Record 120 UZ Posts

The advert on the numerous posts – printed in a small font – took out an
entire page of the broadsheet.The worst affected department is that of medicine, where 18 lecturers are
required at under and postgraduate levels for disciplines ranging from
cardiology, dermatology and tropical medicine.The Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care Medicine is not better, with
12 posts vacant.  The department of physiology has 10 posts which need
filling.Other departments that require lectures include the Department of Biological
Sciences (9 posts), the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (8), the
Department of Clinical Veterinary Studies (8), the Department of Business
Studies (8) and the Department of History (7).According to the advert, both permanent and short-term lectureship contracts
are on offer.Non-Zimbabweans would be appointed on an initial short-term contract of two
years subject to renewal. The closing date for applications is 29 February.The UZ is scheduled to open after the March 29 polls but chances of the
posts being filled are very remote. Lecturers, like other Zimbabwean
professionals, have been deserting the country for better career prospects
within the region and overseas. Salaries for lecturers in Zimbabwe remain
low.Students and some observers have alleged that the decision to open the UZ
after elections was a political move aimed at stopping them from engaging in
anti-ruling party activities as they are seen as supporting the opposition.Students spoken to at the varsity expressed grave concern at the quality of
education they are receiving as a result of the continued exodus of
lecturers.”Student life has become hell at the UZ,” said one student. “Everything
continues to crumble and, above all, the shortage of lecturers has reached
crisis levels. It is no exaggeration to say the varsity is now producing
half- baked graduates as we miss so many lessons owing to the
non-availability of lecturers.”Last September when the UZ opened, it was estimated that only a quarter of
the then about 11 000 students turned up in the first week for the new
semester as acute accommodation and financial problems kept thousands away.This was after – in a shock move – the UZ had announced that it would not be
admitting students into halls of residence for the new academic year that
opened on 10 September last year.This followed recommendations by the City of Harare Department of Health
Services that the accommodation facilities were unsuitable for habitation as
they lacked proper ablution and catering services. The UZ blamed student
hooliganism for the move, saying it was forced to close the hostels after
failing to secure funds to renovate them before the start of the new
semester.The crisis at the UZ has been acknowledged by the Minister of Higher
Education who is on record as saying: “I hear there are some serious
problems there. We will have to work out a plan so that all students return
and complete their programmes.”Efforts to get comment from the UZ were fruitless.