By Poloko Mokhele
The National University of Lesotho’s (NUL) recently appointed Vice Chancellor, Professor Isaac Olusola Fajana says he plans to introduce a strategy that will enable students to enjoy a conducive environment for learning, including a friendly but firm approach by staff members in their teaching.
Prof Fajana indicated that this will help the students, alumni and the staff to promote the university in a good way to those who have the desire to further their studies.
“A satisfied student will be an engaged alumnus; current students and alumni will sell NUL to their peers to instigate massive enrolment by admission seekers and donations by the alumni,” he said.
Prof Fajana, who assumed his duties in early August, told the media on Wednesday that he intends to pursue a communication-driven peace strategy, which requires that all conflicts are handled effectively at the preventable stage without wasting scarce university funds on litigation.
The peace strategy is expected to apply in all relationships with staff, trade unions, students, and the host communities.
“To further oil this strategy an open-door policy will be introduced to provide explicitly for regular meetings with all the major stakeholders of NUL.
“Academic Staff must be adequate in number and quality. The efforts of NUL to increase the proportion of staff with a PhD, and the professorial group will be strengthened. Opportunities for studies abroad will be explored. Extra pay for professors and lecturers will be pursued. We shall strive to get industry to fund research,” Prof Fajana stated.
The country’s top university prides itself in empowering students who produce and manufacture products through the NUL Innovation Hub. Prof Fajana, who becomes the university’s 10th vice chancellor, said he intends to develop this further “by incubating more businesses on campus to encourage student entrepreneurship, and this will be a unique brand to NUL, as well as serve to industrialise the host communities.”
Prof Fajana takes over from Pro-Vice-Chancellor Associate Prof. Kananelo Mosito, who was the acting VC after the former VC Prof Nqosa Mahao left the institution in 2019. Before joining NUL, Prof Fajana was a full professor of Labour Economics and Human Resource Management at the University of Lagos, where he had worked for about four decades.
