Limpopo Business 2020/21 edition

OVERVIEW Education The

OVERVIEW Education The University of Limpopo celebrated 60 years in 2019. The University of Limpopo celebrated a significant milestone in September 2019, a 60th birthday. As part of the celebrations, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was installed as the university’s first female Chancellor. Early in 2020, the university received a gift in the form of a R480- million loan from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) for the construction of a 3 500-bed student residence. Other contributions will come from the Department of Higher Education and Training and the National Treasury Budget Facility for Infrastructure. This is the first phase of a longer-term project to provide 15 000 beds over the next 15 years. The University of Venda (UNIVEN) is making strides in the field of waste-to-energy. The Green Technologies Promotion Drive draws from the Department of Physics and the schools of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences with support from the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Water Research Commission (WRC). One of its goals is to develop the biogas market. The Univen Innovative Growth Company offers professional services to the outside world through four units which cover areas such as statistics and design and editing. This not only creates another revenue stream for the University of Venda but links the academic institution to the commercial world. The Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (formerly part of Limpopo University) is now an independent university in Gauteng Province. University of South Africa (Unisa) has a regional support centre in Polokwane and agencies at Makhado and Giyani. The longstanding issue of school sanitation infrastructure is being tackled aggressively. A commitment was made in February 2020 that 515 schools in the province will benefit from new or upgraded infrastructure this year. Some of the funding for this programme comes from the Presidential School Sanitation Infrastructure Grant. A Coding and Robotic curriculum is to be introduced in 110 primary schools in the 2021 academic year. There are 15 secondary schools in Limpopo offering Information Technology at Grade 12 Online Resources Limpopo Department of Education: www.edu.limpopo.gov.za National Education Collaboration Trust: www.nect.org.za Turfloof Graduate School of Leadership: www.ul.ac.za Sector Insight Energy research is going forward at the University of Venda. while 46 schools are offering Computer Applications Technology. During 2020, a further 75 secondary and 32 primary schools are to be provided with ICT equipment. The School Nutrition Programme in Limpopo feeds pupils in 3 795 public schools and the Scholar Transport Programme is active in 380 schools. The No-Fee School Policy applies to more than UIGC graduation. Image: UIGC 1.6-million pupils and more than 231 000 children have been enrolled at Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres. There are seven Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in Limpopo: Capricorn College, Lephalale College, Mopani East College, Mopani South College, Sekhukhune College, Vhembe College and Waterberg College. ■ LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2020/21 60

PROFILE University of Limpopo Finding solutions for Africa. The University of Limpopo celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2019. With a strong history in the struggle against apartheid, the university counts among its alumni the current Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni and President Cyril Ramaphosa. Located in the rural township of Mankweng in the Capricorn District of the Limpopo Province with an enrolment of 22 000 students, the university plays a vital role in the region. New hostels are being built to accommodate increasing demand and the university is expanding its curriculum and the scope of its research. History The University College of the North was established in 1959 in terms of legislation which aimed to create ethnicallybased institutions. However, the University of the North became a centre of resistance to apartheid. In 1972, Onkgopotse Tiro sharply criticised Bantu education in a graduation speech. He was expelled and later killed by a parcel bomb while exiled in Botswana. The University of Limpopo is the result of a 2005 merger between the former Medical University of Southern Africa and the University of the North. In 2015 the University of Limpopo became a standalone institution with its own Faculty of Health Sciences, offering qualifications in medicine, nursing, dietetics and nutrition, pharmacy, optometry and medical sciences. The 60th anniversary celebrations coincided with the inauguration of the university’s first female Chancellor, Dr Nkosazanza Dlamini-Zuma. A qualified medical practitioner, she was the first Minister of Health in post-apartheid South Africa and is currently Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Vision: To be a leading African university focused on the developmental needs of its communities and epitomising academic excellence and innovativeness. Mission: A university which responds actively to the development needs of its students, staff and communities through relevant and higher-quality education and training, research and community engagement, and in partnership and collaboration with its stakeholders. Values: Accountability; Transparency; Integrity; Academic Freedom; Excellence and Professionalism. Faculties Health Sciences Schools of Health Sciences and Medicine. Humanities Schools of Languages and Communication Studies; Education; Social Sciences. Science and Agriculture Schools of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Mathematical and Computer Sciences; Molecular and Life Sciences; Physical and Mineral Science. Management and Law Schools of Economics and Management; Law; Accountancy; Turfloop Graduate School of Leadership ■ Contact details Physical Address: C/O R71 Tzaneen Road and University Street, Mankweng Township, Polokwane, Limpopo Province Tel: +27 15 268 9111 Enrolment email: enrolment@ul.ac.za Website: www.ul.ac.za 61