“WE DEMAND RESPECT!” – LECTURERS HIT BACK AT MANAGEMENT OVER HH CAMPUS VISIT CHAOS
The FOX Newspaper
The University of Zambia Lecturers and Researchers’ Union (UNZALARU) has come out swinging following the chaotic disruption of classes on 9 April 2025 during President Hakainde Hichilema’s visit to the Great East Road Campus.
In a strongly-worded letter addressed to the Registrar and dated 11 April 2025, Acting General Secretary Gilbert Kamanga condemned the university’s management for failing to control what they describe as a “cabal of slogan-chanting students” who stormed lecture rooms and demanded the cancellation of classes ahead of the presidential visit.
“We cannot condone the manner in which Management handled the visitation as it leaves much to be desired,” reads the letter.
UNZALARU says while they acknowledge the importance of the Head of State’s visit, the way it was executed posed a threat to both academic integrity and lecturer safety.
“The actions by the students, who ambushed and demanded that lecturers cancel classes, was unacceptable… We strongly believe that lecturers have the right to teach in a safe and respectable environment, free from intimidation and disruption,” Kamanga stated.
The union has made three key demands:
1. A safe and secure environment for teaching.
2. Clear, prior communication guidelines for high-profile visits.
3. Disciplinary action against students engaging in hooliganism.
WHO IS RUNNING UNZA?
What is shocking is that cancellation notices came from the Student Union, not from Management. UNZALARU describes this as “not only inconsiderate but unacceptable,” and says University Management, through the Dean of Student Affairs, must act.
While students disrupted the learning environment from morning, the letter hints that their actions were “exploited by Management, by omission,” suggesting a failure—or perhaps even a strategy—from the top.
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