18 February 2014
The University of Mpumalanga, South Africa’s newest university, will officially start its academic year on Wednesday, Professor Ramaranka Mogotlane, the university’s head of academic affairs, announced this week.
“Registration took place on February 14, and this week we have started with orientation until the official academic opening of the university on Wednesday,” Mogotlane said in a statement on Monday.
The university, which was officially opened in October last year, currently offers three programmes: a bachelor degree in agriculture, a bachelor degree in education (foundation phase) and a national diploma in hospitality.
Campuses
This is Mpumalanga’s first university – and also the first to be built by the democratically elected government. Another is being completed in the Northern Cape. Named the Sol Plaatje University, its intake will be 5 000 students.
The agriculture courses will be offered at the university’s main campus which is based at the Lowveld Agricultural College in Mbombela (Nelspruit), while the the Siyabuswa campus will specialise in teacher education. The hospitality school is in KaNyamazane.
Mogotlane said the programmes are under the patronage of the University of Johannesburg and the University of Pretoria.
“We are working with the universities of Pretoria and Johannesburg for quality oversight, assessment and continuous improvement,” said Mogotlane, adding that a staff improvement and development programme would be introduced.
The last university built in South Africa was Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), 46 years ago. It has since been renamed the University of Johannesburg following a merger with Technikon Witswatersrand and Vista University in 2005.
SAinfo reporter and SAnews.gov.za
