UNZA CRISIS SIGN OF PROBLEMS IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS – PROF NGOMA
Former Copperbelt University (CBU) vice Chancellor Prof. Naison Ngoma says failure to make radical decisions in the management of public institutions has contributed to the sanitation crisis at the University of Zambia in Lusaka.
Prof. Ngoma said tolerating bad tendencies such as overcrowding in students’ hostels have led to the sanitation crisis at UNZA.
He told Icengelo Magazine in Ndola that officers managing public institutions should not fear to make unpopular decisions that are in the best interest of the entities they oversee.
“We have let a lot of things go wrong for a very long time, not just for the University of Zambia but other public institutions, public universities and colleges. What is happening at the University of Zambia is just a symptom of what is happening in public institutions,” Prof. Ngoma said.
“One of the bad practices is overcrowding in the rooms. You begin to see a room which should take two people is no longer taking two people, four people or six people but eight people. Remember when I was Vice Chancelor one of the problems I faced is overcrowding in the rooms but I said no to it. I just said, that is not going to happen under my watch,” he said.
Prof. Ngoma further said it was good that President Hakainde Hichilema has acknowledged that even people outside UNZA management or the senate can contribute to finding a solution to the crisis.
“The President is correct when he is saying use the Zambia National Services because this is a crisis situation now,” Prof. Ngoma said.
He advised people managing public institutions to consult experts that have been in similar positions before.
Prof. Ngoma, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Zambia Air Force, served as CBU vice Chancellor for more than eight (8) years.