the country not to take peace for granted.
“As the UN in Zambia, we are proud of you and will join the rest of the world in voicing calls to have these girls released,” Ms Rogan said.
The UNHCR representative also expressed happiness that the students, who included some refugees, had shown responsibility by joining calls to have the Nigerian girls released.
The team was in the area to witness the first class of students at Mayukwayukwa High School which was constructed by the Government.
This is the first high-school in Mayukwayukwa area to benefit the refugees, former refugees, and the Zambian host community.
Before the construction of the high school, Mayukwayukwa only had a basic school and several community schools which catered for both Zambians and refugees.
Pupils who qualified to senior secondary school level were compelled to travel long distances to Kaoma High School, about 87 kilometres from the refugee settlement.
The school has a capacity of over 600 students when fully operational.
The school complex has several classrooms, assembly hall, two laboratories, dining hall, tuck shop, 20 teachers’ houses and an administration block.
Other facilities include a library, ablution blocks, computer centre and dormitories.
Mayukwayukwa hosts over 11,600 people of concern from Angola, Burundi, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.