Dear editor,
ALLOW me to express my opinion over the persistent problems that have rocked our public universities, especially the University of Zambia and Copperbelt University, for a long time now.

There is urgent need for Government to do something about the negative impact that unresolved problems at these institutions have on national development.
Government should put in place a commission of inquiry which should embark on comprehensive consultation with all relevant stakeholders in trying to come up with lasting solutions to most of the problems so that the universities can reclaim their strategic mandate of manpower development.
It is very depressing to see a public university lacking basic facilities such as internet and teaching aids such as projectors, laptops, etc.
As much as I believe there is need for university lecturers to have PhDs rather than Master’s degrees, I do not believe this is one of the causes of falling standards in tertiary education. In actual fact, most Master’s holders are even more competent than some PhD holders.
There are therefore more fundamental issues that need to be addressed, hence the need for Government to set up a commission of inquiry.
ALFRED
Solwezi