We have taken a bold stance to side with Government on its wise decision to close the University of Zambia (UNZA) and the Copperbelt University (CBU) because of the recent disruptive behaviour by students at the two institutions.
We feel the latest closure should be the ‘mother’ of all closures to enable students to take the dialogue route when airing their grievances in the future.
Being the highest institutions of learning, UNZA and CBU should set an example as citadels of civilised behaviour that should differentiate university students from other uneducated citizens.
We,thus side with the Zambia National Students Union (ZANASU), which has expressed sadness over the failure by the UNZA and CBU students to embrace dialogue instead of the anarchic conduct that forced the Government to close the institutions indefinitely.
ZANASU vice president Prince Ndoyi is right by expressing sadness over the conduct that students exhibited in the weeks leading to the closures.
Like Mr Ndoyi, we feel the students had a moral responsibility of engaging in dialogue through legitimately-established structures and bodies to air out their grievances.
As a media institution, we have incessantly covered university unrest, which is hinged on selfishness, bravado and a juvenile sense of intellectual arrogance.
If the students are educated as they purport, why did they refuse to listen to Higher Education Minister Michael Kaingu who is responsible for their affairs?
We feel the students felt that being ‘academic Pharisees’ who are above the law, their action would go unpunished as has been the case in the past when they have taken to the streets, stoning cars and burning tyres.
From the comments coming from several quarters, we feel the majority of students did not approve of the boisterous protests that were championed by a few reckless students, who incited others in an extreme and sickening mob psychology approach.
We have also made another acute observation on why riots usually happen during elections, examination time and when a new government is voted into office.
We can safely conclude that some ‘lumpens’ (university lingua franca for campus thugs) time their rioting for a good number of reasons, which include pampering to the whims of opposition leaders, being ill-prepared for examinations and mere disregard for the law.
From the ‘apologies’ coming from some students, we feel they have now come to their senses by realising what is in stock for them and other law-abiding students who were caught up in the fracas.
We are also worried about distance learning and mature students who will lose out from the indefinite closure.
Since apology is an admission of guilt, we would like the rowdy students to learn the hard way on the consequences of their behaviour that has not only affected obedient students, but also inconvenienced innocent citizens, who were harassed by students, who selfishly involved the hapless victims in a protest that does not concern the general public.
We feel like Prince Ndoyi has noted, university students have come across a word called ‘dialogue’ which requires the aggrieved party to iron out issues with the other party in a civilised manner.
Our message once more to the students is abash riots and viva dialogue!