By SYLVESTER MWALE –

LECTURERS and researchers at the University of Zambia (UNZA) have called on the Government to focus on their demands following the resignation of principal officers at the institution.
UNZA Lecturers and Researchers Union (UNZALARU) president Euston Chiputa said the resignations alone would not address the problems facing the university.
Education Permanent Secretary Patrick Nkanza on Saturday announced that Professor Stephen Simukanga resigned as UNZA vice-chancellor along with three other university managers.
The announcement came barely a day after UNZALARU called on Professor Simukanga and three other officials to leave their posts on moral grounds after accusing them of paying themselves gratuity at the
expense of the tutors.
Prof Mukanga refused to comment when contacted yesterday and referred all queries to Dr Nkanza.
“I have no comment at the moment. I think everything is being handled by the permanent secretary,” said Prof Simukanga.
He served as the UNZA vice-chancellor for eight years after taking over from Robert Serpell in 2007.
Dr Chiputa said in an interview that Prof Simukanga and others had done an honourable thing to step down.
He said the Government should now concentrate on finding lasting solutions that would help end the financial challenges the university was facing.
“I must say that what they have done is the correct thing, but this in itself is not a solution to what the lecturers are demanding,” Dr Chiputa said.
“The Government has academicians who are able to explore solutions to the problems of terminal benefits and gratuity that the members are demanding. This is the only way that they will restore hope.”
Apart from Prof Simukanga, registrar Kavwanga Yambayamba, bursar Sampa Katoyo and librarian Vitalicy Chifwepa have left their positions.
Besides demanding for the resignation of the principal officers, UNZALARU threatened last week to withhold examination results if the Government failed to come up with an acceptable roadmap on how to pay various amounts owed to them.
The university has been rocked with work stoppages by the lecturers and researchers who have been demanding the payment of excess load allowance, gratuity and terminal benefits.
The Government paid the excess load allowance last week but lecturers insisted that it was a small component compared to gratuity and terminal benefits.