UoA, ZUGAW SIGN LEARNING CONSENT
THE University of Africa (UoA) has signed an agreement with the Zambia Union of Government and Allied Workers (ZUGAW) to empower the latter’s members with easy access to education at the institute.
ZUGAW secretary general John Nsululu announced in Lusaka that under the agreement, ZUGAW members would access education programs at the university at lower fees, in addition to the 50 percent bursary that the union provided to its members.
Mr. Nsululu said the agreement underscored the importance of education and skills development in empowering workers.
“The Zambian economy has three vibrant sectors- the public, private and informal sector. The public sector is the dominant and major employer, accounting for the majority of union members in the country,” Mr. Nsululu said.
He said the agreement was mooted to espouse education and skills development as one of the key outcomes of the Seventh National Development Plan.
“Significantly, this also speaks to improving the welfare of our union members as they are able to earn decent wages and access better opportunities,” he said.
And UoA management representative Tobias Doyer said: “Empowering people through education is the motto that drives us as the university and informs our decisions. Therefore, this landmark agreement will advance the ability of workers to maintain a central role in the workplace, within an increasingly changing labour market.”
He noted that workers, who are economic drivers, could improve the economy when they were skilled and kept abreast with technology development.
Dr Doyer said in a statement that UoA provided an environment where the rank and file of ZUGAW members acquired skills that met their varied needs without major interruptions to the demands of their jobs. UoA is a private open distance learning tertiary institution based in Lusaka.