Mr. Syakalima said this yesterday when he gave the Keynote Address as he officiated the opening of the National Symposium on Academic Freedom which was held at Government Complex in Lusaka from 15^th and 16^th December, 2021.

The Minister of Education stated that revolutions happen because the population is free to think and pursue ideas that better society. He emphasised that there was a need to appreciate the value of research and ensure that opportunities were created for scholars to conduct research freely without undue hindrance.

“Most developed countries have prospered mainly due to their investment in action research in various fields of human endeavour,” Mr. Syakalima said, adding, “therefore, for our country to achieve the desired levels of development, my government believes that we need to encourage home grown research by allowing students and academia to research and disseminate their research findings freely.”

The Honourable Minister stated that it was for this reason that it was important to promote academic freedom in Zambia’s universities and colleges, adding that these Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) needed to be supported to ensure that they use research to generate solutions to the problems and challenges that Zambia was facing.

The National Symposium was organised by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC), in collaboration with the Ministries of Education and Technology and Science, and was held under the theme, “Academic Freedom in Higher Education: Practice and Challenges.”

The Minister of Education pledged that the New Dawn Government stands for inclusive quality education that is accessible by all students in all HEIs.

“We are also aware that quality education can only thrive in universities and colleges when academic work is informed by research,” Mr. Syakalima said, adding, “therefore, academic freedom of our lecturers and students should be respected in both universities and colleges and, as such, as a Government, we would like to call upon university managements, lecturers and students to work together in promoting academic freedom in higher education institutions.”

Mr. Syakalima further stated that even under the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of the Republic of Zambia expects universities to continue with their research in order to find solutions to the pandemic and generate knowledge about mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on education.

“For example, investments in digital technologies for promoting continuity of learning at home must be informed by research if we are to have remote learning solutions that leave no one behind regardless of their abilities, gender and economic status,” he said.

The Honourable Minister emphasised that it was, therefore, important for universities to use research to come up with innovations that will provide practical solutions to the problems that the Zambian people were facing.

The Ministry said this in a speech that was read for the Minister of Technology and Science by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Technology and Science, Dr. Brilliant Habeenzu, during the National Symposium on Academic Freedom which was held at Government Complex in Lusaka on 15^th and 16^th December, 2021.

“(Granting autonomy to TEVET institutions will) enable them to make independent decisions regarding their mandate of research, innovation, teaching and community service under the umbrella of academic freedom,” Dr. Habeenzu said, adding, “this is the only way we can stimulate innovation in today’s competitive world.”

The Permanent Secretary further said that the importance of creating an enabling environment for the freedom to pursue intellectual inquiry cannot be overemphasised.

“This is on account that academic freedom is also important to the larger community because it gives assurance that academics in all areas of expertise are expected to challenge what we think we know and to push the boundaries of what is known,” he said, adding, “therefore, governments, university administrations, donors should not be allowed to control the development and dissemination of knowledge even if it makes them uncomfortable.”

Dr. Habeenzu added that the New Dawn Government had the duty to recognise the role of the academia and students by inculcating the values and principles of the freedom of scholars to pursue the truth where it takes them, whether in support of, as a corrective to, current orthodoxies, and to proclaim that truth.

“In fact, I must point out that without academic freedom, various revolutions in the area of science, research and innovation would not have taken place,” he said, adding, “today, we are living in a society which is anchored on creation of knowledge and, as such, the question that arises is that where are the Zambian Academia and students in this equation?”

Dr. Habeenzu emphasised that this was critical on account that academic freedom is the foundation of university research and teaching.

“However, the freedom comes with come responsibilities and as academia, management, students, government and society at large owe each other responsibility to ensure that the academic freedom ecosystem functions optimally,” the Permanent Secretary said.

The National Symposium was organised by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC), in collaboration with the Ministries of Education and Technology and Science, and was held under the theme, “Academic Freedom in Higher Education: Practice and Challenges.”

However, the Director-General cautioned that whilst academic freedom is a type of freedom of speech which covers scholars acting in an academic capacity, as teachers or researchers expressing strictly scholarly viewpoints, academic freedom is a contested issue and, therefore, has limitations in practice.

“In the United States, for example, according to the widely recognised “1940 Statement on Academic Freedom and Tenure” of the American Association of University Professors, teachers should be careful to avoid controversial matters that are unrelated to the subject discussed,” Prof. Simukanga expounded.

Prof. Simukanga further explained that what the “1940 Statement on Academic Freedom and Tenure” meant was that when teachers spoke or wrote in public, they were allowed to express their opinions without fear from institutional censorship or discipline, but they needed to show restraint and clearly indicate that they were not speaking for their institution.

The Director-General, who taught at the University of Zambia from 1985 before becoming its Vice-Chancellor in 2007 for 8years and who is a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries, called for academic tenure to be enforced as it further ensures that this protects academic freedom.

“Academic tenure guarantees that teachers can only be fired for causes such as gross professional incompetence or behaviour that evokes condemnation from the academic community itself,” Professor Simukanga said.

The Director-General said this when he delivered remarks during the National Symposium on Academic Freedom which was held at Government Complex in Lusaka from 15^th and 16^th December, 2021.

The National Symposium was organised by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC), in collaboration with the Ministries of Education and Technology and Science, and was held under the theme, “Academic Freedom in Higher Education: Practice and Challenges.”

Join the conversation @HEAZambia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube using the hashtag #HEAZambia #HigherEducationZambia, and visit our website for ALL the information on higher education in Zambia.

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The study was conducted using a web-based/online questionnaire survey of 150 academic staff from the University of Zambia (UNZA), Copperbelt University (CBU), Mulungushi University, Chalimbana University, Kwame Nkrumah University and Mukuba University.

The study was conducted and presented by Dr. William Phiri, a Lecturer at Chalimbana University, during the National Symposium on Academic Freedom which was held at Government Complex in Lusaka from 15^th and 16^th December, 2021.

Dr. Phiri stated that the study further reviewed that 20% of the respondents failed to exercise academic freedom due to government policies, whilst 18% failed due to intimidation from top university management.

“The study further showed that 16% failed to exercise academic freedom due to the restrictiveness from higher education institution regulatory bodies, whilst 15% felt that fellow academics hindered them from doing so,” Dr. Phiri stated.

Dr. Phiri further stated that the research showed that there was a greater understanding of academic freedom amongst academic staff from the older public universities like UNZA, CBU and Mulungushi, which stood at 83.3%, compared to 8% among the newer public universities like Chalimbana, Kwame Nkrumah and Mukuba.

“This greater understanding amongst the older and much more established public universities was due to the existence of policies, systems and structures that supported academic freedom, with veteran and experienced academicians at senior lecturer, associate professor and full professor levels,” he explained.

The research further presented proactive measures that would counter threats to academic freedom which included shared governance and tenure.

“Shared governance, which is democracy in action, is a set of practices under which the university faculty and some staff members participate in significant decisions about the operation of their institution,” Dr. Phiri said, adding that this was intended to ensure that academic decisions were made for strictly academic reasons and not for political, commercial or bureaucratic reasons.

Dr. Phiri further explained that tenure did not mean a lifetime job guarantee but it guaranteed due process in termination and, as such, academic freedom would be protected as the university could not fire a tenured Professor unless it presented compelling evidence.

The National Symposium was organised by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC), in collaboration with the Ministries of Education and Technology and Science, and was held under the theme, “Academic Freedom in Higher Education: Practice and Challenges.”

Join the conversation @HEAZambia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube using the hashtag #HEAZambia #HigherEducationZambia, and visit our website for ALL the information on higher education in Zambia.

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Join the conversation @HEAZambia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube using the hashtag #HEAZambia #HigherEducationZambia, and visit our website for ALL the information on higher education in Zambia.

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Speaking when she gave remarks on behalf of the organisation, ZANEC Board Member, Mrs. Christine Mwasiti Menda, stated that ZANEC has conducted studies and produced publications on the Academic Freedom Study, the Generic Code of Conduct on Academic Freedom, and the recent study on the Student Situation Analysis on Academic Freedom.

“As a coalition, we believe that the tenets of academic freedom should be respected by all stakeholders for homegrown solutions to thrive in our country,” Mrs. Menda said.

Mrs. Menda further stated that it was important that at the end of the symposium, clear outcomes were developed for the betterment of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). She added that these outcomes should be taken forward by the lawmakers, who were represented at the symposium by the Minister of Education, the Minister of Technology and Science through the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, and the Members of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Technology.

Mrs. Menda was speaking during the National Symposium on Academic Freedom which was held at Government Complex in Lusaka from 15^th and 16^th December, 2021.

The National Symposium was organised by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC), in collaboration with the Ministries of Education and Technology and Science, wand was held under the theme, “Academic Freedom in Higher Education: Practice and Challenges.”

Join the conversation @HEAZambia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube using the hashtag #HEAZambia #HigherEducationZambia, and visit our website for ALL the information on higher education in Zambia.

For more exclusive content, SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST: http://hea.us16.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=43981b0a12bc108449006a396&id=482a71460e

Join the conversation @HEAZambia on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube using the hashtag #HEAZambia #HigherEducationZambia, and visit our website for ALL the information on higher education in Zambia.

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