Last Updated on Friday, July 28, 2023 by HEET Website Team
Building the capacity of academic staff and university leadership is crucial to meet the growing demands for expanding and increasing enrolment capacity at SUA. As the number of prospective students continues to rise, the university faces challenges in ensuring the availability of qualified academic staff and efficient higher education management and leadership.
To address these challenges, specific activities have been earmarked. One of the key initiatives is providing funds to facilitate training for university faculty at the MSc and PhD levels. The lack of funds has hindered many aspiring academic staff from reaching the PhD level, leading to a low number of female academic staff at SUA. Hence, special attention will be given to accelerating female academic staff in attaining their PhD degrees, encouraging their participation in STEM-based programs, academic positions, and research roles.
SUA plans to utilize the allocated funds for staff development to enable faculty in priority programs to obtain advanced degrees (Masters and PhDs). Additionally, technical staff, whose impact on students is equally important, will receive short-term training. The university envisions that, by the end of the project, a total of 70 university faculty and technical staff will have acquired Masters and PhD degrees in priority disciplines, with 32 obtaining Masters and 38 earning PhDs.
Retooling the academic staff is another focus area, and this will be achieved through workshops and training programs. The University Teaching and Learning Improvement Programme (UTLIP) will be offered to enhance teaching skills. Training on communication of research and engagement with the private sector/industry, as well as outreach programs, will also be provided.
To ensure the sustainable development of the university, SUA plans to enhance the management capacity of university leaders through training in strategic management, organizational marketing, and other relevant areas. Renowned experts at national, regional, and international levels will conduct these trainings. The leaders will also have the opportunity to learn from successful institutions through tours and learning visits. Additionally, the university will strengthen its response capacity during crises.
The project administration is a critical aspect of the project’s success. A core team of leaders with expertise in financial management, procurement management, and environmental and social safeguards will oversee the day-to-day planning and implementation of project activities. Component leaders from priority programs will also be involved, with sub-teams overseeing activities within their respective departments.
Project management will encompass activities such as project monitoring and evaluation, site meetings, project supervision, and report writing. Allocated funds will cover project management, monitoring and evaluation, meetings for drafting specifications, report preparations, travel for meetings, project auditing (both internal and external), and compliance with regulatory requirements.