Nakusera defends Nust VC appointment
Nakusera defends Nust VC appointment

Nakusera defends Nust VC appointment

The council of the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) has defended its appointment of Dr Erold Naomab as the university's new vice-chancellor.
Herma Prinsloo
JEMIMA BEUKES

WINDHOEK



The chairperson of the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) council, Floretta Nakusera, says they will be able to defend the appointment of Dr Erold Naomab as the university's new vice-chancellor at any given time.

This is despite Professor Frednard Gideon scoring the highest at 68.8 % compared to Noamab's 64.5% during the interview.

“Initially three out of five Joint Search Committee of Council recommended Dr Noamab based on the four criteria of the interview process. The matter was debated at length by council who has the prerogative to appoint (sic),” Nakusera said.

Nakusera also said they had explained to the minister of higher education, technology and innovation, Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi, how the council had scored and opted for Naomab.

“There is nothing sinister. We stand upright for integrity and to protect our good names. We can defend this appointment at any given time. We have written to the minister to respond to her letter to explain it,” she said.

Nakusera also added that the prerogative to appoint lies with the council.



Minister's letter

Kandjii-Murangi wrote to the council that she had learned of allegations that Nust's council had opted for elections in the identification of a candidate for a possible appointment as the vice-chancellor.

“It is alleged that this was in total disregard of the various assessments outcomes. The said allegations, if true, are totally out of line and at odd with the principles of good governance,” she wrote.

Scores

The interview panel ranked Dr Naomab's performance as moderate with some limitations and recommended him for the role with reservations.

It is also indicated that his results on all four of the five capabilities met the requirements at the minimum level. However, his results on integrity tests caused concern as they may indicate a willingness to circumvent established organisational policies and practices.

On the other hand, the panel ranked Professor Gideon's reasoning ability, both critical and general, in line with his peers.

Gideon's results on the competency potential reportedly indicate a desirable competency level to be effective in the role while his results on the integrity tests show a willingness to follow organisational rules and relevant policies.

According to the quantitative scores based on the closed interviews, Professor Gideon was the leading candidate for the position, while Dr Naomab was leading the quantitative scores for the public presentations.

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-13

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