13 Dec 2017

Assistant Minister of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology, Mr Fidelis Molao says relocation of the Department of Mining Geological Engineering from the main campus of Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) in Palapye to Selebi Phikwe was adopted as one of the future areas of growth for the university.

 Mr Molao said he was not in a position to state when the relocation would be done, saying the realisation of “this strategic move is dependent upon the availability of resources.”

Mr Molao said the university reviewed its master plan in June this year, and that it was established that there was a pressing need to undertake some developments at the Palapye campus in order to make it fully functional and to cater for the projected enrolment of 6 000 students by 2022/23.

He noted that some of the developments that still needed to be undertaken in line with the approved BIUST master plan included construction of classes, laboratory, refectory, library, data centre, staff houses, student’s residences, student centre and a sports and recreation centre.

Mr Molao said the current library and refectory were meant for 256 students, and that the facilities needed to be expanded to cater for 6 000 students as projected in the master plan.

He said the emphasis in the new library would be e-resources, learning commons, discussion rooms, late night study area and post graduate cubicles.

On the other hand, he said mining and geological engineering shared resources with other programmes on campus such as chemistry and chemical engineering, environmental science and environmental engineering and that as a result, the university would need to develop a satellite college model that would not exacerbate the current problem of duplication of resources in public institutions. 

MP for Selebi Phikwe West, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse had asked the minister to update Parliament on the relocation of the Department of Mining and Geological Engineering of BIUST from Palapye to Selebi Phikwe for the purposes of establishing a BIUST Phikwe campus following the adoption of the motion on the same in March 2017. ENDS