By HELLEN TEMBO –
THE University of Zambia (UNZA) management has started a consultative process with various schools on dismantling the higher learning institution into various colleges.
UNZA Vice-Chancellor Luke Mumba said the Government had approved the proposed move to break up the university into various colleges.
Professor Mumba, however, said the policy was yet to be implemented as modalities on which model to be adopted in operationalising the college system had not been agreed upon.
He said this when Higher Education Permanent Secretary Mabvuto Sakala visited the institution in Lusaka yesterday.
“While awaiting further guidance on the matter, the university management has started a consultative process with the various schools on the matter,” Prof Mumba said.
He said the university had also received reports from the ministry that the first-year loan awards would only be ready by the last week of November this year.
Prof Mumba said with this delay, registration of Government-sponsored first-year students would commence in the first week of December this year and that the process for returning students would be conducted after registration of new students.
Prof Mumba said the development would disrupt the academic calendar and had potential to spark industrial disharmony which would be caused by a lack of funds for operations and idling of students.
He said management had written to the Ministry of Higher Education requesting that the university should open as scheduled as the first-year admissions for this year was provisional.
Prof Mumba appealed to the Government that registration of returning students be done as soon as they had opened because first-year students could be registered in December.
Prof Mumba further appealed to the ministry to follow up on the letter the institution wrote to the office of the permanent secretary regarding possibilities of affiliating Chalimbana University to UNZA.
He also said the university was in need of resources to allow expansion of teaching and learning infrastructure, and urged the ministry to engage the Finance Ministry to disburse funds towards the construction of student hotels which had stalled.
Mr Sakala said the purpose of his visit was to familiarise himself with challenges facing the institution.
He said the affiliation of Chalimbana University was in progress and opening of the university was because of the delayed submissions which the Government was working on.
Mr Sakala said the stalled projects at UNZA would be completed as soon as the Ministry of Finance secured resources while the debt burden would be addressed as funds became available.