Coping or Collapsing? An Assessment of Load Shedding Coping Mechanisms at the National Institute of Public Administration Livingstone Campus, Zambia

This study investigated the effectiveness of coping mechanisms in alleviating the burden of load shedding on public higher education institutions in Zambia, using the National Institute of Public Administration’s Livingstone campus as a case study. The research was prompted by the increasing frequency of power outages in the country, which continue to disrupt institutional operations particularly in educational settings that depend heavily on ICT infrastructures, digital platforms, and uninterrupted administrative processes. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining quantitative data from 168 structured questionnaires administered to students selected through simple random sampling, with qualitative insights gathered through five key informant interviews with lecturers and administrative staff selected purposively for their direct involvement in institutional decision-making on load shedding. The questionnaire was pre-tested and reviewed by experts to establish its reliability and validity prior to full administration. Descriptive statistics, including means and standard deviations, were calculated for quantitative data, while thematic analysis was applied to open-ended responses.
The findings revealed that institutions adopted a range of coping strategies, including the use of generators, solar panels, backup ICT systems, and management coordination frameworks. Among these, management coordination emerged as the most practically applicable strategy, whereas solar systems and ICT backups proved less effective due to limited capacity and recurrent disrepair. Although these measures provided temporary relief, they did not eliminate the operational disruptions caused by load shedding. ICT-dependent academic work, administration, and institutional processes continued to be significantly hampered. The study concludes that the coping mechanisms currently in place are not only fragile but also problematic, reflecting the contentious institutional environments shaped by Zambia’s structural energy crisis. In response, the research recommends strategic energy planning at the institutional level, substantial investment in renewable energy sources, and the adoption of hybrid energy systems to build long-term resilience.

Load shedding, coping mechanisms, higher education institutions

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