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{
    "id": 767107,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/767107/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 97,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wako",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 366,
        "legal_name": "Amos Sitswila Wako",
        "slug": "amos-wako"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. This is an important Petition and I agree with my colleagues who have supported it. It should be referred to the relevant Committee for in-depth study and recommendations to this House. In our days, the university was a real university. I regret to say that now universities have become the high schools of our days. The many strikes that have bedeviled the universities do not just involve members of staff who have genuine grievances, but also the students. We saw some of them threatening that they will go on hunger strike in support of the lecturers. I came to learn over the weekend that these strikes affect those who went to universities through the normal channels, that is, they qualified highly and were admitted to the universities. In some universities the strikes do not affect the parallel students who continue with their studies and even sit for their examinations. We know that the parallel students did not qualify or pass as well as those who are admitted through the normal way. So, we are now creating a paradox where the bright students, who mostly come from poor families, are affected while the lesser bright students who come from well-off families that can afford to pay for parallel degree courses benefit. Mr. Speaker, Sir, as I support this Petition, I wish there was a way in which we can also expand on the petitions that come to this House. In the last four years we have had many strikes involving professionals like doctors, nurses, teachers and many people have died in the process. The public service, which is supposed to provide services to the people, almost ground to a halt and people were not benefitting. Even where Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) had been agreed, like with the universities, some are being paid and some are not. We wonder what is happening. In regard to some CBAs, like the one I know involving the governors, it was said that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) had not approved. I wonder how The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}