By MOFFAT  CHAZINGWA –
COPPERBELT University (CBU) students have gone on a class boycott over the unpaid meal allowances for the third academic term.
The students, who on Monday blocked Jambo Drive with burning tyres, logs and rocks, yesterday continued with their protest by shunning all academics activities and demanded their meal allowances.
A check at CBU, revealed there was calm within the campus but students were not attending lessons.
Students were spotted loitering around the hostels with a few others studying in groups.
Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) president Gerald Chiluba said in an interview that although the situation was peaceful and calm, the students had resolved not to attend any academic classes until they were paid their meal allowances.
“Yesterday, students were disappointed that Government was still sourcing funds when we the students union have been visiting the bursaries committee over the matter long before the third term academic calendar opened and it’s only now that they are mobilising funds,” he said.
Mr Chiluba said it was in view of this that the students felt let down by the Ministry of Education especially that a number of them were faced with the accommodation challenges and depended on the same money to pay for boarding houses.
“As we speak now, 36 students have been evicted from the boarding houses they are renting because they have no money to pay for accommodation,” Mr Chiluba said.
CBU registrar Allan Ilunga said the problem of delayed meal allowances had nothing to do with the institution but the respective sponsors for the students and that for this, it was important that the aggrieved students refrained from disturbing the peace around the university.
Meanwhile, the four CBU students who were apprehended on Monday in connection with the riots at the institution were yesterday still in custody.
Mr Chiluba said the students’ union was making arrangements to secure the release of the students on police bond.