STATE RESTRUCTURES UNZA
By CHARLES MUSONDA CABINET has approved restructuring of the University of Zambia into five university colleges to improve efficiency and effectiveness of running Zambia’s highest institution of learning, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Kampamba Mulenga has announced.
Ms. Mulenga told journalists in Lusaka yesterday that this was one of the decisions that were made at Monday’s Cabinet meeting.
She said UNZA would be split into Colleges of Medicine, Education, Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Mines and Minerals, and Humanities and Arts.
“Government has decided to restructure UNZA to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the operations of the institution. This action is provided for under the Higher Education Act number 4 of 2013, Part III Section 13 (3).
“The University of Zambia has become inefficient in its management due to its current size. This has resulted in operational problems that have manifested in a huge debt burden, inadequate staff and infrastructure for teaching and learning as well as perennial strikes by lecturers and students, which have compromised the quality of education,” Ms. Mulenga said.
In terms of the student population, the Minister said UNZA had 23,000 students, Copperbelt University 12, 041, and Mulungushi University had 4,830 students.
She said Cabinet also approved the new financing strategy for public universities by which, Government will liquidate the statutory as well as personnel related debt owed by the three public universities.
“It is noted that the environment for higher education in Zambia has changed significantly. With the growth in the national population, the demand for higher education has continued to rise. The Minister of Higher Education will soon public a full paper and issue a comprehensive announcement on the university reforms Cabinet approved,” said Ms Mulenga.