UB: Time for sober reflection
Vice Chancellor of the University of Botswana Prof. David Norris has been invited by the University of Pennsylvania to make a presentation on the ‘Future of International Academic Capacity-building and Knowledge Exchange’ during the 10th Anniversary Celebrations of Penn Global slated for March 2023.
Penn Global is a Division of UPenn that advances the University's global mission of engagement and collaboration. The invitation comes hard on the heels of a one-week strike by UB labour unions – University of Botswana Staff Union (UBSU) and University of Botswana Academic and Support Staff Union (UBASSU) - over demands for salary adjustment.
Among their concerns the unions protested that Norris and his senior managers were basically globe-trotting and posturing on social media while the University is teetering on the brink of collapse.
But like many other trips that he has undertaken abroad in the name of ‘internationalising the university’, Norris says that the University of Pennsylvania is paying for his travel expenses.
“This has been the case for some of my trips where my travel expenses are not even funded by the University of Botswana”.
But what does he say to the accusation that he is a globetrotter at the expense of a collapsing university?
“The accusation by Unions leadership that the Vice Chancellor travels around while the University has no funds for salary increase not only does it show how clueless they are on the role of a University Vice-Chancellor it also sadly reveals their calibre as scholars”.
Norris contends that a real academic would know the value of forging collaborations and partnerships.
“An academic who in his or her entire career in an institution of higher learning has not had a single research grant that enables him or her to attend conferences or participate in a collaborative research would make such
ignorant and misplaced accusations”.
According to the VC, external relations are critical for every institution of higher learning.
“If we are to become an impactful institution and be at the forefront of research, teaching and learning, we have to be a global institution. We must internationalise our mission which can only be accomplished through learning, discovery, scholarly investigations and engagement.
“This internationalisation initiative is driven by the University Presidents or Vice-Chancellors. The integration of international perspectives and experiences into teaching and learning, discoveries, innovation and engagement are vital particularly in an era where economies are driven by knowledge generation.
“The trips I’ve undertaken, which are not as many as maliciously purported, have brought significant value to the University – from increase in international students to strengthened relationships and continued funding of projects in which our staff members are collaboratively participating,” Norris maintains.
UB has seen a growing interest by many institutions keen to work with it, some of which include the University of Leoben in Austria, Curin University in Australia, and the University of Cincinnati, USA.
The universities in Liberia – such as University of Liberia, Cutting Cuttington University, African Methodist Episcopal University, United Methodist University, Stella Marais Polytechnic University, Adventist University of West
Africa – want the University of Botswana to train their staff at postgraduate level and UB has already signed MoUs with many of these Universities.
“To enlighten the Union leadership, University Vice-Chancellors travel outside their institutions on average four to five (4-5) days every month and for some institutions up to 15 days with the primary purpose of forging
partnerships with local and international organisations and importantly also raising funds.
“I need to do more of this. This year alone (in less than two months), I received and hosted University Rectors, Presidents and Vice Chancellors from more than five Universities”.
Norris maintains that he fully supports increase in the salaries of UB staff, a contention Gadzani Mhotsha, the Chairperson of UB Staff Union refutes.
“I have explained on numerous occasions that the University at this juncture is dependent on the Ministry of Education for financial assistance but it is a known fact that government is facing financial difficulties,” Norris said.
But the Unions assert that management neglects staff welfare and has failed to adjust salaries in the last five years. Worse still, Mhotsha says UB executive management does not prioritise employees when it allocates the
subvention it receives from government.
In a statement UB public affairs office stated that apart from lack of additional subvention budgets to support salary adjustments, the University’s subvention ceiling decreased from P908 million in 2019/2020 to the current P741 million while operational costs continue to rise due to inflationary pressures.
The government subvention is the main source of revenue for the University followed by tuition fees at 55 percent and 41 percent respectively. “Therefore, lack of additional support from government curtails the University’s ability to consider and implement salary adjustments”.
Nevertheless, the University continues to make efforts to adjust salaries or reward staff funds permitting, UB said.
For example, the Public Affairs office cited that the University of Botswana effected staff salary adjustments in the following order: a 3 percent adjustment effected in May 2018 backdated to April 2018, a 3 percent adjustment in March 2019 backdated to April 2018, representing a cumulative 6 percent of salary adjustment in 2018.
It said that in December 2019 staff received a 4 percent salary adjustment backdated to April 2019, this was for the year 2019/2020. In addition to these adjustments, Management also paid a once off ex gratia performance related rewards in April 2022 following some cost–saving measures during the 2021/2022 financial year.
Norris concedes that the salaries issue is a genuine concern by staff but worries that unfortunately it has been hijacked by some in the Unions leadership who are actively embarking on “sabotaging the transformation process and even attempting to reverse the gains we have made in moving the University of Botswana forward. This is very unfortunate”.
The Vice Chancellor finds it disturbing when senior academic staff go on radio and other platforms saying the university shouldn’t transform and be impactful to society through intensified research and innovation.
“This is an academic who says most of the functions of the University as defined in the University Act shouldn’t be done. It is not surprising though when one looks at the research profile of those who vehemently oppose change”.
According to the University of Botswana Act (2008), the functions of the University of Botswana: include; a) Providing higher education and training, b) Advance and disseminate knowledge through teaching, c) Undertake, promote and facilitate research and scholarly investigations, d) Support and contribute to the realisation of economic and social development of the nation, e) Contribute to the cultural and social life of the community, f)
Contribute to the advancement of the intellectual and human resource capacity of the international community.
Norris contends that failure to intensify research efforts has serious repercussions not only on a University’s ability to have impact in society and research revenue generation but also on the quality of teaching.
“New knowledge is created through research and without new knowledge, academic staff will likely teach outdated information and share knowledge that is obsolete. Failure to embark on research likely means an academic does not have grasp of current knowledge in his or her academic discipline”.
Mhotsha is confident that their industrial action made an impact considering that it has even reached the corridors of Parliament – he says they decided to ‘suspend’ it and return to the negotiating table.
At that table, he says they remain resolute on the demands for a pay hike; they want the University management to negotiate in good faith and this includes being transparent with all the information required to reach a consensus, one of which is unbundling the 80 percent that is said to go to staff emoluments.
“We want to know how much goes to executive pay, even though they hide behind the UB pay structure, we strongly believe that it is not followed and that executive management is paid outside the UB pay structure,” Mhotsha contends. The basis of his contention is that UB executive managers such as Deputy Vice Chancellor, Finance & Administration; DVC, Research and Innovation; DVC, Teaching and Learning and Chief Finance
Officer – were all recruited specially or from outside and therefore “do not come cheap”.
In any case, emoluments include car and phone allowances and other perks which Mhotsha says have not been calculated with respect to executive pay.
“For example we hear that they have ordered expensive Prado cars for every executive member, we asked Council why they would allow this when staff is underpaid, but they told us they cancelled the order, but we don’t believe them!” Mhotsha says.
Asked what their position on UB’s strategy to generate third stream income through intensified research and innovation, Mhotsha says third stream income will not come overnight and that meantime Union members are suffering on account of a harsh economic climate.
But an unfazed Norris will not be deterred from his mission to turn UB into a high performance organisation. He says that the hard ball being played by Unions will not help in any way.
“This is the time to join hands and rescue ourselves. The truth is that some in the Union leadership are using the salaries issue to derail and resist the new strategic direction of the University,” Norris says.