Maravi

Staff leaving UNZA for higher-paid jobs ‘affecting teaching’

Staff leaving UNZA for higher-paid jobs ‘affecting teaching’
By Moses Kuwema
Thu 17 Mar. 2011, 03:59 CAT

THE continued hiring of teaching staff by industries in the country is compromising the quality of teaching, says UNZA registrar Dr Alvert Ng’andu.

Speaking in an interview, Dr Ng’andu said industries were not only taking graduates but members of staff too, and that this was a big challenge to the nation’s highest learning institution.

He said there was need to find a formula that would be a “win-win” for both the institution and the individuals who decided to leave the institution.

“This is the paradox that we find ourselves in and it is an issue which we encounter from time to time...it is serious to the extent that normally the industries are also looking for the best people and the university would have the best people. So because the industry can pay better, they attract the people to leave and the university is left without staff to teach those critical areas that those people were teaching,” Dr Ng’andu said.

He said there was need to find a way that would be mutually beneficial to both the institution and individuals.

“The university could use these people and then the industry can also use them in some kind of shared responsibility but the way things are now is that the industry offers the job and the person leaves and that’s it,” he said.

He said the university was then forced to struggle to find a replacement and in some cases ended up with people less qualified than the member of staff who left resulting to a compromised quality of teaching.

Dr Ng’andu said it would be better if the ‘poached’ individuals were available to the university while they were employed elsewhere so as to give the learning institution time to find people who could take over.

Dr Ng’andu said the situation was serious in schools such as the school of engineering, mines and natural sciences.

Labels: SALARIES, UNZA

posted by MrK @ 6:09 AM