UNIVERSITIES IN SHAKE UP …lowly qualified lecturers dropped

There is no way people with low and inappropriate qualifications can be bosses to highly qualified lecturers. In a university, qualifications matter. It’s like in the military. A lower rank can’t command a senior rank and that is why ZCAS has embarked on this serious transformation

AMAJOR shake-up in both public and private universities has begun after the Higher Education Authority (HEA) set prequisites for accrediting programmes in such tertiary institutions, among them, a minimum requirement that all lecturers must hold master’s degrees. The degrees must also be in relevant specialities to facilitate scholarship and research. It has also been learnt that the Zambia Centre for Accountancy Studies (ZCAS) University has revised its criteria for appointment and promotion of academic staff to meet the prerequisites set by HEA. According to the new guidelines obtained by the Daily Nation, for anyone to be considered as a lecturer at the institution, one must have a bachelor’s degree at credit or better or master’s degree in the same field as the bachelor’s degree earned. In its quest to maintain a high standard and meet HEA requirements, the university this year appointed former Copperbelt University Vice Chancellor, Professor Mutale Musonda as its Vice Chancellor while former deputy registrar at the University of Zambia council, Jacqueline Chikwama was appointed as its registrar. Other affected universities are Mukuba and Chalimbana as well as NIPA which has university status. Prof Musonda and Ms. Chikwama’s appointments were aimed at implementing the full transformation of ZCAS into a university. “The Vice Chancellor and Registrar were recruited this year to come and implement the full transformation of ZCAS into a university. They both have relevant and timely experience unlike a situation where most directors have no bachelor's degrees and lack university management experience. “There is no way people with low and inappropriate qualifications can be bosses to highly qualified lecturers. In a university, qualifications matter. It's like in the military. A lower rank can't command a senior rank and that is why ZCAS has embarked on this serious transformation,” a source at the university said. This follows the transformation of Kwame Nkrumah University in Kabwe by Mulungushi University Vice-Chancellor Prof Hellicy Ng'ambi who surrendered all unqualified lecturers to the Ministry of General Education for deployment into secondary schools and colleges of education. She advertised all positions which have now been filled by qualified lecturers. Unqualified and inexperienced Kwame Nkrumah University principal officers were also dropped from their positions. At Mukuba University, the Copperbelt-based university has dropped all unqualified lecturers and principal officers. At Chalimbana University, UNZA is also effecting the transformation using HEA guidelines. NIPA, which has university status, is restructuring and recently dropped lowly qualified directors and replaced them with experienced and qualified personnel with PhDs. It is reported that NIPA will soon proceed to restructure the lecturing staff according to the HEA guidelines.