By DAVID KANDUZA –

STUDENT activism is work by students to cause positive political, environmental, economic, or social change.
Although often focused on schools’ curriculum and educational funding, student groups have influenced greater political events.
Likewise, some student protests focus on an institution’s impact on the world, while others may focus on a regional or national policy’s impact on the institution, such as a campaign against government education policy. But in Zambia it is always a different story.
Barely does a month go without university students causing chaos. This habitual rioting is now the order of the day especially at the University of Zambia (UNZA) and Copperbelt University (CBU).
Government’s step to indefinitely shut UNZA and CBU citing deep-rooted political infiltration and politically-fuelled riots at the two institutions last week is welcome.
President Edgar Lungu had earlier warned of stern action against students if they fell prey to manipulation by political leaders ahead of the August 11 general elections.
The President said: “The infiltration at schools of higher learning is worrying, students are being encouraged to riot and be violent over flimsy reasons.
There is need to be united and maintain peace in Zambia.”
President Lungu also advised parents to take responsibility over their children who were lucky to be admitted to higher learning institutions.
The students couldn’t get advice from the President who himself passed through the corridors of UNZA but ran amok over Government’s delay and continued silence over their unpaid allowances for projects, accommodation and meals.
Higher Education Minister, Michael Kaingu who announced the closure of the Lusaka and Kitwe-based institutions should be commended for taking such a bold decision because the situation degenerated into riotous behaviour by the students.
Dr Kaingu suspected some known opposition parties of being behind the confusion, as some opposition leaders were spotted at the two institutions distributing political T-shirts.
The Zambia National Students Union (ZANASU) also backed the belief that the riots were politically-motivated and that some students with political goals were using the confusion to push their agenda.
ZANASU vice-president Prince Ndoyi said various political party structures existed at higher learning institutions.
Mr Ndoyi urged Dr Kaingu to curb the problem by ensuring that any student found running such an organisation was banned.
The Government said they have information opposition activists were at play, considering that two opposition leaders were spotted distributing T-shirts and pamphlets at the two universities.
To make matters worse even some lecturers at Luanshya Trades Institute in Luanshya had been distributing inflammatory literature.
The students had been protesting because of delayed meal allowances, leading to the arrest of more than 60 learners during the confusions, drawing attention of hundreds of Police officers in riot attire to stop disturbances at the two institutions.
Thus, the learning environment at the two universities was no longer conducive and students were ordered to leave the campuses.
“Due to lack of a conducive environment for learning at the two universities, it has been decided that the two universities close indefinitely,” Dr Kaingu said.
The minister said the disturbances at the universities had been driven by known opposition elements seeking to extract perceived political gain out of the chaos.
Dr Kaingu was saddened that the students, who were supposed to be vulnerable and dependent on Government allowances as a privilege, had opted to exhibit thuggery conduct.
The minister said it was also unfortunate that even when he attempted to meet CBU students for dialogue recently, they chose to snub the meeting, an indication they did not want to listen to the Government.
“A real and imminent danger to life and property now exists at the two universities and surrounding areas, therefore, Government has decided to act to prevent the losses,” Dr Kaingu said.
Dr Kaingu said at CBU, the 10 persons who were arrested on campus and had appeared in court were not students but opposition activists.
CBU student’s union president, Humphrey Mwenya said he regretted what had continued to happen and indicated that: “We don’t take pleasure in seeing violence. We have appealed to the students to remain calm but unfortunately management and the Police are fueling this already-tense situation.”
It’s sad to learn that university students could sink so low to be used by opposition political activists.
Students should find other meaningful ways of addressing issues. Why do they resort to rioting and destruction of property to make their voices heard?
Sadly enough, the victims in these violent demonstrations are usually the students.
By engaging anti-riot Police in running battles and direct combat, students only end up hurting themselves.
At CBU, students were seen mocking the Police by wearing riot attires as payback to Government’s delay and continued silence over their unpaid allowances for projects, accommodation and meals.
This saw five female and two male students being arrested during the riots.
One would want to believe that universities give a lot of freedom to students to choose what to do with their lives.
Unfortunately, this freedom is often abused. It’s high time that such behaviour was stopped because it has resulted into lawlessness, drunkenness, immorality, fights and riots.
So, as much as students might want to exercise their freedom, they too should enhance the freedom of others.
It is important to note that by resorting to violence, these students, who are looking forward to joining the workplace, usually send a bad message to their would-be employers.
Which organisation would want an employee who uses commotion and violence in the workplace as a way of solving disputes?
It is high time the universities’ senates established laws that would guide the behaviour of their students found inciting others to violence and should be arrested and charged in court.
And besides that, the university should make sure that these students upon returning to the institution should be made to pay for the damage they caused to the public and university.