(Jamaica Gleaner) Struggling to adjust to a J$1-billion cut in its subvention from the Jamaican Govern-ment, the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, is to introduce several belt-tightening measures in a bid to survive.
Among the big reforms is putting pressure on permanent lecturers who have been getting full pay for half their scheduled classroom time, resulting in a ballooning wage bill for temps.
The sweeping changes could include cuts in the number of part-time academic staff, a reduction in the number of administrative staff and changes in areas such as the bursary and the human resources departments.
Though no full-timers will be cast aside, a yet-to-be-determined number of part-time lecturers and non-academic staff may lose their jobs in a shake-up to take place in the short term – by September; the medium term – by December; and the long term – by the start of the 2011-2012 school year.
But in a bid to calm fears, Professor Gordon Shirley, principal of the Mona campus, told The Gleaner on Thursday night that job cuts were not the first order of business although all cards are on the table.
“I have not indicated that there are to be any staff reductions. What I outlined are some efficiency measures.
“I also indicated that it may lead there but that’s not where we are starting. We have to ensure that we look under every stone to make sure that there is nothing left,” the professor said.
Time for optimal use
Shirley indicated that the university was not making the best use of its human resources – representing more than a two-thirds of its expenditure for 2008-09, according to its most recent bookkeeping.
Speaking to a group of anxious employees on Thursday afternoon, Shirley pointed out that full-time academic staff should have 10 contact hours with students each week but, in many cases, full-time lecturers were doing much less.
He noted that in some cases, full-time members of the academic staff were collecting salaries while doing as little as five contact hours each week.
Under the planned restructuring, all full-time staff will be kept on, but they will be required to do the 10 contact hours, allowing for reduced wage allocations to part-timers.
Heads of department have been instructed to allocate more teaching hours to full-time staff. This is expected to result in savings of $420 million annually.
Shirley noted that this would mean that some lecturers would work outside their comfort hours of between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m, which “is the time that everybody seems to want to teach”.
The Mona campus is expected to save a further $400 million annually by restructuring its administrative and non-academic staff.
Some areas will see staff cuts while others will be automated and streamlined.
