MMD Mwandi member of parliament Michael Kaingu says the behaviour of the Zambia Institute for Advanced Legal Education (ZIALE) is unscrupulous.
Making a contribution when Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) appeared before the parliamentary committee on legal affairs yesterday, Kaingu said the low pass rate that ZIALE continued to record defied all logic.
“But what is also clear is that the way your college behaves is unscrupulous. If a person passes eight subjects but he fails two; he attempts those two and he passes one, then you ask that person to choose from what he has passed and re-sit that also; and he must pay K500,000 (KR500), that is unscrupulous,” he said.
“LAZ president, if we were to take you to ZIALE today it is very clear that if you sit for that examination you will fail. So, you can’t ask somebody to sit for what he has already passed; it’s unscrupulous. It’s unscrupulous in the sense that you are cheating that person out of money, and you are cheating that person also out of time.”
Kaingu said the low pass rate and the way examinations were being conducted at ZIALE was causing wide public concern.
“And even the style of marking, it’s not explicit; it’s what we call phenomenology. You just look at the faces and say this one can pass, this one can fail. And you don’t even indicate how that person has failed or has passed, you just give a pass. If your pass mark is 50 per cent, your student must know that,” said Kaingu.
And Kabwe Central PF member of parliament James Kapyanga told LAZ president James Banda, who appeared with other council members, George Chisanga and Bubile Mupeso, that some witnesses who had appeared before the committee suspected a cartel by some ZIALE lecturers with vested interests.
But when Banda asked Kapyanga to clarify on vested interests, committee acting chairperson Chinga Miyutu chipped in and reminded him that they were there to find a cure to the problems at the institution.
Asked by Kaingu if LAZ had any control over ZIALE, Banda said the legal body had a representative on the board.
And LAZ submitted that ZIALE expands offices to all provincial centres where course work can be offered.
The Association also submitted that an accreditation committee be operationalised at ZIALE so that it could be issuing guidelines.
The Zambian Open University (ZAOU) last week also called on the government to institute an inquiry into the high number of law students failing at ZIALE.
ZAOU made the request through its submissions to the parliamentary committee on legal affairs, governance, human rights, gender matters and child affairs.
ZAOU vice chancellor Dickson Mwansa said it was unacceptable and shocking that only eight out of 143 students passed the 2010/2011 examinations.
Of the 164 students who sat for the 2011/2012 examinations, only six passed.
Professor Mwansa told the committee that it is a waste of resources that such a high number of students fail at ZIALE.
And UNZA School of Law acting dean, a Mr Mudenda last Wednesday said there was no basis for ZIALE to continue imposing a five-year ban on students that fail to pass examinations on third attempt.
Appearing before the parliamentary committee on legal affairs chaired by Monze member of parliament Jack Mwiimbu, Mudenda said students should be allowed to repeat after failing so long they paid required fees.
“We don’t see the rational basis for the five-year ban and we also don’t see any rational basis of subjecting students to re-write two courses after passing nine courses…” Mudenda said.
Another lecturer Chipo Nkhata said there was need to have a more transparent system of assessment at ZIALE.
Kaingu: ZIALE’s Behaviour Is Unscrupulous added by on
View all posts by →
Leave ZIALE alone. Go and disclpline ur daughter!!!
Shut up and discipline your spouse!!
Wow!i could not finish reading the article,i initially thought he was talking about iris’s ZCAS.
All you above could PF. it is the only party with people that cant contribute to professional situations. whenever the topic involves professionalism you would rather divert to mediocricy.
You shall see them by their deeds!!!
This is an interesting topic and people must be non political and discuss the matter as it. The fact is ZIALE is a public instituttion and must operate as such and more importantly it has to be transparent.
Mr Kaingu is talking sense.
Ba Kaingu just know that mailo nalitomba Iris.
hi hi hi !
Every institution has standards that should be attained by people passing through it. For some of us who have managed to pass the ZIALE exams and consequently admitted to the Bar, we would say that ZIALE has set very high standards. The only problem is the quality of students that are coming from the so called Universities!
I graduated from UNZA and i managed to pass the bar exams at ZIALE on the first attempt! These chaps who are coming from questionable Universities are not adquately prepared and they do not posses the necessary decorams to be called Counsels!
tru d@t. kujoba fye ifi fintu. its the same thing that happens at medical sku. u fail one you repeat all. those are just standards. let them join banks and work as tellers then.
@Munyero Pweto thats wishiful thinking whic ZIALE or UNZA did u pass thru?We know yor record……
@SEKA UPONOKE
The Holy Bible is very explicite about fools like you and it categorically states that, ‘when a fool opens his mouth, he is asking for a beating’! To the contrary, when a wise person like Hon. Munyelo Pwete opens his mouth, every one becomes attentive and listens with ultmost curiosity!
My friend, you sound as if you are one of these useless law graduates from questionable universities and trying to get admiteed to the bar but to no avail! Moreover, you sound as if you are even de bared for 5 years! Hard luck mwana and keep on trying!
@ Munyelo Pwete even just from your name, it tells a lot about the calibre of the person. Who choses such name and even claim that you have passed ZIALE. The fact of the matter how can you only have 8 people graduating out of 143. There surely must be something wrong with examiners and the way the institution is being run.
Some people are very dull and one of them is Munyelo Pwete. These so called questionable Universities you purport to talk about have just sent students to ZIALE for three year and the only University which was sending students was UNZA and so many people are on the 5 year ban so talking about other Universities now as an excuse is a lack serious thinking and been deceitful be real and sort out the problem at ZIALE.
He is right and as a law student it worries me.
Now this is what is bad about cheap internate coz even the very dull idiots have a chance to comment. Can someone help me, how does Iris come in here? Are you happy that ziale has continoued stealing money over years from students and no one has been able to talk on behalf of those poor students?
Kabudula you should grow up ,from today onwards start talking about things that demands sense.i gues you are an alderly man,your words are so stupid and ask your brain to get matured its never too late, We are not talking about Iris here ,Mr Kaingu’s words are very very correct,there is no way you can be asked to sit for somethng you had cleared already,thats nonses,what Ziale Chairman is doing is a deep peace of fieces.they should be transparent in the manner they run their Board.Mr Kaingu you are very correct and you have my 100% Support sir
munyelo pwete waba itole chikala
Being intelligent is far from being wise.
Universities !
We need more lawyers so that the supply of lawyers outsrips demand for legal services for legal fees to come down.
MUNYELO PWELE, IF YOU ARE REALLY A LAW GRADUATE STUDENT, THEN WHOEVER TAUGHT MUST BE SICK LIKE U. YOU REALLY SOUND FOOLISH AND STUPID AS YOUR NAME SUGGESTS. GO BACK TO NURSERY SCHOOL AND LEARN TO HAVE EVEN BAD MANNERS