19 Jun 2014

Students from Palapye who attain first class in their BGCSE will not pay tuition fee at Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), says the vice chancellor of the university.


Prof. Hillary Inyang announced this during Palapye Sub-council meeting recently.
 He said the same gesture was extended to native students of villages surrounding Palapye, noting that the aim was to encourage hard work, amongst students.


He further said the university would play a pivotal role in the education system of the country and had so far adopted Palapye school being Lotsane Senior Secondary School, Mabogo JSS and Khurumela Primary School.


Prof. Inyang said the university was in the process of distributing books to all Palapye schools through arrangements with books for Africa in the United States.


In addition, he said BIUST was not going to operate in isolation; rather it was going to collaborate with the council, Palapye community and other organisations in the development of Palapye.


He said the university had contributed P3.3 million towards the paving of the Khurumela/BIUST access road scheduled for completion end of July.


Prof. Inyang urged the council to construct more access roads in Palapye. 
He said the Palapye community and peripheral villages such as Mahalapye and Serowe would enjoy free treatment of some medical conditions by a medical mission from the United States of America under the auspices of BIUST and Ministry of Health.


He said BIUST sporting facilities would be used freely by Palapye community.
 Regarding entrepreneurship, he said there was reservation of some services contracts such as cleaning, security and custodial services to Palapye residents.


Prof. Inyang also stated that BIUST would use Palapye youth with construction skills in direct labour maintenance at the university, most of which would be absorbed into the BIUST College of Diploma and Certificate Programmes.


For their part, councilors thanked Prof. Inyang for the role that BIUST was playing in the development of Palapye.
They said the concept of zero tuition for native Palapye students admitted at BIUST should also apply to the 27 villages under Palapye Administrative Authority.


They said this would motivate students from their respective villages to improve their performance.
 ENDS