Ntsebeng Motsoeli
MASERU — Professor Mafa Sejanamane has been appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Lesotho (NUL), the Sunday Express has learned.
Sejanamame was one of the four candidates shortlisted for the vice- chancellor’s position which later went to Professor Sharon Siverts.
After his bid to land the top job Sejanamame applied for the Pro-Vice-Chancellor’s position which was internally advertised early this year.
Sejanamane, who was the university’s acting vice chancellor between 2004 and 2006, is currently a professor of political science in the political department at NUL.
The appointment has not yet been announced but the Sunday Express was told by a council member that the council decided to offer the job to
Sejanamane at its meeting last Monday.
“Sejanamane has been offered the position of pro-vice-chancellor. He was competing against three other applicants,” the council member said.
“His tasks will include overseeing the work and performances of teaching staff as well as setting up guidelines for lecturers.”
Sejanamane is also expected to review the university’s curricula and set up a tuition and learning centre.
He will work with heads of departments to set up post-graduate and research programmes which the council says are seriously lacking at NUL.
Sejanamane holds a doctorate in political science from Dalhousie University in Canada as well as a Master of Arts degree in political science from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
The 60-year-old joined NUL as a lecturer in 1979.
He has also worked in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
After he was replaced as acting vice-chancellor in 2006 Sejanamane, who is also a political analyst, ventured into politics and became treasurer for the main opposition All Basotho Convention (ABC), Lesotho’s biggest opposition party by way of parliament presentation.
In his curriculum vitae the academic says he has over 20 years managerial and technical experience acquired in Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
This experience, he says, puts him in good stead to deal with NUL’s challenges.
“I have worked in universities and in civil society organizations for over 30 years. I have served at all levels (lecturer to professor) at universities,” Sejanamane says in a CV he submitted when he was applying for the vice-chancellor’s job.
“Administratively I have also served as head of department, dean of the faculty, director of the institute, pro-vice-chancellor and acting vice-chancellor of the National University of Lesotho on several occasions.”
“I’ve no doubt that I can be of assistance to NUL as it focuses on its renewal”.
Sejanamane began his teaching career at NUL in 1979. He was appointed associate professor of political science in 1993.
Between 1996 and 1997 Sejamane was a professor of political science at the University of Venda in South Africa.
His appointment as pro-vice-chancellor comes as NUL is facing severe financial difficulties.
It is allegedly broke and owes the Lesotho Revenue Authority about M10 million in taxes.
The university is also struggling with a M5 million budget deficit.
An assessment that was done when he was interviewed for the vice–chancellor’s position said Sejanamane had a “deep conceptual understanding of higher education issues and what needs to be done”.
The assessment said he also presented a “robust and rigorous analysis and knowledge of the NUL’s environment and challenges including inherent legal structural problems which he said had to be addressed as a matter of extreme urgency”.
During his stint as the acting vice-chancellor Sejanamane presided over the construction of the new extensions to the library, as well as laboratories for the agriculture and health sciences faculties.
He is also credited for building more student hostels on the campus.
The assessment however said some people had pointed out that Sejanamane has received undue credit for those projects because they were not his plan in the first place.
“Some members felt he was a clique related person, very vindictive and character destructive,” the assessment report said.
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