Non-payment of lecturers’ salaries hinders release of varsity results

Block release and parallel students enrolled at Lupane State University (LSU) had the release of their examination results delayed after lecturers protesting non-payment of salaries withheld the results, the tertiary learning institution has confirmed.

Despite the fact that LSU released results for the conventional students last week, the university was yet to release the results for non-conventional learners as the lecturers bemoaned non-payment of their salaries.

Government pays lecturers’ salaries for conventional classes but wages for parallel programmes tutors are paid by universities from money paid by the students.

Confirming the development to state media, LSU communication and marketing director Zwelithini Dlamini said:

“As you might be aware parallel and block students have separate contracts and therefore the lecturers were withholding certain information related to results as a way of pushing for their payment. I’m advised that after students realised that results had been processed for the conventional group, those with outstanding fees paid up and the university in turn processed the payment to the lecturers last Friday”.

Dlamini said the results will be released next week after the academic board and the other relevant committees completed the usual formalities.

Dlamini also attributes the delayed release of the results to the Covid19 pandemic, as some of the staffers had tested positive to the deadly pandemic.

Some of the parallel and block release students have expressed concern over delays in releasing the results saying it would affect them in the event they have to sit for supplementary examinations.

Dlamini however, assured the students that they will be given enough time to prepare for the supplementary examinations.

Local varsities have adopted both face to face and online learning as part of measures to minimise exposure to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Universities are just taking in First Year students for orientation and thereafter the students have lectures online as part of measures to avoid congestion at institutions of higher learning.

state media