By SARAH TEMBO –
SOME residents in Lusaka have attributed increased attacks on guards in markets to casino machines that are said to be attracting criminals.
Residents of Matero and Lilanda townships said the continued mounting of casino machines in most markets was tempting criminals who eye for the coins left in those machines.
Prisca Chilekwa said the Casino machines commonly known as Bonaza machines installed in Lilanda market were the main reason thieves broke in the market last week killing two security guards.
She said that casinos have not only attracted criminals, but that school children absconded classes in preference for casinos.
Another resident Mwila Kalonga wondered whether it was legal to install casino machines in markets, saying such machines were better placed in designated areas which were well monitored by Lusaka City Council (LCC).
“How can they put casinos in markets, I am sure people operating those machines are doing it illegally, because I doubt if the council can allow casinos machines in markets,” he said.
And Kaluba Mwanza called on LCC to resolve the problem as soon as possible before more lives were lost.
“The future of our children is at stake because they refuse to go to school and spend most of their time in those casinos,” he said.
But LCC deputy spokesperson Brenda Katongola said the council does not allow casinos to be operated in markets.
She, however, said it was difficult for LCC to do anything about the casinos in Lilanda market because markets were operated by the community themselves.

DEBS appeals for  improved literacy

DISTRICT Education Board Secretariat (DEBS) in Mukushi has expressed hope of recording improvements in literacy levels among primary school Grades one to four in the area.
Mr Nicholas Mwamba disclosed to ZANIS that the district was on course to recording significant improvements in literacy levels among the lower primary grades.
Mr Mwamba maintained that there was reason to be optimistic about achieving improvement in statistics at the end of 2014, adding that the overall achievement for 2013 had been 70 per cent.
He said the projected target for 2013 had been 40 per cent, saying that the district had achieved 34 per cent of this target during that year.
He said the district was making progress in the literacy performance this year, and that much of the improvement was owed to the method of teaching literacy in familiar local language.
Mr Mwamba said the district looked poised to make improvements in recording better literacy statistics since the literacy mode in familiar local languages was implemented this year.
According to statistics obtained from DEBS for 2013 literacy performance, Grade one achievement was at 28 per cent, Grade Two at 31 per cent, 33 for Grade Three and 31 for Grade Four primary school grades. —ZANIS

‘Chiefs ministry must  intervene in teen pregnancies’   

By MEMORY YOMBWE –
AUTHORITIES at Mumbotuta Primary School in Milenge District in Luapula Province have called on the Ministry of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs to intervene in the problem of rampant child pregnancies and marriages in the district.
School head teacher, Jackson Mambwe said girl children were dropping out of school to either help their parents with farm work or to get married, a move he said had a negative impact on pupils.
Concerns were raised a fort night ago when Bahati Member of Parliament Harry Kalaba visited the area on a familiarisation tour.
Mr Mambwe said most parents in the area had a negative attitude towards the education of their children and has since called for an awareness campaign about the consequences of perpetuating the trend.
“More than 20 pupils have stopped school since 2008 for marriage and mostly these pupils who terminate their primary education prematurely drop out from grade six,” he said.
Mr Mambwe, however, attributed high poverty levels in the district as the major contributor to the vice.
Kapalala Rural Health Centre support staff Alex Mukaka said that there was overwhelming evidence on child marriages in Milenge District.
Mr Mukaka said the trend was evidenced by a number of complicated child-birth cases the health facility had been referring to Mansa General Hospital.

Govt hailed over Mtenguleni – Chongo Road works

By JULIUS PHIRI –
SOME subjects of Chief Madzimawe have commended Government for the rehabilitation of Mtenguleni-Chongo Road which was previously in a bad state.
Government engaged Build Trust of Lusaka to rehabilitate the 17-kilometre stretch which passes
Chief Madzimawe’s palace.
The road which has also added value to the markets for the transportation of goods and services had been neglected by the previous govenments.
Simeon Daka of Kasala said he was happy that the road was finally rehabilitated by Build Trust which carried its works in a month’s time.
Mr Daka said that motorists would find it easy to use the road after rehabilitation.

Pull up your socks, Chalwe teachers told  

By MEMORY YOMBWE –
RESIDENTS of Chalwe community in Mansa have expressed disappointment over lack of commitment by teachers deployed at Chalwe primary school.
The school, situated about 20 kilomtres from Mansa central district prompts teachers residing in the central district to cycle to the school on a daily basis.
In an interview, Doris Mwansa, 45 said the children were forced to knock off at 14:00 hours to give time for their teachers cycle back home in good time.
Out of the five teachers, only one youth teacher Christine Fungamwangu resides in the school township.
Ms Fungamwangu, however, has to stand challenges of unclean water, poor road network, non-availability of power and poor mobile network.

Nkana water  completes K7.3m sanitation project

BY MARILYN ROSE and MIRRIAM CHABALA –
NKANA Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC) has completed the K7.3 million public sanitation facility project aimed at improving sanitation levels among the communities of Kitwe, Kalulushi and Chambishi.
NWSC spokesperson Mwangala Chiwala said the project involved construction of public sanitary facilities in various localities around town and places like markets and schools.
Ms Chiwala said NWSC under this project sought to enhance people’s living standards through improved sanitation.
She said a total of 16 schools and nine health centres in the district had since benefited from the project.
“We have under the public sanitation facility project constructed ablution blocks in 16 schools and a further nine health centres,” she said.
Ms Chiwala said a number of ablution blocks had been constructed in public places around the town with the view to providing members of the public access to proper sanitary facilities.
She called on members of the public to maintain the new infrastructure with care to ensure value for money.
Ms Chiwala said there was need for people to take ownership of the sanitary infrastructure because the facilities were for the good of the general public.
“People should not view this project as for Nkana Water and Sewerage Company but their own because it is them that they are serving,” Ms Chiwala said.