News / Education
Migration of qualified staff, unprocedural appointments rocks LSU
05 Sep 2022 at 12:01hrs | Views
Lupane State University is facing serious migration of qualified personnel to sister universities amid revelations the university is now opting for unprocedural recruitment of lecturing staff.
Indications are that the exodus of employees is attributed to poor management and tribalism levelled against the Vice-Chancellor Prof Kuipa, who is frustrating employees by citing that he wants to grow his own timber.
Sources from the University said as of July 2022, 64 employees accounting for over 25%, resigned from the University.
"Staff members leaving the University include senior management, middle management and the lower grades of the University. Some staff members were joining NUST, Gwanda and Bindura Universities. The justification for the high labour turnover by the University is that staff members are looking for greener pastures. One wonders what's greener with the sister university since the salaries are the same," said the internal source.
"One member of staff who was instrumental in the unprocedural appointment of the Vice-Chancellor's daughter was made acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor for two months, though he is underqualified. The staff member has been made Acting Registrar ahead of a substantive Deputy Registrar with experience in Academic and Human resources."
Indications are that the regulatory body ZIMCHE once quizzed why this member was a Dean of a faculty without academic qualifications that warrants an individual to be appointed a Dean, a chief academic leading a faculty.
To reward this person, Kuipa has appointed him to be the Acting Registrar, a chief administrator who is supposed to oversee all the university administration.
Insiders said another member of staff who altered his wife's results in the student management system when he was chairperson of an academic department was promoted to a pseudo-Pro-Vice-Chancellor instead of being dismissed for academic fraud.
"As the Acting Registrar, he is forcing faculties to make irregular and unprocedural appointments. He has certain people of his choice he wants to benefit. He is taking advantage that the term of the Council expired in July 2022, and up to date, the University is running without Council. He wrote a memorandum to the faculties with the following sentiments," said the insider.
"You are kindly requested to process appointments to permanent positions for the Temporary full-time lecturers (TFLs) and Teaching Assistants (TAs) who have served the University for at least three years through interviews at the Faculty level. This is done in view of the fact that TFLs were recently interviewed while TAs have served the University for at least three years. You are therefore expected to: 1. Advertise the posts internally in your respective faculties. 2. Furnish Registry by Monday, 15 August 2022, with the numbers of TFLs and TAs that qualify into the two categories. 3. Carry out interviews at the Faculty level 4. Make recommendations to the Vice-Chancellor by Monday, 29 August 2022."
Insiders have pointed out that all this was meant to absorb a person he has relations with who has been a Teaching Assistant for over three years.
This individual has failed many interviews for the lecturer position; therefore, this is an easy way for them. Insiders questioned why the University violated its appointment regulations to satisfy the Acting Registrar.
"Faculties have started initiating the process, and the positions have been advertised internally. What is shocking is that one advertisement opened on 16 August 2022 and closed on 19 August 2022, yet the recruitment staff handbook says the advertisement should run for a minimum of two weeks, and the Faculties should recommend it to the Academic Appointment Board," said the insider.
Insiders lamented that the violation of administrative and academic regulations for sexual gratification had become a culture at LSU perpetuated by the Vice-Chancellor and his cabal.
Efforts to get a comment from the university's spokesperson Zwelithini Dlamini were fruitless.
Indications are that the exodus of employees is attributed to poor management and tribalism levelled against the Vice-Chancellor Prof Kuipa, who is frustrating employees by citing that he wants to grow his own timber.
Sources from the University said as of July 2022, 64 employees accounting for over 25%, resigned from the University.
"Staff members leaving the University include senior management, middle management and the lower grades of the University. Some staff members were joining NUST, Gwanda and Bindura Universities. The justification for the high labour turnover by the University is that staff members are looking for greener pastures. One wonders what's greener with the sister university since the salaries are the same," said the internal source.
"One member of staff who was instrumental in the unprocedural appointment of the Vice-Chancellor's daughter was made acting Pro-Vice-Chancellor for two months, though he is underqualified. The staff member has been made Acting Registrar ahead of a substantive Deputy Registrar with experience in Academic and Human resources."
Indications are that the regulatory body ZIMCHE once quizzed why this member was a Dean of a faculty without academic qualifications that warrants an individual to be appointed a Dean, a chief academic leading a faculty.
To reward this person, Kuipa has appointed him to be the Acting Registrar, a chief administrator who is supposed to oversee all the university administration.
Insiders said another member of staff who altered his wife's results in the student management system when he was chairperson of an academic department was promoted to a pseudo-Pro-Vice-Chancellor instead of being dismissed for academic fraud.
"As the Acting Registrar, he is forcing faculties to make irregular and unprocedural appointments. He has certain people of his choice he wants to benefit. He is taking advantage that the term of the Council expired in July 2022, and up to date, the University is running without Council. He wrote a memorandum to the faculties with the following sentiments," said the insider.
"You are kindly requested to process appointments to permanent positions for the Temporary full-time lecturers (TFLs) and Teaching Assistants (TAs) who have served the University for at least three years through interviews at the Faculty level. This is done in view of the fact that TFLs were recently interviewed while TAs have served the University for at least three years. You are therefore expected to: 1. Advertise the posts internally in your respective faculties. 2. Furnish Registry by Monday, 15 August 2022, with the numbers of TFLs and TAs that qualify into the two categories. 3. Carry out interviews at the Faculty level 4. Make recommendations to the Vice-Chancellor by Monday, 29 August 2022."
Insiders have pointed out that all this was meant to absorb a person he has relations with who has been a Teaching Assistant for over three years.
This individual has failed many interviews for the lecturer position; therefore, this is an easy way for them. Insiders questioned why the University violated its appointment regulations to satisfy the Acting Registrar.
"Faculties have started initiating the process, and the positions have been advertised internally. What is shocking is that one advertisement opened on 16 August 2022 and closed on 19 August 2022, yet the recruitment staff handbook says the advertisement should run for a minimum of two weeks, and the Faculties should recommend it to the Academic Appointment Board," said the insider.
Insiders lamented that the violation of administrative and academic regulations for sexual gratification had become a culture at LSU perpetuated by the Vice-Chancellor and his cabal.
Efforts to get a comment from the university's spokesperson Zwelithini Dlamini were fruitless.
Source - Byo24News
