The University of Namibia (Unam), the largest public tertiary institution in Namibia, has of late been involved in various issues ranging from student protests, appointments of locals into leadership jobs, as well as axing some of its senior officia ls for alleged tender fraud. Senior journalist Albertina Nakale caught up with Unam spokesperson John Haufiku yesterday to get his views on some of the recent happenings at the institution.
What have been some of the highlights and lowlights over the past 10 years?
In 2004 Unam had only around 6 000 students. Today Unam educates a hefty 23 000 plus. More importantly, in 2005 our students were roughly from seven countries, predominantly from southern Africa. Today Unam has students from over 40 countries in the world. Our staffing has also grown to reflect the masses of learners who trust Unam with their future. More importantly, our staff compliment comes from all over the world, with over 55 countries represented.
What have been your most significant achievements as an institution?
Our accolades stretch a marathon, but if I had to point out a few, I would mention that Unam recently won the International Diamond Prize for Quality Research, which is a reputable award from the European Union for Quality Assurance (ESQR). Unam, being the largest tertiary institution in Namibia, was awarded the prize in light of their commitment to quality over the past five years. It began with a self-evaluation of the institution in 2010 and then proceeded by an external audit conducted by the Europe-Africa Quality Connect Group. This has led to various quality structures and procedures at the university that met world standards, according to ESQR. As new as it is, with just over three cohorts of graduates in the industry now, our engineering programme is the best in the country. All employers of our graduates will give testament to such. Although I cannot divulge too much, because we have a whole campaign planned for releasing information about Unam-trained doctors, this achievement is beyond any praise that words can fathom and one can only truly understand it if you follow the media chronicles about the School of Medicine since its inception. Where there is no great trial, there can be no great achievement. We’re proud to graduate doctors this year.
Unam recently appointed into top positions two expelled Swapo Party Youth League members, namely Dr Elijah Ngurare and Job Amupanda who were axed for their involvement in the land issue, irrespective of their ongoing court case against the Swapo Party body. How did Unam go about this?
The University employs all Namibian citizens who meet qualifications objectively, regardless of the personal views they might have. And obviously, they must also meet some of the university’s strict requirements on the scope of our policy.
What were some of the low points?
Like most growing institutions, it is no secret that there have been challenges at the university. Chief among them have been the occasional individual who behaves beneath the set expectations of the university’s standards. Management has dealt with them swiftly and effectively, and this has been well publicised by the media.
In a country that yearns for higher education, another challenge has been to our growth, which is often curtailed by finances. It used to be challenging to get quality staff to compete to work in the smaller towns, as most preferred to be in the cities. This has now changed.
What is your general view of the just-ended #Varsitylockdown campaign. Do you agree students had a point that fees are exorbitant?
“Exorbitant” implies that the value of a thing far exceeds its purpose or impact. The average Unam qualification returns 150 percent of the amount spent on tuition, within the first year of employment. Does that sound exorbitant? We think that a handful of students have no right to dictate to a majority of students, who are able to pay, that fees are exorbitant. Individuals must be allowed to determine the value of education, not a small group dictate to everyone else.
Unam has been rocked by numerous cases of high-ranking officials facing suspension over tender irregularities and other allegations of corruption that prompted the ACC to intervene. What does it say about operating mechanisms at the institution?
Our mechanisms are sound, and we are always reviewing and improving security loops. However, there is no mechanism or policy that can stop dishonesty. We can only try to sell our vision to all staff. In the end, individuals alone decide the degree of their integrity. Unam has hundreds of staff who are honest, dedicated and committed to growing this country.
Unam has been entangled in allegations of “sex for marks”, whereby lecturers allegedly solicit sex from students in exchange for good marks. What is your view on this and what actions have been taken against those culprits. What has Unam done to ensure that such activities do not occur in future and that qualifications are genuine?
Those allegations were found wanting by a thorough investigation. So, they were at best rumours.
The University’s critics claim Unam graduates cannot be compared to graduates from other universities in the region? Why is this so? And has this got to do with the type of lecturers you have?
Those employers that criticise Unam students are often referring to a practical perspective, not the depth of knowledge the graduate has. What they don’t realise is that they, as employers, are biased towards practical short-term benefits of having an employee who can do a task, and can receive instructions. They seldom think of the long-term benefits of having an intellectual, someone that can conduct research and grow your business. Unam is not a technicon. Our qualifications have a strong emphasis on theory and research, elements often absent at technical colleges. From what we know, our graduates lead industry much quicker than any other institution in Namibia, and this is because they understand the field beneath the surface. We’ve realised that more [job] attachments are needed for our students, so that they have more practical training once employed. However, the idea that they are not comparable to others is gross mistake.
Is Unam adequately funded by the government to operate effectively and efficiently in offering quality education?
Considering the number of priorities this country has, Unam has received tremendous support from government. This has been sufficient for our operations. Ideally, we would want more, as there are so many needs, but we understand that we are not the only ones that depend on government funding.
Do you think Unam has done enough to ensure that its students have access to affordable hostel facilities, which has been a recurring problem over the years?
We’ve done the best we can with the available resources. Government does not fund accommodation and we built that at our own cost, or through public-private partnerships. Most campuses now have some form of residence for a percentage of students.