Once strongholds of moral authority and intelligence, many of our public universities are today resounding with strikes, distrust, and silence. This article examines how internal power struggles, politics, and mistrust are transforming enlightened hubs into battlegrounds and what it means for higher education going forward.
From Beacons of Knowledge to Battlegrounds of Power
Historically, public universities were revered for growth, honesty, and knowledge. Discontent, dissatisfaction, and division are becoming more common aspects of them nowadays. Worker strikes, governance conflicts, and leadership issues are increasingly and constantly in the news. Internal conflicts, waged with petitions, suspensions, and subtle sabotage rather than ideas, have eclipsed the honorable goal of education. Within these walls, groups emerge, alliances are formed, and rumors of treachery become more prevalent than lectures.
Once a community of scholars, it now resembles a colony of survivors, each defending their own territory, reputation, or power within a system that seems to be lost.
The Politics of Pay and the Erosion of Trust
The persistent dissatisfaction in all public universities points to a more serious problem: a breakdown in staff-leader trust. Confidence in institutional administration has been eroded by salary discrepancies, late payments, and ambiguous decision-making.
However, this goes beyond compensation; it also involves fairness and decency. Loyalty wanes when people feel that their efforts are no longer fairly rewarded. The politics of survival overpower the goal of higher education, and the hallways of academia turn into echo chambers of animosity.
This is not just a pay dispute. We are seeing a crisis of governance, where accountability and openness have been made optional, and directives have taken the place of discussion.
Walls Within Walls: The Rise of Organisational Politics
Quiet wars fought within are more hazardous than those fought in public. Universities are seeing the rise of invisible barriers that separate management and councils, unions and members, and even coworkers. The spirit of collegiality is being choked by these internal walls, which are based on mistrust and misunderstandings.
Once a faint undercurrent, organizational politics has grown into a powerful force that is erasing morality and merit. Who is in agreement with whom now drives strategic decisions rather than logic or data.
The tragedy lies in the fact that while scholars debate leadership theories in the classroom, their own organizations fail due to inadequate leadership in real-world situations.
Leadership and Governance at Crossroads
Universities are more than just places of employment; they are social moral compass points. Their loss of direction has a nationwide impact. Higher education is currently facing a governance dilemma. Sometimes, the councils that are meant to be in control become embroiled in politics.
The management that should be driving change is involved in the firefighting process. Employee welfare unions might have internal conflicts. The outcome? Paralysis. Furthermore, stagnating institutions hurt the nation’s intellectual future.
Rethinking university governance is urgently needed, with an emphasis on transparency, integrity, and shared accountability. Restoring trust and promoting unity are the goals of leadership, not dominance..
Reclaiming the Lost Ethos
Public universities must recover their moral and intellectual compass if they are to remain real centers of enlightenment. Truth is the first step towards transformation. Unions must regain moral authority, management must reestablish credibility, and councils must demand honesty. Employees must choose unity over silence.
The politics of power need to give way to the ethic of purpose. Because when universities turn against themselves, they no longer enlighten; instead, they become just reflections of their former selves.
A Call to Reflection
University unrest is not an isolated incident; rather, it reflects a country grappling with issues of justice, fairness, and leadership. Our readiness to face these hard realities will determine the destiny of our universities and, in fact, our society. Where will future generations learn about integrity and good governance if knowledge centers are unable to serve as role models for them? Instead of building political walls, we need to construct bridges of trust. Silence is no longer an option.
🗣️ What are your thoughts? Your voice is important in influencing the path of higher education, so please share your opinions in the comments section.
The author is a strategy and governance consultant, leadership trainer, and university lecturer. She writes about leadership, workplace fairness, and the ethical dimensions of management.
Email address: info@marymugo.com.
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