College, NGT seal MoU on Girl-child
NEW Generation Time (NGT) and Resalu College signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Lusaka yesterday aimed at curbing early marriages among girl-children.
Speaking at the ceremony, Kabwata ward councilor Longa Chiboboka said government attached great importance to the education of the girl child, describing the MoU as progressive in the fight against early marriages.
Mr Chiboboka commended NGT and Resalu College for their initiative to come up with the MoU which would help to reduce early marriages by helping the girl-child complete tertiary education.
Under the MoU, orphaned students who have no one to support them at college, will enjoy 100% sponsorship, with the college and NGT paying 50% each for the school fees. Orphans who have relatives able to support them, will enjoy a 50% discount.
“When you educate a girl, you have educated the whole nation and that is why the government attaches great importance to the education of the girl child.
‘’It is a joy for me as a civic leader, we support such initiatives and we are happy that NGT is on board. We need more young people with such minds to have solutions to some of these challenges in the country,” Mr Chiboboka said.
He also said it was important that solutions were found within communities to curb early marriages
He said it would be good if many young girls were advised to go back to school and be empowered through education.
And NGT director Moses Silungwe said the partnership between the two institutions was not only focusing on stopping early marriages but also taking the girl child back to school.
Mr Silungwe said taking the girl child back to school provided the child with long time opportunities for the development of the country and appealed to well-wishers who wanted to donate for the noble cause to do so as the funds would enable train the girl children and improve their living standards.
Meanwhile, Resalu College director Samuel Zulu said through the MoU, the college would train a girl child into a qualified registered nurse or clinical officer at 50 percent discount.