HIGHER education and training minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, said he was committed to help the University of Venda to introduce an engineering department.
He made this promise during his visit to the university last Thursday, during which he officially opened a new students’ residence.
Nzimande engaged with various stakeholders including council, management, unions and student leadership.
Later he addressed university personnel and students and expressed his satisfaction with the university’s progress, both in terms of infrastructure and the academic core project.
He was particularly elated to see the dramatic rise in research outputs and the support of all stakeholders in cultivating a stable and conducive environment for the university business to prosper.
Nzimande promised to ensure that historically disadvantaged universities were supported financially to address the many challenges they continued to face as legacies of Apartheid.
Vice chancellor and principal of the university, Prof Peter Mbati, expressed his excitement over the minister’s commitment to support the introduction of an engineering department.
He said the university would introduce courses like mine engineering, agricultural engineering, water engineering and construction technology from 2017.
Mbati added that the university worked towards allied health programmes such as optometry, dentistry, pharmacy and laboratory technology. Graduates from these programmes would significantly contribute to the skills sets necessary for the socio-economic development of the region and South Africa.
Nzimande urged university management to work with all stakeholders, including government, to develop Thohoyandou as a university town just like Grahamstown and Stellenbosch.
