The Sunday News
ON 16 October, Lupane State University (LSU) held its 5th graduation ceremony, where the institution’s Chancellor, President Mugabe capped 484 graduates who graduated with diplomas, first degrees and Masters degrees in various disciplines.
Out of the total 484 who graduated, 139 graduated with diplomas, 315 with first degrees while the remainder graduated with Masters degrees.
This year’s graduates more than doubled the 190 who graduated last year at the institution, a sign that the university is steadily growing.
At its inception in 2005, LSU started with just 12 students, but over the years the enrollment has phenomenally grown to the present 3 040.
This year’s graduation also saw, for the first time, the institution presenting graduands from the Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree in Accounting and Finance, as well as the Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree in Human Resource Management.
In keeping with the spirit of promoting gender equality in access to education in the country, the university has an enrollment ratio of 56,9 percent females and 43,1 percent males.
Presently, the university is operating from Bulawayo, but efforts are underway for the institution to relocate to its main campus in Lupane town.
Acting LSU vice-chancellor Dr Gertrude Nyakutse revealed: “The plan was that the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences would relocate by 2014. However this did not happen, so 2015 has been set as the time in which the relocation process must begin.”
2014 saw the university record remarkable growth in setting up infrastructure that would enable its relocation from Bulawayo to the main site in Lupane.
The Faculty of Agriculture Building worth about $16 million is now complete, with several other buildings at different but advanced stages of completion.
“The year under review (2014) saw the university record steady growth. The female students hostel is at 80 percent completion, while the male hostel is 65 percent complete. The kitchen and dining hall are at 70 percent, while the building of a two-bedroomed junior staff apartment is progressing steadily.
“Resources permitting, it is still our wish that the entire university relocates to Lupane Campus,” said Dr Nyakutse, noting that due to economic and financial constraints the relocation process might have to be done in phases.
LSU is situated in Matabeleland North province’s capital of Lupane, and the relocation to the main campus from Bulawayo is set to bring with it a number of benefits (economic and infrastructural) to the district and the province at large.
The university has purchased over 50 residential stands in Jotsholo for staff accommodation, while a local mining company, Makomo Resources has donated over 40 000 bricks towards the construction of staff houses. Construction of staff houses brings with it massive infrastructural development to the district, while at the same time the process of constructing the houses will also see employment being created for locals whose labour would be hired by companies contracted to build the houses.
The university itself, after fully setting base at the main site, would need ancillary staff to work at the institution, and such supporting staff would be derived from local communities. Setting up of the university in Lupane was part and remains part of Government’s thrust to spread tertiary education to all parts of the country, in the process improving access to education by disadvantaged and remote communities.
High school graduates in the province who would have excelled in their studies and wish to pursue tertiary education need look no further as the service would have been brought right to their door steps.
The same applies to Government employees and others employed in the private sector in the province who wish to improve their qualifications.
Educationists and Zanu-PF Secretary for Education, Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, who was Deputy Minister of Higher Education when the idea to set up a university in Lupane was endorsed by Cabinet, concurred.
“This institution will bring a lot of benefits for the local community. This is the main reason why Government agreed to the proposal. Apart from bringing tertiary education closer to marginalised communities, the idea is also to stimulate economic and infrastructural growth in these areas. Education has always been key to any kind of national growth you may think of. So in order for us to stimulate any kind of growth, the first step would be to empower people in terms of education,” he said.
LSU’s main thrust is semi-arid agricultural research and development and its location, in Lupane cannot be more suitable.
Matabeleland North province is a semi-arid region, experiencing bellow average rainfall, climatic conditions that are mainly suitable for small grains farming and setting up of a university whose main thrust is semi-arid agricultural research and development, dove-tails with the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim Asset), particularly the cluster on food security and nutrition.
Dr Nyakutse also revealed that they were serious moves to acquire a timber concession so that they set up a hardwood furniture manufacturing and timber processing plant.
Timber is the mainstay of Lupane’s economy, yet the industry has not been fully taken advantaged of. The coming in of LSU into the sector might as well breathe fresh air into the district’s economy, creating even more employment opportunities for locals.
“We are also pursuing a hunting concession for both commercial activities and supporting student practicals for the Wildlife Management Degree,” Dr Nyakutse said.
In spite of all these mouth watering endeavours by the university, which promise to usher a new era in the province, the institution still does not have a commercial farm, a situation that has retarded it from carrying it’s main mandate, semi-arid agricultural research and development.
As make shift plan to deal with its farming space challenges, the university has resuscitated the Industrial Development Corporation owned Dete plot, which is now supplying a variety of horticultural produce across Hwange district.
LSU’s presence in the district is not only key to stimulated economic and infrastructural development in the province but might as well go on to improve food security, through research and development which will build the capacity of local farmers.
