Speech of Programme Manager Esther Bouma at the Validation Workshop of the Social Protection Curriculum Development Process in Zambia

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services, Ms Pamela Chibomba

The Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor Felix Masiye

Her Excellency the Ambassador of Finland, Ms. Pirjo Suomela Chowdhury

Professors and Lecturers of the University of Zambia and other research and teaching institutions

Representatives of different ministries, civil society organisations, Cooperating Partners,

Students, Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning

I am extremely pleased to be here today at this workshop to validate not only the curriculum for a new Bachelor of Arts in Social Policy Design and Administration, but also the curriculum for a new Master of Arts in Social Protection Management.

I am extremely pleased for two reasons:

Firstly, I hold a Master’s Degree in Sociology – and being here today brings back happy memories of my time at university – and as we are amongst ourselves – it highlights the importance and relevance of social sciences in every aspect of life

Secondly, the development of the curricula is a concrete deliverable of the Social Protection Systems programme funded by the European Union and Finland. We are pleased to be part of this process. We appreciate that today’s event is the result of the hard work of a group of experts in social protection of the University of Zambia, but also with inputs from many different European social policy experts and the feedback from the TRANSFORM project – also funded by the European Union and Finland.

Before congratulating you for reaching this stage, I would like to ask you the following: Why do we need university degrees in social protection in Zambia?

Let’s first look at social protection itself

Running the risk of preaching for the converted, I think we all recognize that social protection is a powerful tool for the reduction of poverty and inequality, contributing to inclusive economic growth, and to increasing gender equality and women’s empowerment. From childhood until retirement, social policies are important in all stages of our life.  We do know that investment in social protection will have a direct impact on the available income at household level, and that it also has huge indirect impact on the realisation of a range of health, nutrition, education and employment outcomes.

This positive view on social protection and the interlinkage with economic growth is also shared by the former President of the European Commission, Mr. José Manuel Barroso, when in 2012 he said the following:

“Yes, we need to reform our economies and modernise our social protection systems. But an effective social protection system that helps those in need is not an obstacle to prosperity. It is indeed an indispensable element of it. Indeed, it is precisely those European countries with the most effective social protection systems and with the most developed social partnerships, that are among the most successful and competitive economies in the world”

Many different and competing conceptual frameworks and definitions of social protection have been developed over the years, depending on institutional priorities and historical trajectories, and all influence the design and implementation of social protection systems. We all are aligned under the Sustainable Development Goal Target 1.3, which strives to implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.

Each state defines its own social minimums and its own standards regarding coverage and benefit size. However, in order to do this effectively and efficiently, each country needs social protection experts to assist with these complex policy decisions – at different administrative levels within government but also in the private sector and within civil society.

So the importance of understanding the complexities of the design and management of a social protection system are clear. What we need are trained and educated social protection experts.

Why do we need social protection experts here in Zambia?

A country’s choice of its specific social protection system needs to reflect its social, economic and policy context. It needs to be tailor-made to address the realities within the specific country setting, and – for reasons of continuity and sustainability - it equally needs to be based on domestic funding and the ability to raise tax revenues or mobilise contributions rather than rely on debt or donor finance. Countries differ in the specific needs of their populations and in the available resources to finance a social protection system.

In Zambia’s case, Zambia is faced with an extremely young population, with high levels of poverty, and with large informal labour market.  Zambia has made and will have to make difficult policy decisions based on its own domestic resources on the type and size of benefits to be allocated to the population, to decide for universal coverage or for targeted coverage.

I believe that social policy responses and social protection systems need to be focused more than ever on integrated, comprehensive and inclusive social protection approaches that cut across health, education, livelihoods, care and social protection. I am aware that the Zambian government is already looking into options how to move into a Social Cash+-approach, combining cash transfers with education, care, health and nutrition services.

Based on the above, we need social protection experts based here in Zambia, closely following from inside and outside government the challenges in designing and implementing a Zambian social protection system.

Now that we have dealt with the importance of social protection itself, and the importance of having this expertise readily available in Zambia, we now come to the final question:

Why a university degree?

I quote Martin Luther King who said: “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.” I believe that Martin Luther King is right. I believe that it is extremely important to think intensively and critically about social policy and social protection for a couple of years – especially within a conducive and stimulating university setting. A student will have considerable time to deepen his or her understanding about social policy and social protection, to understand the different social theories and concepts and policy implications, and to make up his or her own mind about positive and negative interventions and their potential impacts on society.

The University should allow, and even actively stimulate students to develop critical and out-of-the box thinking, and allow and stimulate that students question why the things are the way they are, and to tach them to have investigative minds to discover what works and what does not. This time of reflection about social policy and social protection - if well supported by the University itself – can lead to change and innovation – these are exciting times, ladies and gentlemen.

To summarize, for now and in the future Zambia will need to have social protection experts who understand design and implementation of social protection systems, and who are not afraid to think out-of-the box to improve or adjust Zambia’s system.

Therefore, on behalf of the European Union I congratulate the University of Zambia with the design of the curricula of the Bachelor of social policy and the Master of social protection. I wish you fruitful deliberation today as well as a speedy start of the actual enrolment of students for these programmes, so that we together can make a real change in the social protection, especially of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups of the Zambian society.

I like to close with a quote from President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his second inaugural address in 1937 as the president of the United States of America. He said:

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little”