A generation of academics and students from across the country and around the world received their education at the International University of Management.
What started in a tiny classroom operating from a house – with only a teacher and one student – to the world-class institution it is today, the IUM has evolved in leaps and bounds.
As we celebrate 32 years of independence and Namibian achievements, we have to acknowledge the milestones of one of the biggest privately owned universities in the country and its contribution to the education sector.
IUM is the product of a visionary Namibian, and former minister of education, David Namwandi, who was concerned about the observed limited opportunities for the production of high-level knowledge and skills among the people, especially from the previously disadvantaged community.
In 1994, Namwandi started to actualise his vision by establishing the then Institute of Higher Education with himself as the only teacher, and one student, in a tiny room in his house in Windhoek North, relying on a minuscule capital outlay of about N$500.
In 2002, the Institute of Higher Education was transformed into the International University of Management (IUM), becoming the first private university in Namibia.
Since then, from its humble beginnings, IUM has grown in leaps and bounds in terms of infrastructure, student population as well as human resources for teaching, research, and general administration.
It started as a backyard facility and it soon became a multi-campus university, with campuses spread over the country in Windhoek, Nkurenkuru, Ongwediva, and Walvis Bay.
“The idea is to reach as many of our young people as possible in this vast territory that defines the geography of Namibia,” explained the institution’s Vice Chancellor Oladele Arowolo, as he shares the rich history of IUM.
IUM is now home to over 12 000 students, distributed across six faculties, such as business administration, strategic management and leadership, information and communication technology, tourism, hospitality and events management, health and social sciences, education, and three centres; centre for environmental sciences, research and consultancy as well as the centre for distance and e-learning.
Apart from Bachelor degrees, undergraduate certificates, and Diploma programmes being offered in these faculties and centres, the school of postgraduate studies offers Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Business Administration, Strategic Management and Leadership, Education, Information and Communication Technology, Tourism and Hospitality, and Sustainable Water Resources Management.
“Our vision is to encourage and develop an African cadre of men and women who can operate at international standards in business,” said Arowolo, adding that they also take pride in the mission of establishing a higher seat of learning in Namibia and training innovative specialists for the public and private sectors for Namibia and other countries in the world and to train dedicated knowledge workers who will provide leadership at national and international levels.
Asked what sets the institution apart from its competitors, Arowolo said as a not-for-profit private university, they have long realised that they are operating in a free market.
For the survival and sustainability of IUM’s programmes, he said they have been responding to the need to innovate more and be more agile and enterprising.
“Our integrity continues to be anchored on the type and quality of programmes we design, develop and deliver, by our resilience, by our ability to remain focused, and on our individual and collective productivity,” he noted.
Over the past two decades as a university, IUM contributed significantly to the nation’s economic and social pillars that support the national goals of Namibia through the training of highly skilled graduates.
“With the current increasing student population, there comes a demand to improve the learning environment and service delivery to students. Consequently, IUM continues to improve its infrastructure, facilities, and equipment as well as building and acquiring new ones on the one hand, and attracting and appointing well-qualified lecturers and professionals to successfully deliver our interrelated programmes of research, teaching, and community engagement,” he explained.
Reflecting on the achievements of the university for over the past 26 years of existence, Namwandi said the university’s core functions of teaching, learning, research, and community outreach shall continue to expand and inspire the youth, for them to think critically; to innovate and to embed the right values and attitudes for sustainable, constructive and productive engagements.
“We vow to impart sound education in order to impact the lives of our people positively. There is no doubt about this, and we are destined to win because we have history on our side. From day one, we have been determined to mould young minds to be creative and to be creators of work and wealth. This is a mission we set ourselves to achieve and we shall not disengage until this sacred cause has been met and achieved,” he said.
– ashikololo@nepc.com.na