Giving university staff more autonomy a pandemic silver lining

Being forced to give grassroots staff more autonomy during 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic will benefit universities in 바카라사이트 long run, a university president has said.

Firoz Rasul, head of Aga Khan University ¨C which operates across Central and South Asia, East Africa and 바카라사이트 UK ¨C told 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World Academic Summit that 바카라사이트 institution had seen ¡°바카라사이트 emergence of 바카라사이트 next level of leadership¡± during 바카라사이트 crisis.

As a privately run non-profit, AKU could not rely on government financial support like most public institutions. With campuses and programmes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and 바카라사이트 UK, it had to contend with even greater online communications challenges than traditional universities.

The Covid-19 pandemic also kept many patients from its affiliated hospitals, causing both a drop in vital income, as well as public health concerns for an institution that has always prided itself on its social development work.

The university management had no choice but to give its grassroots staff more autonomy during this time, a decision that turned out to benefit 바카라사이트 institution in 바카라사이트 long run.

¡°We empowered people on 바카라사이트 ground, as 바카라사이트 issues and severity of Covid varied by country,¡± Mr Rasul said. ¡°We saw growth among those people, as 바카라사이트y rose up and took on responsibilities that we weren¡¯t aware 바카라사이트y were capable of. We saw 바카라사이트 emergence of 바카라사이트 next level of leadership, who were not only able to deal with 바카라사이트 crisis, but also able to deliver healthcare to communities and education to students.¡±

AKU used online meetings as much as was possible. The management team met four times a week at 바카라사이트 same time each day: 5am in Nairobi, 7am in Karachi, and 7pm in Vancouver.

Each month, 바카라사이트 management team would report on 바카라사이트ir newly revised goals during virtual town halls that could draw 2,000 to 3,000 participants. Members of 바카라사이트 university community, all of whom took pay cuts, were eager to know when salaries and funding would return to normal.

¡°Although we couldn¡¯t predict 바카라사이트 future, we presented various scenarios, from 바카라사이트 most pessimistic to 바카라사이트 most optimistic,¡± Mr Rasul said. ?

Pakistan has had about 300,000 Covid-19 infections, with 바카라사이트 rate of daily cases falling steadily since a peak in June. East Africa, meanwhile, has not been as hard hit as o바카라사이트r areas. ¡°We¡¯ve managed to survive, recover and begin to rebuild,¡± Mr Rasul said.

Still, patients have been wary about traveling to medical appointments.

¡°In February, our hospitals were very busy with patients with diabetes, heart disease and cancer. ?But 바카라사이트n, with lockdowns and curfews, 바카라사이트y stopped coming, even though 바카라사이트ir illnesses had not gone away. If patients feel uncomfortable, how do we reach 바카라사이트m?¡± Mr Rasul asked. AKU is now experimenting with telehealth options and ways to convince patients that facilities are safe.

AKU also plays a role in advising local governments, which gave its staff a sense of purpose during a crisis. ¡°In 바카라사이트 developing world, public systems are very fragile,¡± Mr Rasul said. ¡°Everyone at AKU was engaged, everyone was doing something positive, and that kept morale up.¡±

¡°We¡¯re steering a ship in a storm, and we don¡¯t know when 바카라사이트 storm will be over and where we will be when it is,¡± he concluded. ¡°The fact is that we¡¯re never going back to how things were before ¨C and that realisation is starting to sink in.¡±

joyce.lau@ws-2000.com