Unam lecturer to appeal dismissal

A University of Namibia (Unam) lecturer who was fired after being found guilty of sexual harassment will appeal the dismissal. Dr John Lilemba’s dismissal followed a disciplinary procedure which found him guilty of trying to solicit sexual favours from students in return for good grades. Lawyers close to the case say the appeal will be based on the fact that no actual sexual intercourse happened. Lilemba was investigated after Education Minister David Namwandi, then the deputy minister, last year ordered a probe into allegations that some lecturers at Unam were soliciting sexual favours from students in a ‘sex-for-marks’ scandal. Namwandi asked the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate what he described as an act of academic fraud. In early October this year a disciplinary hearing was conducted, bringing an end to the matter that was first reported by Unam’s Students Representative Council (SRC) more than two years ago. Explicit text message The ACC was provided with a series of sexually explicit text messages, which it investigated before submitting its findings back to Namwandi. Namwandi ordered Unam to institute a disciplinary hearing against Lilemba – a process that ended in his dismissal. Lilemba offered lectures in Philosophy of Education, as well as courses in Governance of Schools and Monitoring School Effectiveness. Last week Namwandi said: “We will not tolerate such behaviour at our academic institutions.” Lilemba could not be reached since last week as his mobile phone remained switched off. At the time of the investigation Namwandi was convinced that demanding sex in return for marks represented academic fraud of the highest order. This, he said, was because it promotes a situation where students are sexually exploited in return for marks that they did not acquire in a deserving and honest manner. The minister was also concerned that the country’s job market would be awash with people with paper qualifications but who possess no skills because their acquisition of academic qualifications was a result of bedroom favours. The Education Ministry also conducted an investigation at the Polytechnic of Namibia, where sexual relationships between students and academic staff were said to be rife.