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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
THE Government has given the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) two months to find common ground with the institution’s lecturers who ended their strike yesterday after accusing top managers of mismanagement.

The ultimatum follows a decision by lecturers to petition the university’s council over a number of grievances that include alleged mismanagement at Nust.

The lecturers accused management of splashing money on personal cars while there is a shortage of teaching and learning aids at the university.

In an interview yesterday, National University of Science and Technology Educators’ Association (Nusteda) secretary general Mr Blessing Jona said lecturers are temporarily back at work after Government intervened.

He said officials from the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development led by principal director for academic affairs, Engineer Willie Ganda, visited the university last Friday to discuss the institution’s problems.

Mr Jona said Eng Ganda gave the university a two-month ultimatum to resolve problems affecting the university.

“Lecturers are back at work ending the strike that started on Wednesday last week. We temporarily called off the strike after the intervention of the ministry. We were humbled by the ministry’s dedication to our concerns and its swift reaction to intervene. Last Friday, ministry officials came down to the university and met with the chairperson of council and his vice and the university was given two months to resolve our concerns,” said Mr Jona.

He said on Thursday, lecturers will meet the university’s council to discuss issues affecting the university.

Mr Jona could not comment on the grievances that were raised. However, a source said the lecturers were unhappy that the university had increased its enrolment without the corresponding infrastructural development.

The lecturers also said they have to scramble for the little available equipment such as projectors, but management was prioritising personal top of the range vehicles as part of their service conditions.

Nust’s director of marketing and communication, Mr Felix Moyo, said they have agreed to solve the issues internally.

@nqotshili