THE University of Zimbabwe (UZ) has been hit by an exodus of lecturers amid reports some 15 tutors resigned last week alone over poor remuneration.
Senior lecturers holding doctorate degrees are currently earning about $7 000, equivalent to just over US$100.
Sources said the resignations at the country’s premier learning institution were threatening to disrupt ongoing examinations as most of the lecturers were senior examiners.
Some of the worst affected include the Faculty of Social Studies, which has seen some high-profile departures, among them long-serving constitutional law lecturer Greg Linington and leading professors Donald Chimanikire and Hasu Patel.
“The situation here is terrible,” said one lecturer who preferred to remain anonymous.
“Senior lecturers are leaving every week for greener pastures and it’s not a good sign at all given that we are in the middle of examinations and very soon, marking is starting and there is a huge shortage of staff.
“For instance, only last week on Monday, 15 lecturers left, most of them being vastly experienced doctors and professors.
“This is a new brain drain. The department of political and administrative studies alone lost five lecturers and many are already processing their papers.”
UZ spokesperson Daniel Chihombori declined to comment on the matter saying, “We don’t discuss on the institution’s internal administrative issues with the press.”
One of the resigning lecturers told NewZimbabwe.com Monday he was looking for new challenges.
“It’s true, I am resigning. I just thought I needed new challenges after being here for so long,” he said.
