Africa-Press – Namibia. THE expansion of the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) is the most effective way to reach out to the communities in far reached areas in the country. The new NUST Eenhana satellite campus in the Ohangwena Region will be temporarily stationed at Billy Mwaningange Rural Development Centre at Eembaxu.
Speaking at the official opening on Thursday, Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the establishment of the NUST campus is a commitment to meet the human resources needs in all parts of Namibia to ensure that the country can fully harness its Human Resources to optimize National development.
“Satellite campuses are uniquely placed to serve the needs of their localities and contribute towards local development through research, business, and community engagement,” she said.
Kuugongelwa-Aadhila said government has been growing their tertiary education sector, making it more diverse, to offer Namibians many pathways to explore and chase their aspirations.
“We upgraded the Polytechnic of Namibia into a fully-fledged Namibia University of Science and Technology to create more specialized courses for students. We are now building new campuses and expanding the range of their courses,” she said.
She indicated that Namibia’s future prosperity depends on having a highly-skilled population, effective managers and an education and training system which respond to the changing needs of the economy and society.
NUST Vice-Chancellor Erold Naomab said the new satellite campus is not only for Ohangwena Region, but for the international community. He indicated that the campus also brings services closure to the students who from come as far as Angola to access needed tertiary education.
Speaker of the National Assembly Prof Peter Katjvivi said over the past year the institution has decided to broaden its national footprint and therefore taking Higher Education to the people. Therefore the decision was made to open its first satellite campus outside of Windhoek.
Katjavivi stated that the Eenhana campus is a national-level project that speaks to developmental objectives of the government of Namibia and complements the Ohangwena Regional Development Plan.
“The new satellite campus will not only educate young professionals for this region, but indeed will empower them to access employment across the country and indeed beyond Namibia,” he said.
Speaking at the same occasion, governor of Ohangwena Walde Ndevashiya said the quality and relevance of University education has been a serious concern for both private and public sector employers.
Ndevashiya stated that the inequalities of access to university education remain in terms of social class, geographical location especially rural area students, marginalized groups as well as those with special needs.
“Having NUST in Ohangwena Region will bridge this gap as it will improve access to university education,” he said.
He added that the higher education sector is a natural partner to the knowledge-based economy. Ndevashiya said universities help train the workforce of tomorrow while supporting the innovations of today.
He added that the establishment of the NUST Eenhana campus will create a knowledge-based economy that is characterized by dependence on a highly-skilled, well educated, and technically-minded workforce that will make use of advancements in technology alongside intellectual capital to move away from material consumption and aim towards an economy built on knowledge and data.
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