Parley resumes sitting

Parley resumes sitting

Lusaka, Feb 19/13, ZANIS……….The Second Session of the Eleventh National Assembly which adjourned sine die on December 12 last year has today resumed sitting.

And the house has considered 25 questions for Oral Answer and two Government Bills that include the Higher Education Bill and the Teaching Profession Bill.

Education Minister, John Phiri presented the bill to the house which provides for the establishment of the higher education authority and defines the functions and powers and also provides for quality assurance and quality promotion in higher education.

The bill further provides for the establishment, governance and regulation of public higher institutions plus registration and regulation of private higher education institutions. The bill repeals and replaces the University Act of 1999.

The Education Minister also presented the Teaching Profession Bill which seeks to establish the Teaching Council of Zambia and defines its functions and power and provides for the regulation of the teachers, their practice and professional conduct.

The Education Minister explained that the bill also provides for the accreditation and regulation of colleges of education.

The House has resumed sitting without Former Mpongwe MP, Gabriel Namulambe and Rev Howard Sikwela of Livingstone, both of whom defected from MMD and UPND respectively to join the ruling Patriotic Front.

The two former MPs have created vacancies that will be filled through by elections that will be conducted on February, 28 this year, to usher in new members.

Meanwhile, the House saw Itezhi-Tezhi Member of Parliament Greyford Monde shift from the opposition back bench to become the first UPND MP in the House to take up a government position as Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

In the previous sitting, the House considered and passed nine Bills, 309 questions for oral and written answer and one private member’s motion.

Other items considered were two motions to adopt parliamentary select committee reports, with 15 ministerial statements presented to explain government position on various matters.

The previous sitting also saw Wynter Kabimba, the PF Secretary General, take up oath as a nominated MP and Stephen Masumba as a PF Mufumbwe MP after he resigned from the MMD and subjected to a by election which he won.