View the News archives

NMMU gets R131m boost

A R131-m boost from government will see Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) further expand its infrastructure to meet the needs of its growing student body.

This figure will also be matched by NMMU with a further R128.9m as a signal of the institution’s commitment to the Department of Higher Education and Training to grow areas of national priority like engineering and education.

“We are incredibly pleased with this grant for major investments. With brand new facilities on our campuses, NMMU is gearing itself to offer high quality qualifications critically needed for the economy in South Africa,” said NMMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Derrick Swartz.

The three-year roll-out of the combined R259.9m will begin in October, though work on a new building to house a suite of high resolution transmission electron microscopes (HRTEM) that will bring Africa in line with its international nanoscience research counterparts is already underway.

The R27m high-tech HRTEM Centre on South Campus will be followed by the construction of a new block to meet the needs of engineering and built environment students. Some R64.6m will be spent on a modern integrated building for these students close to the faculty’s present buildings on North Campus. The latter will also be upgraded to meet the anticipated increases in student numbers in these fields.

Since 2007 initial teacher education numbers at NMMU have ballooned by 17.7% per annum, while the number of students registering for programmes in the built environment and pharmacy has grown by 11% and 4.2% each year over the same time period respectively.

Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande also approved funding that will enable the Faculty of Education to continue to grow its numbers.

Within the next few years, the faculty which has already outgrown its present site will expand to also take over the adjacent Human Movement Science (HMS) facilities, which coincidentally had originally been earmarked for education students.

The university’s growing number of HMS and sport management students will then, in turn, move into a new R32.2m purpose-built building close to the university’s sporting facilities.

“These investments mean both our academics and students will have access to state-of-the-art research and teaching facilities in coming years,” said Prof Swartz, who played a leading role in motivating for the funding.

He said furthermore NMMU science and pharmacy students will benefit from an injection of almost R100m for equipment and renovation of laboratories.

According to NMMU’s director of Strategic and Institutional Planning Professor Heather Nel the university had been facing a replacement bill for laboratory equipment that was well beyond its means.

“As a result, this funding is incredibly welcome. It also means more students can be accommodated in programmes recognised as crucial by the government,” she said.

“Fortunately our growth areas – engineering, built environment, science, teaching and pharmacy – match the national growth priorities too, so we have been amply rewarded with our application,” said Prof Nel, adding that negotiations for this infrastructure and efficiency funding had been ongoing for nearly two years already.

She said another process was underway at national level to investigate funding models for building addition residences at universities. “This is one of our key priorities.”

Issued by:
Ms Roslyn Baatjies
	Position: Media Liaison Practitioner Department: Marketing & Corporate Relations Phone: 041-504 2777 / 082 7712 100 Fax: 086 6165 676 E-mail: roslyn.baatjies Location: Summerstrand Campus (North)