CDF Students From Nakonde Stranded in Lusaka After Eviction from Boarding House
By Christabel Chulu
Chete FM – Nakonde 89.9FM, Chinsali 91.3FM
Six students from Nakonde, sponsored under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) bursary and skills development program, are stranded in Lusaka after being evicted from their boarding house.
The students, who are studying at HandsWorth Institute, reported for school in February of this year.
The CDF funding package covers accommodation for students, when a school does not have its own boarding facilities, it typically rents houses for its students.
In this case, HandsWorth Institute rented a boarding house for the students, a flat with two rooms each comprising five banker beds, accommodating five students per room.
The students were evicted in the morning on Wednesday, and as of 18 hours on the same day, they were still outside with nowhere to go.
They are enrolled in various programs, including food production, heavy machinery operation, and driving.
According to an acceptance form made available to Chete FM News, the courses range from a total of K9,050 for one-month courses, K10,50 for two-week courses, and K11,500 for three-month courses, inclusive of tuition fees, protective clothing fees, and accommodation and food fees.
Kelvin Sichalwe, a 27-year-old student from Ntindi, doing a driving program, has told Chete FM News that his course was supposed to end in March.
However, he is still in Lusaka because the school has not cleared and given him his license due to issues with fee clearance.
Other students, such as Peter Simukoko, aged 31, from Chozi, and Allan Vwambanji Sinyinza, have shared similar challenges.
Some students, like Simon Silweya, who returned two weeks ago, used their own money to get certificates for operating heavy machinery.
When contacted, Nakonde Town Council Assistant Public Relations Officer Florence Sichula has acknowledged the delayed payments, stating that the first payment was made on April 24, and a second payment was made on Monday this week.
She has admitted that there was a delay in the funds but indicated that the council has a relationship with schools where services are given to students even without complete payment.
This year, the council has received over K5 million for CDF programs.
The council has acknowledged receiving reports of some students facing challenges but stated that they had not received any complaints from HandsWorth Institute specifically.
It says it will engage the school to address the issues raised.
Chete FM News has also contacted HandsWorth Institute, and at the time of the initial contact, the school indicated they were engaged and would attend to our queries after 18 hours.
However, when followed up at the appointed time, calls went unanswered despite several attempts.
There are 6 students who are still in Lusaka out of the 28 enrolled.
The rest started coming back as earlier as last month without completing their courses.
The stranded students are begging to do any work to raise money to travel back home