Real estate agents promise better service
By CHIKUMBI KATEBE
TEN desktop computers have been donated to schools in Chief Nsokolo’s area in Mbala for the establishment of a digital hub to inspire young people in ICT knowledge.
Making the donation, a senior member of the Royal family of CChief Nsokolo, Pascal Nsokolo said the donation was made under the initiative dubbed Get Mbala Reading which was aimed at building the reading culture among young people in the district.
Mr Nsokolo said the computers should help build interest in young people including those out of school to embrace the role that technology plays in their lives through the main library.
Handing over the 10 computers to Mbala district education board secretary (DEBS) official Kelby Mwape Chizyuka, Mr Nsokolo said the world had evolved into a digital era and emphasised the importance of ICT /digital literacy.
“It is envisioned that the digital hubs will enhance computer skills among school going children and young people in the district, and also help inspire them to embrace the role that technology plays in their lives.
“The second set will be used to initiate Mbala district's own ICT (digital hub) at the local community library,” he said.
Mr Nsokolo, who is based in the United Kingdom acquired the computers with courtesy of Computers4Africa, a UK registered charity working in collaboration with his organisation, Get Mbala Reading initiative.
“At Get Mbala Reading we are deeply committed to raising literacy standards, including ICT/ digital literacy in schools so that every child in the district has the basic literacy skills they need to succeed throughout their education and later in life,” he said.
He said the world had evolved into a digital era and emphasised the importance of children being taught ICT /digital literacy. The hubs and the donated computers will help future generations in this digital age,” he said.
And one of the beneficiaries of the donation, St Mary's College of Education school principal Father Anthony Tambatamba welcomed the initiative to increase ICT to help promote digital literacy in the area. By MUKOSELA KASALWE THE current enhanced training programme for estate agents will ensure that the public gets the highest value estate services, says Zambia Institute of Estate Agents president Logan Nyasulu.
Mr Nyasulu said the institute under its mandatory training was aimed at re-branding estate agency in Zambia and that registered estate agents would undergo training to qualify to practice.
He expressed confidence that the move would ensure that the public received the highest value from estate agents.
In an interview, Mr Nyasulu said significant changes had been made to the training programmes to increase its focus on competence.
Mr Nyasulu said estate agents were not only expected to connect landlords and tenants or vendors and purchasers, but also expected to provide market intelligence among other engagements. “As part of an overall programme to re-brand estate agency in Zambia, ZIEA has recently launched an enhanced training programme for estate agents under its mandatory training,” he said.
Mr Nyasulu said in cases where development projects were involved, estate agents were supposed to provide guidance on the best way to structure such deals so that clients received the best value from their properties.
He said ethics in estate agency practice had become more central to ensure that every estate agent adhered to the basic tenets of ethical conduct.
Mr Nyasulu said the ethical conduct was one of the key parameters that the public could use to distinguish a registered estate agent from a fake one.
He said all registered estate agents go through a rigorous course in ethics which included various case studies and practical situations, all aimed at ensuring that only ethical practices were condoned.
Mr Nyasulu said the public had a choice and that there was no need to subject oneself to the risky practices of fake agents.
He said by restricting all real estate matters to registered estate agents, the public could protect themselves from falling prey to such criminal elements.
Mr Nyasulu said ZIEA was working on establishing a hotline through which any estate agency malpractices could be promptly reported and dealt with.
He said the list of registered estate agents was available on their website www.ziea.org or via telephone request to the ZIEA Secretariat.
Mr Nyasulu warned all those practicing illegally that their days were numbered as the police were actively pursuing illegal agents.