By Macpherson Mutale
The problems of the University of Zambia are not new neither are they petty as some people might think.
The UNZA problems are both political and structural. If we don’t solve them as such, we will continue with garbage in garbage out.
My sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family of the future president we lost so needlessly.
They speak both to the failure in political leadership as well as institutional capacity. The university of Zambia has dilapidated infrastructure and a very demoralized staff.
The only thing keeping the university afloat is the name and past glory.
The university is not fully grant aided as most people would want you to think. The grant is a paltry 30% of the university requirements.
That means on a monthly basis the university management has to find money to meet the remaining 70% for staff salaries and administration. That is not a mean job for a non profit making institution.
So to give you the picture.
Unza over-enroll students mostly on self sponsorship so as to raise resources to cater for what the govt can’t give it.
Today you will be surprised that students at the highest learning institution attend to lectures by standing in the corridors and listening to the lecturer through the window.
It might sound like an exaggeration but it’s the reality on the ground. A lecture theatre that is ordinarily suppose to accommodate 30-40 student has over 80 students.
Lecturers are made to teach over 100 students in these unhygienic environments for days on end. Imagine marking 132 student scripts for assignments, tests and exams.
The ablution blocks at Humanities for example are never operational. Students have either to go to the library or hostels to relieve themselves.
The accommodation situation is known and well documented. But I just want you to imagine taking turns to sleep because you can’t afford the expensive boarding houses. Students endure the most horrible conditions on a daily basis.
That could explain why when they graduate they don’t want to have anything to do with UNZA. They don’t want to relive the ordeal over again.
UNZA students are amongst the most hardworking students in the world. The conditions they are subjected to are horrific.
UNZA students go to flourish whenever they go out there and are mostly A+ students in other universities and most graduate Cum Laude. You ask why they can’t fix simple things as the sewer system, the health care system and others?
Well our problems are structural and political. We need smart politicians and to build structural capacities for us to turn this country around.
When they go to places were leaders appreciate and respect academics and were structural issues have been sorted, the same lecturers and researchers you insult that they can’t even produce a sewer system become so productive and pillars.
UNZA lecturers have no time for research because they spend their time day and night attending to the abnormal number of students.
The lecturers are lowly paid and most times paid late making them not credit worth. All banks don’t want to lend to UNZA employees because their salaries have no fixed date. They can’t do capital projects because they have to rely on the month to month pay.
Those who were on contract have never gotten their moneys immediately the contract ends. For example, since November 2010 people have not been paid their gratuity and pensions for those who have retired.
How do you expect such people to be motivated and give their best? Some have retired and died with depression because it’s hard to cope out there.
As we speak just like the students, teachers and other civil servants, lecturers are still waiting for their September salaries.
We need to clean up this system. It is a national problem. It’s both political as well as structural.
Otherwise we are bound to continue producing frustrated people who ultimately do not contribute to the betterment of society.
Once again condolences to the future leader we have lost and we should all feel ashamed that we have taken the life an innocent soul because of our collective failure to sort out our mess.
May God rest her soul.
The author is the Station Manager at UNZA Radio
Well said.
But when a young, bright student dies in such tragic events, and you ask for comment from the President and the best he has is “Chimbwi ukunya infwi”, you know your country has no hope, unless God intervenes. No condolences to the bereaved family, no expression of sorrow. Just a hyena and it’s faeces. Mukose mwebena Zambia. You will all die like flies and you president will just take another foreign trip and say nothing. Then when asked by journalists, he will just refer to another obscene saying. He doesn’t care about what happens to anyone. Why would he? He’s living the life. A challenger her, lots of money, and a host of bootlicker ready to sing his praise. Why should he care if you die?
PF cadres always say, development can only come to an area if they vote for the ruling party, last elections pf lost at both cbu and unza, could this be the reason why they have neglected these higher institutions of learning?
Funding universities is not what it seems. It can be ideologically divisive. It can be a spark that ignites political battles instead of peace. The best approach to funding is one that works based on context and text. For instance, private universities works as long as bank loans are guaranteed by Government. The public university started with 100% Government funding. To resort to that funding policy would be suicidal unless some universities are offloaded. The offloading can take the form of privatization. The offloading can also take the form of PPP. The PPP is suitable for certain universities. But total PPP does seem feasible under certain conditions.
Very well written, McPherson. On the political front, I see the problem arising from the fact that our (so-called) politicians have no idea when it is time to play politics and when it is time to stop. Being empathetic or sympathetic does not require political gimmicks and idioms; it just requires you to be basically human and humane. Understanding that having survived UNZA in a very inhuman situation and now you are in leadership is a call to arms: Some of our so-called leaders can easily relate and improve universities based on their own experiences – to make it better! Nanga kansi ma voti wanayatengela cani kodi!??? Ku lemela basi bati kupanda ncito ndi pindu!???
Great article. Any idea when we will see the benefits of the East Park Mall for the University?
Well articulated. Unza has alot of problems that require serious attention. If government really value education, then its time they took the problems facing unza as a matter of urgency.
HH is a traitor of Zambia and time will tell that he will NEVER amount to what he wants.