KATIMA MULILO – The University of Namibia (Unam) has become the institution of choice not only for Namibians but also for students from other countries.
Currently, Unam has students from 43 countries.
This sentiment was expressed by Unam Vice Chancellor Lazarus Hangula in a speech read on his behalf by Unam librarian, Ellen Namhila, during the official opening of the academic year in Katima Mulilo.
“This does not only mean Unam has become a more visible institution, it also means there is quality in the education and training that our national university provides to students. It is attested by the level of our ranking among African higher education institutions,” said Hangula.
According to Hangula, the growing student population at the institution is made up of students from different socio-economic backgrounds and they come from over 43 other countries around the world.
“The number of students who registered to study at Unam this academic year has risen from 19 506 last year to 19 824. They hail from different socio-economic backgrounds and come from 43 countries,” stated Hangula.
Hangula further revealed that this year will also see the first batch of students of Bachelor of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Education in Pre, Lower and Upper Primary graduate after the latter courses were introduced in 2011 following the merging of colleges of education into Unam’s Faculty of Education.
The Director of the Katima Mulilo Campus, Dr Bennet Kangumu, who expressed concern that the poor performance of grade 12 learners in the region last year has slightly affected the intake of new students, was equally gratified by the increasing number of students.
“The total number of students is slightly below 900. During the times of college, we only used to have around 300 students. However, we can promise that by 2016, we will reach the above 1 000 mark. The enrolment was affected by the performance of our Grade 12 in 2014. We also have five international students, three from Zambia and two from Zimbabwe,” boasted Kangumu.
Kangumu was also concerned about inadequate facilities at the campus, which he says are challenges that the institution is gradually addressing.
“There are challenges that come with the increase of student numbers and the introduction of study programmes. We have challenges with inadequate hostel space for students. We also lack recreational facilities, classes and laboratories. These are issues that we are currently trying to resolve,” he stated.
He further announced at the event that the campus will hold two major conferences this year, an international symposium on border regions in Southern Africa and a conference on education that will bring together various academics.
Katima Mulilo Unam campus, which traditionally only hosted the Faculty of Education, has introduced two new programmes to its curriculum namely the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) degree and the Higher Diploma in Animal Health. This is in addition to various other programmes that can be accessed through its centre for external studies.
Still under the Faculty of Education, a new diploma programme in junior primary education (DJPE) has been introduced this year.