PF Presidential Aspirant Chitalu Chilufya Reject A Scheme By Luapula Mps To Slander Daglas Siakalima Minister Of Education On “Poverty Of The Mind” Statement

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PF PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANT CHITALU CHILUFYA REJECT A SCHEME BY LUAPULA MPS TO SLANDER DAGLAS SIAKALIMA MINISTER OF EDUCATION ON “POVERTY OF THE MIND” STATEMENT

By: Prof. Edgar Ng’oma Philosopher/Political Analyst.

In a scheme to embarrass Hon. Daglas Siakalima MP, who is also Minister of Education in Zambia, Members of Parliament from Luapula province have petitioned the speaker of the national assembly to reprimand the Minister of Education over a statement he made in Mwense about three months ago when he toured the province to launch a new Education program sponsored by one foreign cooperating partner to Government of tge Republic of Zambia.

It’s alleged in the petition addressed to the speaker of national assembly, Her honor Nelly Mutti, that while doing an address in Mwense which address was broadcasted on local radio stations in Luapula province, that Hon. Siakalima uttered demeaning and insulting words to the people of Luapula in which words he refered to the people of Luapula of suffering from the “poverty of the mind”. As though that was not enough in that same petition the Luapula MPS also allege that the Minister of Education further described Luapula as being the poorest province out of all the 10 provinces in Zambia.

However, as a political analyst, after coming across this petition on social media, signed by MPs who are the pettitioners and out of all the 15 MPS from Luapula province only 1 Hon. Chitalu Chilufya did not sign the petition. His name was on the petition but the space where he was supposed to sign, where every member’s signature was, for him it was blank, only 14 out of 15 signed the petition.meaning he declined.

In my investigation I really wanted to listen to the radio address on what and how the Minister of Education uttered the demeaning and insulting language using the words poverty of the mind and physical poverty. In what context they were used and what was he really trying to communicate??

I found the audio, and after playing it , I then understood why Hon. Chitalu chilufya Mansa central member of Parliament refused to be part of members of Parliament from Luapula who he strangely did not really understand what they wanted to achieve,himself understanding in what context the Minister issued the perceived demeaning and insulting words which according to them were un Parliamentary language.

This is what Minister Daglas Siakalima said in an address at Mwense and other areas where he addressed in his tour of Luapula province. First what must be understood is that upon arrival in Luapula province the Minister got a statistical brief from the provincial Education officer on the numbers of new learners who started school after free education was introduced in the province by the new dawn government after 12th August 2021.
After checking the numbers, the Minister then discovered that only 95,000 (ninty five thousand) students had enrolled in the province, when the average numbers of new learners for all the other provinces was 200, 000(two hundred thousand) per province. The Minister was very shocked to see low numbers. The total national number of new learners is at 2million, with an average of 200,000 per province.

He then contemplated referencing national wealth distribution,national poverty levél chart comparative analysis, here again, he realised that Luapula was rated as the poorest out of 10 provinces. He then understood why the poverty equation turned out like that. With these two facts Hon. Siakalima went to address the crowd at Mwense and other places where in his address he told the crowd that he was not happy with the numbers of learners who have gone back to school. In that address, he said it was unacceptable that after giving the province chance to end illiteracy in order to address physical poverty of the province (lack of money) the province is also suffering from poverty of the mind , when illiteracy levels are high it will automatically lead to poverty of the mind. The Minister being so passionate about Education him without waste of time, immediately adopted and declared Luapula as his own province where he will ensure that he collaborates with relevant local authorities to urge communities to take Education as a priority knowing very well that the physical poverty can only be solved like a simutaneous equation, where resolving the illiteracy levels through Education would automatically be resolving poverty of the mind, and when poverty mind dies the physical poverty would also simutaneously die. Problem of both physical poverty and mental poverty would be solved Luapula would prosper especially with the abundant mineral and other natural resource found there.

English being a foreign language and in the manner it was put, certain people misunderstood what the Minister meant, but obviously not Dr. Chitalu Chilufya, the reason he declined to sign the petition.

For the benefit of the 14 MPs and other readers who might not have understood the word “poverty of the mind”. This is equal to high illiteracy levels. Complete lack of knowledge on basic life survival skills.

As we speak now, Minister of Education Siakalima has adopted Luapula as his own province to transform and see that more and more new learners enrol in various government schools and take advantage of free education to reach a national average of atleast 200, 000 learners as opposed to 95000 learners currently recorded in the province.

Let me hope, this article has helped clarify the misunderstanding which was based on words used “poverty of the mind” whose meaning has now been clarified.
Let’s go back to Parliament and continue with the business of the house and leave behind us this which look inconsequential.

I submit.

Prof. Edgar Ng’oma Philosopher/Political Analyst.