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Zambia by Y. G-M. Lulat Introduction
Zambia, a landlocked country of 752,614 sq km (290,586 sq. miles) has some 9 million people. More than 70 languages are spoken in the country; given this plurality of languages, the country chose to make English (the language of its former colonial ruler, Britain) the official language of education, business, and politics.History
The idea of creating a Zambian university was first proposed at the UNESCO sponsored Conference on the Development of Higher Education in Africa convened in 1962 in Tananarive, Madagascar. In late 1964, the new Zambian government, then barely two months old proceeded to appoint a provisional council. The birth of the University of Zambia, in the absence of a higher education tradition, went remarkably smoothly.Enrollment
The university opened in 1966 with a mere 312 students. The Committee had recommended that within five years this number should be doubled. Instead, the figure had already reached more than 1,000 students by 1970. Four years later, this number had more than doubled to 2,500 students. In 1980, it stood at a little under 4,000, and today the enrollment is approximately 5,000 students.Faculty
The few expatriate personnel who can still be found at the university are there because some teaching fields (such as medicine) still lack sufficient Zambian applicants and because of the university's policy that at least 10% of teaching positions should be reserved for foreign teachers (to ensure the university's linkage with the international university community). Approximately 12% of the current faculty is female. The brain-drain problem threatens to become severe, given the deteriorating economic situation in the country and the resultant impoverishment of the university itself.Governance and Administration
Besides the deans and the heads of departments, the university is comprised of the following principal governing offices and bodies: the chancellor, the vice-chancellor, the registrar, the bursar, the university council, the senate, and boards of studies. The chancellor's office is a titular office, and until the so-called third republic came into being, it was occupied by the country's head of state (the president). Now, the occupant of the office is appointed by the head of state from among the nation's "distinguished" persons. Until recently, the university council appointed the vice chancellor. Now, the appointment is the responsibility of the education minister. The council itself is also appointed by the minister, and the composition of its membership is at the minister’s sole discretion. Usually it is comprised of the top-level administrators of the university, representatives from the senate and the student body, and persons outside the university representing government industry and various professions. The registrar and bursar are appointed by the university council.Gender
As is the case in most other parts of Africa, the sex ratio among student, faculty, and administration of Zambia’s universities is male dominated. Thirty years ago, for every female, roughly 4.5 male students attended the University of Zambia. Today the picture has improved, but only slightly: the ratio is roughly three males for every female.The reasons for the disparities between genders are both cultural and educational. From the perspective of culture, formal education has always been viewed as a male domain because of its role in preparing students for the world of formal, non-agricultural work.
Research and Publishing
The School of Graduate Studies coordinates the graduate studies program at the university. While a master’s level degree is now offered by all the schools (but not in all programs), very few offer a doctorate. Graduate education places special demands on an institution, ranging from the hiring of graduate-level teaching staff to the provision of research facilities, including a library with extensive and continual updated holdings.Some research is taking place, but faculty productivity is pathetically low. Much of the research being undertaken today by individual faculty is done at the behest of external development aid agencies, which have their own specific agendas. The result is that such research remains uncoordinated; even worse, findings are often restricted to the archives of the sponsor.
Funding and Resources
For nearly two decades following independence, virtually no fees were charged by institutions financed or supported by the government at any level. Yet, even today, the proportion of the cost-sharing that students are responsible for is still quite small: at the university level, students are obligated to pay 25% of the annual tuition that the university receives from the government (approximately $3,500), on behalf of each student. On the institutional side, the matter of finance has become a highly problematic issue in the face of the persistent government budgetary difficulties. Moneys are not always made available to the universities on a timely basis.Private Higher Education
Private higher education institutions do not exist in Zambia. However, there are a few educational institutions run by Christian missionaries, industrial corporations, and commercial enterprises at the further education level.Note: For detailed account on the state of higher education in Zambia, please consult: Y. G-M. Lulat, African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook (Damtew Teferra and Philip. G. Altbach, Indiana University Press, 2003), pp. 624-635.
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