PRESS STATEMENT
17/03/2021
GRADE 12 CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENT FOR ASPIRING CANDIDATES IS DISCRIMINATORY ……RAINBOW PARTY
As Rainbow party, we find the grade 12 certificate or equivalent clause requirement for aspiring candidates discriminatory and unnecessary. Hence, we demand the immediate scrapping off of this clause from the constitution so that we can provide a level playing field for every Zambian and stop the unnecessary debates in the country.
As a party, we believe that every Zambian should have the right to stand on any position of our national leadership whether that person has got grade 12 certificate or not.In any case grade 12 qualification should be an added advantage to the one standing against the non holder of grade 12.The choice of leadership should be left to the voters and not using discriminatory laws to bar others from competing. The voters should be in the position to choose between a grade 12 certificate holder and a non certificate holder.
Grade 12 qualifications is not one of the leadership qualities.Leadership is about wisdom and influencing the people towards a meaningful development that uplift the living standard of people. What is fun about this clause is that we want an aspiring candidate to have a grade 12 certificate while a voter should be unqualified. What kind of reasoning is this?
Maybe it could have made sense if we had crafted it in such a way that even a voter should have a grade 12 certificate.
Even at a place of work during recruitment of staff. ..the people that interview recruits are people that have more qualifications/work experience than that person being recruited.
As a party, we want to reiterate our earlier position that the current constitution has got a number of flaws that calls for the constitution amendments document if we are to avoid unnecessary debates and court cases based on the constitution interpretation.
Humphrey Kabwe
Deputy National spokesman
Rainbow party
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