Lusaka, 10th July, 2008, ZANIS- University of Zambia (UNZA) chancellor, Jacob Mwanza has bemoaned the continued brain drain of the lecturing staff at the high institution of learning.
Professor Mwanza said the academic staff have continued to leave the University for Greener Pastures owing t o unattractive conditions of service prevailing at UNZA..
He added that most universities in the country are having difficulties vying for the best research talent because salaries for similar jobs in the industry are higher than those at the higher institutions of learning.
Professor Mwanza said this in Lusaka today during the 38th graduation ceremony of the University of Zambia.
He added that recurring student and staff unrest, inadequate student hostels and funding by government to the institution has continued to impact negatively on the reputation of the university’s operations.
Professor Mwanza explained that there was need to empower the academic staff in order motivate them to fully participate in the affairs of the university.
He added that the lecturers must be rewarded and recognized for their efforts in accordance with their potentialities.
He observed that stability and continuity of the academic calendar is vital if the teaching and research are to be carried un-interrupted at the institution.
“We should work towards replacing strikes, demonstrations and go-slows with dialogue,” Professor Mwanza said.
Speaking earlier, UNZA Vice chancellor, Stephen Simukanga said UNZA management is considering submitting a proposal to government for the increment tuition fees.
Professor Simukanga noted that tuition fees is the major source of income for the institution adding that the current fees were low to sustain the operations of the university.
He also observed that increased student enrolment has lead to over crowding in hostels due to limited accommodation.
Professor Simukanga was however hopeful that the problem of accommodation at the institution would cease once the hostels under construction at the institution are completed.
He urged the graduating students to use the knowledge they have acquired to contribute to the development of the nation.
“Use your qualifications towards improving the Zambian society,” Professor Simukanga said.
[ZANIS]
Turors = Tutors
Thanks #1.
However its time Governemt became the best employers of best graduates from universities. We need to turn our universities into ‘think tanks’. Improve conditions and retain the best brains at universities ……
there is need to improve working conditions for lecturers to stay
#1,YOUR OBSERVATION IS CORRECT,MAY THIS THE NEW WORD ON THE BLOG(TURORS,EH?).IF Dr.MWANZA USED THIS WORD THEN WE ARE IN FOR NEW DISCOVERIES IN THE QUEEN’S VOCABURARY.
i wonder why goverment is bad a employer this forces the foregne investors to take advantege.
#5 …foregne investors to take advantege or …foreign investors to take advantage!!!!!!
Greener Pastures, is the answer man.Look onto this issue and you will never lose your pipo
Kuno niwe ba typing master?
its such a shame that our Government has failed to Maintain one of the biggest and productive UNiversity in the country…i dont blame nobady for leaving…oh well GEorgia state is nice come one come all …..
Education is the key to any country’s success. GRZ wake up and deal with the situation. Patriotism only applies when one can make ends meet. Kabiyeni bane it will be sad to die of hunger after studying for so many year. I can relate to your situation.
Ama infi (pounding at night)when everyone is busy dreaming must produce a good life ecotwila kusukulu bane.
An increase in tuition fees Prof.?hell no!!that’s not a good proposal…if at the time that people consider these fees to be so high,very few can afford and rely on BC…..where will they find money!GRZ should be the major funding institution to UNZA period.that’s our taxi-payers’ cash.much as we appreciate your new ideas but hey!we are impoverished at the moment.
But in a rather surprising change of mind, President Mugabe now says there is one thing he can learn from another person or country.
“I must confess that I am extremely impressed by how the President of Zambia, Mr. Levy Mwanawasa, has not died from a stroke. When the chap collapsed in Egypt, we were all sure he was gone. But many days later, and despite reports to the contrary, he is still alive and kicking. I may not like the man, but that is one thing I can learn from him: how not to die,” Mr. Mugabe told diplomats from China, Micronesia and Nauru in Harare.
Among African leaders, Zambia’s Levy Mwanawasa has been one of the very few critics of President Mugabe. It is therefore assume
Ideally, any university in the world ought to be a center of progress. The most compelling research ought to emanate frm a university. Universities all over the world are always agents of change. Eg USA during vietnam, unza during the pre MMD era,etc…Bad sadly, standards at unza continue to decline. Solution: UNZA should employ experienced business people to run mgt affairs as opposed to the current trend. Leave the lecturers to teach and conduct research as tht is what they knw best (comparative advantage).
At the end of the day..in this world if you have the talent or acumen then someone somewhere will come for you with the right price…the Saudis took the cream of Zambia Airways pilots and they went because the money ws fantastic!!!..even lectureres need to eat
RE: lecturers leaving…I laugh with mirth because I did apply to UNZA for a job but was turned down as I was “not qualified according to the registrer…I have a masters in Demography, Population Policies and Programmes (I am also a NUrse), was teaching at a UK University for 5 years in reproductive Health HIV and AIDS…well I said they should keep the and I am working overseas again…Who has lost?
you my dear!
This is not rocket science, Government pay the lecturers, period and appoint reasonable VCs. Serpell was a waste of time.
zambianz are good for nothing but run their mouths whole day!!!
ya ya ifisungu
“He also observed that increased student enrolment has lead to over crowding in hostels due to limited accommodation”, I quote. I don´t know how the enrolment is carried out, but that´s the problem now in Zed. You want to have a limited number of Students at unza or whatever, qué cojones. Make up more universities so that this won´t be a matter. I will sort out this issue well when I touch motherland.
#4. Which Queen are you referring to? I hope you are not talking about the Queen of the United Kindom, the former colonizer of our country. I would rather we slowly develop our indigenous culture to more proud levels, and treat what is foreign as such. If I make a mistake in an English language usage, I am less ashamed as if made one in my Zambian Lang. Frankly, I care what “The Queen” has to say… Have a great day!
OOOps there you go already “Frankly, I care LESS what “The Queen” has to say..
Learning and hard work are dying arts in Zambia, at least among Zambians. The government no longer values education. They rely on expatriates to do all the skilled work. Zambians are only good for pushing wheel barrows and wielding shovels and spades.
their is no master in english ,chinese gat phd`s , masters, but are horrible in spoken english , manje ife ma zambians we aim kuchila the english.. no direction what so ever look at the jamicans its yah man chabe ….. nizeee
Yah man, me deh ya! I an’ I refuse to bow down to de english and de Queen of England. I an’ I have our own African tongues, you nuh see it? His Majesty, King Selassie I and Christ did speak Amharic and not english. Mek we dweet too… Madhane Alam, Kadamawi kadamawi, Negus Nagast!
#24 i agree with u. most zedians think if some one makes explosives or ifipata muka limi ninshi tasambilila yet english doesnt take them any where except saying ex say.
we need to be proud of local languages before we even think of english.
queen nabani?Ukokwine ku lodon.Kuno ni zee Na ze bige kumulu alishiba.
The problems of UNZA today are a result of lack of vision by our leaders. How many students have graduated since UNZA was established? and how much money has government paid in student bursaries? If there was an established system to recover the money and reinvest in the institution,like in other countries, UNZA would have been a top university.
#27 wansekesha ati na ze bige kumulu alishiba.
i think English shud be only used for communication purposes not to determine some ones future at grade 7, 9 and 12. if u fail akalimi, ninshi chamyanga yewe.
…..people please make me presido and all these problems will go away. I promise!!!
#28, they know all this, but simply do not feel accountable to anyone, if when I am sick I am guaranteed an evacuation, why would I bother about the health care system, if I know Government by being Minister of Education, can pay for my children to go university in RSA, why would I bother about making UNZA a top class university, the issue here is that we should make poltical positions as unattractive as possible so that only people interested in service should enter politics.
Guys, Lets consider this carefully, the VP is Rupiah Banda, the head of UNZA is Prof Mwanza, the chief justice is Mr. E Sakala, the head of the secret service is Regis Phiri, Anti corruption commision head is Mr. Nixon Banda.
I’m sure someone can help me to expand this list…..
I think key public positions in government should be equally distributed across the country not whereby some people dominate certain key positions as though its there birthright alone. Its share and be equal.
Let them go, there many more intelligent graduates just waiting for a chance to lecture at UNZA. Greedy ba~@$£ds, theres no way their salary scales will be as good as their contemporaries in well to do countries, we are not yet there, at least no for now. If i may ask, how much do UNZA lecturers as compred to other civil servants? Whatever ever happenned to patriotism, please let the selfish maroons go, UNZA is bigger than them scams.
#33. You are such an *****. Who will teach your children if they go. I wonder if u have even passed through UNZA. Its not a matter of comparing salaries outside zambia but its a matter of survival. Just look at how things have gone up in the country. You want a lecturer to be selling tomato to survive. You should think before you put your useless comment on the blog.
#1. It shows how unserious some people are in what they do. Just because someone is rushing to go and see the prostitute, he will even fail to do spell check.
#34 Iwe ci Monk, no wonder you’re impotent. The fact is a UNZA lecturer is paid a living wage as compared to an average civil servant. Get real iwe ci Monko Govermnent can only pay so much. Personally i would be happy to see our hard working lecturers get ten fold what they are getting today but thats not the case because as i said we ‘re not yet there as counntry, economically. I asked a question, how much do lecturers get? then tell me how much doctors, nurses and teachers get.
#34 Very ignorant, its not everyone who will pass through UNZA. Mind you, theres CBU, ZCAS, HONE, Chingola school of accountants(now ZAMIM) etc. Graduates from other good institutions of learning do just as fine even better in the industry. stuffed head!
UNZA has a shortage of Lecturers not Tutors. A person with a Bachelors degree (Merit+) can be a tutor but he/she can only be a lecturer after acquiring a Masters degree.
Let them go so that the unemployed qualified can take over those jobs. Let us Zambians be serious with the UNZA.
#37 thats correct!! The chaps in zed think that, for some one to be some one out there, they have to pass through UNZA, THAT’S VERY wrong. It all depends on an individual. There some guys who’ve been at UNZA but fail to compete with those from ZAMIM in society.
If UNZA can fail to pay retired lecturers,retrenchees, terminal benefits,students meal and book allowance,they must be joking. people do what needs to be done to survive & if that means leaving then leave. greener pastures will always be there & UNZA seems to be failing to compete in many aspects…… sad that LPM & his government (many former UNZA students) dont seem to think twice about the institution. shameful.
Mind you I am a lecturer at UNZA and just came for studies out here abroad.
spain won this years euro cup