Former information and broadcasting services minister Dr. Dora Siliya has proposed that the minimum academic qualification for Members of Parliament and councillors be raised from Grade 12 to a university degree, while also calling for stronger affirmative action to address gender inequality in leadership.
Lusaka — Former information minister Dora Siliya has stirred debate after suggesting that elected leaders, such as MPs and councillors, should hold university degrees, arguing that higher education would improve the quality of political discourse and international engagement.
Speaking during an interview on Diamond TV on Wednesday, Siliya said the current Grade 12 requirement was outdated given the growing pool of educated citizens across the country. She pointed to progress made in upgrading the qualification for councillors from Grade 9 to Grade 12 as precedent for further reform.
“There was resistance when we moved councillors from Grade 9 to Grade 12. People said we wouldn’t find enough educated candidates, but now there are graduates in every district,” she said. “We should be raising the bar MPs and councillors should be graduates so they https://nkanionline.news/home/content/2f905d4c-1f45-4924-904c-d00b9c1d9dab
I agree with you 100%. This is long overdue, we need mps and Councillors who understands the protocols of Parliament. Not those who have turned Parliament into house of kachasu or “7 days” like.
Dora Stupidia
Ba Dora, your academic excellence is not the way it looks. You were a below average Student at secondary school.. Never went to University straight from school. You took a long winding path, a second or third attempt. A lot of rewriting was your menu.
And as a mature entry student at UNZA, age gave you that ability to grasp a few concepts here and there..and today you are trying to pose as a genius, and trying to remove the ladder which you your self used to be where you are!
You are like those Teachers whose original Grade 12 Certificates are full of 8s and 9s. They re -sit the GCE numerous times, for over 10 years, and eventually get admitted to some University, and scrounge a degree at 50 years old, but boy oh boy, they are all of a sudden geniuses , challenging the DEBs and all authority! For some women, they even abandon their husbands..at 50 with a bachelor’s degree,they are very educated.
Easy ba Dora, make reasonable submissions to that useless Technical Committee.
Ba Nknku….and this is the problem with you and your daily diatribe.
Mature or non mature is not the point Dora is making.
A higher education for Councillors and MPs is must in order to articulate issues and concepts. How long it takes to get “that higher” education is not the point. But the fact that you have it better equips on for the roles she spells out.
Stop skewing and self contextualizing issues to your own narrow perspective. The dogmatic approach to issues is not the answer nor does it demonstrate that you comprehen the views being aired.
internet doctorates are going to people’s heads.
For sure internet is making people look wise.!!
Her views maybe okay but the way things are being done isn’t okay she is pompous for nothing!!
We have degree holders in parliament who are doing nothing and have no clue as to what is happening.