Friday, March 29, 2024

Who is Responsible for Paying Salaries for UNZA Lecturers?

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By Antonio Mwanza

Every time there is a salary delay at UNZA, everyone blames Government. But, is it the responsibility of the Government to pay salaries to UNZA lecturers?

HERE ARE THE FACTS

The University of Zambia, just like any other university in Zambia is established by the Higher Education Authority Act.

According to the Act, it is the duty of the University Council and NOT Government to pay salaries and emoluments to all university employees, lecturers inclusive.

The government’s responsibility is to provide a grant to the university which is appropriated by Parliament. It is up to the University Council to decide how that grant must be used.

The Act clearly explains whose responsibility it is to fundraise and pay salaries to UNZA employees and I quote:

“Financial Provisions

(1) The funds of a public higher education institution shall consist of such money as may— (a) be appropriated by Parliament for its purpose; (b) be paid to the public higher education institution by way of fees, subscriptions, contributions, grants or donations; and (c) otherwise vest in, or accrue to, the public higher education institution.

(2) A public higher education institution may, with the approval of the Minister, accept money by way of grants or donations from any source in or outside Zambia.

(3) A public higher education institution may borrow, by way of loan or otherwise, such sums as it may require for meeting its obligations and discharging its functions under this Act

(4) There shall be paid from the funds of a public higher education institution—(a) money necessary for the performance of its functions under this Act; (b) the salaries, allowances, and loans for its employees.

(6) A public higher education institution may, with the approval of the Minister, invest in such manner as it may determine, any of its funds which it does not immediately require for the performance of its functions.”

THIS IS THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN GIVING TO UNZA

  1. The government gives UNZA K34 MILLION every month as a grant.
  2. The government gives UNZA K12 MILLION every year for Research and Development.
  3. The government gives UNZA K5 MILLION every year to pay retirees
  4. The government has approved a loan of K200 MILLION for UNZA to clear all its retirees who retired from 2011 to 2017.

APART FROM GOVERNMENT FINANCING, WHAT OTHER FINANCIAL STREAMS DOES UNZA HAVE

UNZA has the largest number of students than any other higher learning institution in this country. Even when you remove the number of students on Government sponsorship, still the number of students on self sponsorship at UNZA far out-number the number of students at any other university or college in this country. Besides UNZA is amongst the most expensive schools in Zambia, meaning that UNZA is making a killing out of Tuition and Examinations Fees alone that they are charging students.

UNZA has largely three streams of students:

a) Regular students
b) Distance Students and
c) Parallel Students, of course, we may include the Part-Time ones.

UNZA has land, farms, nurseries as well as a human resource which it can use as sources of additional revenue.

How much is UNZA getting from Tuition and Examination Fees, East Park Mall, Liempe Farms, UNZA nursery, and all other farms and properties that it has?

I won’t go into the details of how UNZA is being managed or is it mismanaged. For now, I will end here.

The Author is Antonio Mwanza, former member of the University of Zambia Council and former President of the University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU)

43 COMMENTS

  1. When you want to justify the unjustifiable. Antonio should have just kept quite than showing such blatant ignorance.
    1. He talks of 34million grant when that is roughly the total wage bill for unza. Gov gives a paltry 15million as grant.
    2. He talks of 12million grant. Where was it ever given? There is no research grant from government to unza.
    3. 5million for retirees in his dreams.
    4. He deliberately choose not to mention the two lecture theaters being constructed from East park proceeds and seems to be ignorant of how much is coming from East park.

    Anyway let me stop here because this shear ignorance of unza is beyond comprehension.

    • I don’t think the vice chancellor is a business Manager. He is an academic. Perhaps he must employ a registrar with an MBA.
      This guy makes it look like Unza is out to make profits. It’s not its priority. He also makes it look like unza is extorting money from students when he says UNZA is making a killing out of Tuition and Examinations Fees alone that they are charging students.
      Unza does not target for its profits students fees.

  2. From the article, we can safely say that UNZA is far much better placed in terms of financial independence than any other private higher learning institution in the country. I fail to understand therefore why UNZA is failing to meet its financial obligations when a university like Lusaka university can be seen to be running far much more smoothly than UNZA with such gigantic financial resources.

    • Lazy unza doc sishuwa must be put to productive position at UNZA so that he can spend time contributing to quick salary flow monthly. Isn’t the UNZA mall working as well?
      What then is the roll of UNZARALU or UNZALARU at UNZA apart from representing workers. Why do they blame Government? I don’t get it, at least after this Anthonio Mwanza narration. I smell serious mismanagement. They need serious audit.

    • The case of “In the eminent presence of water, the f00l is thirsty”.
      Interesting.

      Any response?

    • To much lazines. Can a Unza Management fail to pay salaries with all that cash inflow?
      Does government give UNZA K34 MILLION every month as a grant timely?
      What is the current Unza wage bill? It’s needless to delay salaries if money is available. More Qs than As.

    • Spot on ba Sichula. There is need for UNZA to really do a serious self introspection. We know that they have done enough bench marking with other viable and financially sound institutions. What they need to do is implement what aught to be done. Their professors must bring in the much needed research funding to support the university.

    • This story is one sided.
      If antonio is Government’s voice here, then government is blaming unza for mismanagement, right?

  3. Its not your role Mr Mwanza to defend government nor it is to talk about government policy. Stick party matter only!!!

    • But this understanding is important. It will help the university to operate like any other viable university. People cannot burry their heads in the sand and let things deteriorate to this level. Lecturers are also responsible for sourcing research funding.

  4. Quite interesting…. Food for thought… People should be thinking, not crying out to government in all things, even intellectuals sure.. Zambians need to change their mind sets….Kaunda days are long gone…We need to up our game, not just crying out loud on the terraces with folded arms…always blaming and looking up to “somebody” for our problems….

  5. Important Addendum to Antonio Mwanza’s credentials:…… Deputy Director, PF Media. This is a very important omission because whatever the media deputy director and director write is biased, twisted, slanted in favour of PF, just like what Prof Muna Ndulo and Professor Hansungule write is deliberately twisted to Trible UPND, or the childish biased reasoning of UNZA Academics. Would Antonio take such a position if he were still spokesperson for FDD? Absolutely NOT!!!

    Coming back to his question, “who is responsible for paying salaries for UNZA Lecturers, staff and cleaners”. Mr Antonio has correctly quoted constitutional provisions. But in reality who controls and “directs UNZA? Can UNZA set its tuition fees independently of government? Is it true that Government has been…

  6. Cont’d……Is it true that Government has been regularly meeting its financial obligations by giving what is due to UNZA regularlarly if at all? Does anyone need to be a rocket scientist to see that the government Grant forms a large proportion of sources of funds for UNZA? If it were really possible for UNZA to raise its own funds for operations would government want to fiund it?
    In typical PF style and cadre mentality, and in line with who pays his salary which incidentally comes on time, Mr Antonio quotes the constitution which clearly PF has not respected and denies that government is in a financial crisis.
    To answer his question therefore, Zambians say:
    Antonio, dont be dumb, you are supposed to reason like a graduate not a kaponya, or worse, PF cadre!

  7. This is a good expose’ and perhaps the beginning of what UNZA needs to be considering very very seriously. Universities by nature are centres of excellency and aught to be in the fore front to manage their abundant resources such as human and land. It is inconceivable that UNZA a premier learning institution in a largely Agricultural country and with vast tracts of Land can fail to provide adequately agricultural products to raise financial resources to manage most of its financial obligations.!!

  8. Antonio is believable.
    Can LT bring us a reaction from UNZA administration.
    I want to know if Government should be off the blame hook as regards UNZA Salaries.
    Does the University Union think UNZA management is actually Government?
    Is the base of the article also the case for CBU?

  9. They might as well just be a business rather than a learning institution. Most learning institutions are funded by governments and the other financial streams should be there to supplement revenues and not as the main means of funding.
    What is the role of government then? Paying politicians and getting hefty allowances for gallivanting and to pay for endless bye elections?
    Taxpayers money is supposed to be invested in areas such as education and not just for politicians.
    Education is never cheap, academicians should spend time between teaching and research and not just running business to fund salaries as this will take away focus from their main role of teaching.

    • Times have changed. Govt must fund institutions of learning to help them stand on their feet. Sustainability is the issues. Govts by nature have a lot of competing financial needs and not only salaries of politicians. What we are saying is that the institutions that receive financial support from Govt must not be bottomless pits, there must be a level of sustainability.

  10. Suggestion: UNZA with so much land could just open up it lands and produce more maize and meal it for export to countries such as DRC, of course with special consent from Govt. The students would have hands on experience on their production farms. In a nutshell UNZA needs to be doing much more on its part to supplement its other financial sources. UNZA needs to bench mark with some top South African Univerties that have huge financial reserves and see how they attract funding besides the Govt grants and student fees.

  11. All the loud mouthed lecturers at unza must focus on how they provide solutions to make unza sustainable and not fighting government. It’s clear government is doing its part. Let unza and all their lecturers do their part. Zikomo.

  12. So that UNZALARU lecturer who insulted majority of the Zambians for rejecting sadist HH and the UPND he’s also into group think mentality of Boma ilanganepo syndrome… We shall see if the majority of the Zambians in 6.5provinces who will vote for PF and he called them danderheads if the votes from them do not count….

  13. It depends on who is paying Mwanza,s rent, let him be in the opposition next year, he will change the statement. Politicians are shameless pathological lairs

  14. Antonio is a very wise man who can not fall for the cheap upnd propaganda. Even my young daughter knows that upnd are full of faeces. The upnd will blame pf for everything. Even climate change. That is why they will lose in 2021. They are very childish and act like baby hyenas. Meanwhile the pf will still win in 2021. In fact I am so confident that I pledge to give upnd 3000 of our votes and also to run naked from arcades to mandahill. If upnd are confident of a win can hh pledge to do the same? Kz

  15. Can we have the story from UNZA management ……..

    Mwanza seems to have laid it all bare, and if this is a case of incompetence by UNZA management , GRZ should get together a task force of competent managers to sort out UNZA cash flows once and for all.

    Unrest at UNZA boaders on matters of national security.

  16. Antonio is a narcissistic demagogue. He issued an entirely contradictory statement when he was in FDD..During one radio show a called challenged him by reading his statement when he was FDD. He was caught flat footed. UNZA managers are being baited to contradict Mwsnza and if they do so PF will call them ungrateful and if they don’t shallow minds will believe this B’s.

  17. Africans are laze people in particular Zambian s with all this load
    Shading shortages of meal meal in DRC .everything for a black man is rocket science? Even the so called educated. It’s bomaiyakangnipo
    Stupid isn’t it.

  18. I was mesmerized by the ingenuity of the Israelis, when it came to turning their desert land from barren to a fertile agricultural land that does not only supply fruits, vegetables & a plethora of other products to its citizens and export some to other countries. Here is a country that believes in subduing the earth and making what seems impossible possible. Why is it that we Africans always look up to Governments to solve our problems.The Government cannot do everything for us.Resting on one’s laurels & expect Government to do everything for you won’t help us.

  19. Antonio as usual is talking from his butt hole. Are we to argue that our intellectuals managing UNZA are that thick and a simple degree holder in the name Pf Deputy Director is more knowledgeable? UNZA has always operated with the boundaries imbedded within the realms of governance, government. The one who pays teachers from Kabukonga boys sec school is the same person or department that pays the lecturers at Hone College. The stratification is simply higher education and secondary school. UNZA is not different!! UNZA does not operate independently to the extent of using money it generates. This money is remitted to government. Start from thre and do not let this ka degree holder mislead you.

  20. Mwanza’s little education is dangerous. UNZA is not a business entity. Its primary objective is education. Education is not all that cheap to provide.What the government contributes is just a drop in the ocean. It is not even enough for electricity and water. For example, public US universities and colleges charge high tuition and fees, yet they still receive funds from their respective states to supply the tuition and fees. In addition, professors compete for grants from the Federal governments as well as private foundations. In addition, wealthy alumni contribute to their almer maters. In return, universities name buildings after donors. For instance, if you go to the University of Oregon, you will find several buildings and halls named Knight (Phil Knight), co-founder of NIKE. The…

  21. They after named after the guy because he has contributed a lot financially and continues to do so. Universities need funding from the entire society. Does that happen In Zambia? It is easy to sit down and write trash.

  22. Mwanza is expressing a lot of ignorance. That is what happens when one becomes a lumpen and worst cadre of the year 2020.

    The best thing your PF government can do is part company with Unza and give the the real independence without interference to run their own affairs. Privatise it and put off your hands.

    The dull chap of Antonio thinks government funds should only go to campaigns and individual pockets through inflated contracts.

    Just look at how this pf has looted the university land. If that land was left to unza to put hostels they would have been raising sufficient funds to meet some of their obligations. They are almost entering the university slowly even creating ring roads inside unza. The rate at which they moving grabbing that land, I doubt if there will be any…

  23. This trash of a writer, can he tell us if government even gives the university that money when most of the time they have to cry beg and even lose their dignity. I see useless careers who think we pay taxes just to feed politicians instead of making sure our future generations are educated like us. Education is an investment for both the people and government as it will be able to increase it’s tax base. You will have no one to collect from if you don’t educate the masses

  24. I heard this story from a colleague who abandoned Evelyn Hone for other institutions because his fellow lecturers excelled at ZCAS and the institute flourished as EH remained stagnant while both institutions collected and retained fees. UNZA and other public universities are used to endemic spoon feeding and GRZ blame game. Even that research funding is wasted on unproductive ventures.

  25. Zambians be it UPND, PF, NDC etc, you can’t support the dependency syndrome grom unza. Its an acceptable. Even the same grant they don’t deserve it given the resources they have to generate revenue. Ask unza doctors where zamnet is? When they should be the leading ISP provider in the country. Its a big shame to have a university that just generates job seekers and not entrepreneurs. How can we develop as a country? No political party can deliver fully when intellectuals are depending on politicians, some with no clue about economics to sort out their financial challenges. UNZA needs a business man to run it. It needs a business touch. And lecturers must be careful with strikes and riots. As citizens we can vote to privatise unza because government can sponsor students in any other…

  26. Lecturers are politicians instead of being academicians. Don’t you realize that even standards have fallen big time?

  27. We can argue al day on the merits and demerits of this article but without facts we are just doing that…arguing without basis. What we need and what is missing in the article are the following:

    1. What are the running costs/month of Unza?
    2. What income comes into UNZA by category? Grants, Tuition, the mall etc.
    3. Take a case of last year what was the grant frequency? If as article says 34m grant. Did it all come?

    Only then can we have an informed discussion on whether UNZA is underfunded or overfunded source regardless.

  28. Will Zambia ever do anything right? Always backwards in everything! Just sell the country already. Wasting natural resources.

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