The University of Zambia (UNZA) is set to downsize its staff in a phased manner by 40 percent.
UNZA Vice Chancellor Professor Luke Mumba said the university will restructure the number of its employees from 2200 to 1300.
The University of Zambia has fallen behind in the remittance of statutory obligations and settlement of retirement and contract gratuities,
Prof. Mumba.
Prof. Mumba added that the university requires funding to carry out the restructuring.
He also revealed that the university’s total debt currently stands at K4.4 billion, with the university owing in excess of K600 million in retirement liabilities.
Prof. Mumba however said that as of February this year, the university secured a loan to help settle retirement benefits.
The University of Zambia successfully secured government support with a bond of K150 million and a loan of K50 million from ZANACO. So far, only K75 million has been disbursed,
Prof. Mumba.
Once the full amount is disbursed, we plan to settle some of the retirement and contract obligations.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor further revealed that the university will revise the workload policy for academic staff.
From inception to 2019, the university had no policy to inform the workload status among teaching staff. The absence of such a policy resulted in either understaffing or overstaffing of some academic departments,
he said.
Professor Mumba explained that the new policy will now define what constitutes a teaching load, normal load and normal working hours.
The policy serves as a fair, transparent and effective framework for the the allocation and distribution of workload for all academic staff,
Prof. Mumba.
The Vice Chancellor was speaking at the State of the University address that took place at the Confucius multi-purpose hall, at the University of Zambia Great East Road Campus.