By Berio Mbala WINDHOEK The international prominence of the Polytechnic is enhanced by its network of international university partners. Student exchange programmes provide direct development for individual students through their participations in academic programmes of partners’ universities. Four students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Polytechnic have been awarded a three-month exchange programme to Purkyne University in the Czech Republic. The second-year students are Rudolf Kalumbu, Patience Sauzuo, Donwell du Plessis and Tjomi Shatika, and their flight, accommodation and tuition fees are sponsored by the Czech’s government. Speaking to the exchange students, the Rector of the Polytechnic of Namibia, Tjama Tjivikua, said the exchange programme provides students with an opportunity to gain experience, learn from a new culture and improve the competitive educational position in a global world. “This is a great opportunity for your dreams to come true,” he said. “We signed a collaboration of exchange students with the Purkyne University two years ago for students to be exchanged between the two universities. So far six students have already been exchanged in the programmes to pursue their studies, and none of them have disappointed us”. “We are sending you out to gain expertise for future generations. The door has opened for you, so use this opportunity to study and for this country to become a developed one,” said Tjivikua. “We live in a modern world. The technology can allow us to log in to the internet and find much information on the place we are looking for. Hope you guys did the same,” he added. Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Samuel John, said: “These are our four students we are sending to Purkyne University as exchange programmes”. He said: “All first-year mechanical students were assigned to do an assignement which was marked by someone from Purkyne University and who chose the best four, which are the ones in the exchange programmes. They left the country on February 19 for the Czech Republic and will be coming back after three months.” He said that, in the exchange with the Purkyne University, only one student had arrived in the country on January 27, and she left on February 20. The exchange student from the University of Jana Evangelity Purkyne, Suabodova Jarodlava, said she came to the Polytechnic for her Bachelor Research Project on valves and pumps that are mainly for the distribution of water in various areas. She said her project did not get as much information as she needed because of the short period of time spent in the country, but she will be in contact with the people at the Polytechnic of Namibia to help her project become successful. Exchange student in the Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic of Namibia, Patience Sauzuo, said she feels honoured to be one of the exchange students to Purkyne University. “This will be a great experience for me to interact with foreign students and learn from them, ” she said. ” I would like to thank God for this opportunity because He is the one making things possible. Without Him, nothing is possible,” she said. The Rector concluded by urging the four students to use this opportunity of going to Purkyne University to learn and gain as much experience as possible and come back to Namibia as graduates with flying colours in order for you to become productive engineers. “Our government sponsors you to make use of this opportunity and for graduates to become windows of expertise,” he added. Study hard, come back and graduate with flying colours.