Mass exodus at UB?
Oarabile Mosikare | Friday January 30, 2015 16:23
Lecturers are allegedly dumping the faculty in droves for greener pastures. These academics, especially from FET, would later joined the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), which apparently pays more than the UB.
The FET and BIUST offer similar courses. The Director of Public Affairs at UB, Mhitshane Reetsang confirmed in one media interview that UB has lost some lecturers not only from FET, but other faculties as well.
Last year Mmegi reported that lecturers at the UB Centre for Continuing Education (CCE) believe that the actions by management to unilaterally transfer academics demonstrated a hidden agenda to phase out the centre.
This was disclosed in a letter dated July 10, 2014 to the deputy vice chancellor (Academic Affairs) Professor Otlogetswe Totolo, written by William Sentshebeng, the organising secretary of University of Botswana Academic and Senior Support Staff Union (UBASSSU).
Sentshebeng said over the past three years the UB management has displayed the inclination to undermine the capacity of the CCE in discharging its mandate. This has been indicated by several decisions and courses of action undertaken in relation to the operations of the centre.
Sentshebeng said this was demonstrated by the freezing of the CCE programmes like Bachelor of Arts in Library and Information Studies, Master of Project Management, Bachelor of Education (Primary) by distance route and the flexi mode of the Master of Education over the years.
He also said these actions were also demonstrated by the failure to replace staff who resigned from CCE and placing of staff on prolonged acting status in positions of Heads of Department and Director of the Centre for Continuing Education over the past five years or so. He said these actions became the subject of a staff grievances letter addressed to vice chancellor Professor Thabo Fako in November 2012, which he ignored.
The union leader said the problems besetting CCE emanated from lack of vision, leadership paralysis and a narrow understanding of the fields of continuing and distance education and lifelong learning.
He also said they demonstrated lack of transparent leadership in dealing with organisational, pedagogical and labour relations issues.