THE GOVERNMENT has scheduled Lupane State University (LSU) to begin offering lectures at the campus in Matabeleland North in July despite the university having no accommodation for students and staff.
Nqobile Bhebhe Chief Reporter Since opening its doors to the public in 2005, LSU has been using National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) premises in Bulawayo’s Belmont industrial area for lectures and administration at the National University of Science and Technology before moving to Pioneer House in the city centre.
It later moved to the Belmont Industrial area.
Binga senator Hebert Madolo Sinampande last Thursday in the Senate had asked Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development deputy minister Godfrey Gandawa when the province would have a technical college.
Gandawa said Matabeleland North was not the only province without a tertiary college, but government was looking forward to building institutions.
He said LSU’s agriculture department would move to Lupane in July.
“Matabeleland North, including Mashonaland West, do not have technical colleges,” he said. “Plans are underway. Suffice to say as a ministry, we have embarked on a mapping programme to assess areas in the whole country that do not have technical colleges so that, according to Zim Asset, we increase access to higher and tertiary education.
“So Matabeleland North is being considered seriously.
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“The honourable senator will be interested to note that as a ministry, we have given a priority of having a university in each province.
“So, there are three universities now that we are propelling to be established first, then, in the next phase, we get into the polytechnics.
“Lupane should be in Matabeleland North. We have actually set a time frame that LSU students will start to get lectures at Lupane by the opening of the next semester.
“Hence we would prioritise Lupane, then we would venture on polytechnics” Gandawa said.
However, former provincial governor Sithokozile Mathuthu further quizzed Gandawa saying the projected timeframe would not be feasible.
“My question is a follow-up on that one. Lupane by next semester, the accommodation for students will not be ready.
“Where does the ministry propose to accommodate the students who are presently attending from Bulawayo?” she asked.
Gandawa responded saying “We are fully aware that students’ accommodation as well as staff accommodation is not available at Lupane.
“As a ministry, we have already put measures in place to make sure that by the next semester, we will have the school of agriculture at Lupane University operating from Lupane State University campus.”
LSU is being built in three phases and by last year it was reported that construction has entered into the second stage, focusing on construction of student accommodation.
