02 Sep 2018

Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) has shared its successes and challenges with editors from various media houses..

Sharing the BIUST story during the Editor Forum held at BIUST campus recently, BIUST Vice Chancellor Prof. Otlogetswe Totolo said the government invested P1.3 bn on the BIUST project hence a need to inform the nation on what is happening at the university.

He said BIUST needed new brains of young generations that can drive and transform the country into a knowledge based economy.

He said the BUIST aspired be a premier research-based university of science engineering and technology which is internationally recognized for the quality and excellence of its teaching, learning, research, innovation and management.

He said BIUST aimed to produce students who could create employment and be self-sustaining after completion of studies rather than being employment seekers.

The university  as such trains young people on research and innovation to equip them to come up with own innovations that could help diversify the economy.

He said quality skilled labour was key to economic diversification efforts hence need to invest in human resource, adding that in developed countries it was a norm for each household to have someone with at least a university certificate the feat if realised locally would be a big achievement.

He said high quality research and innovation could be transformed into tangible applications and products or provide research services that could support the needs of industry and society hence huge investment into BUIST by government.

BIUST, he said also took to establish research groups and focal areas, and networks in priority areas such as climate and society, natural resources management, innovative technology products and services for economic development as espoused in the university research and innovation strategy.

He said the university had so far identified research centers such as water management and technologies, clean energy and beneficiation and further noted that BIUST was in collaboration and partnerships with Debswana and Botswana Defence Force as well as international institutions such as Akita University in Japan on various sectors.

On demystifying science through outreach programme, he said the university was continuously working with teachers and students from various institutions in the areas of science, ICT and Youth Development Fund beneficiaries in the area of entrepreneurship.

For his part the acting Deputy Vice Chancellor, academic Affairs Professor Elisha Shemang applauded the media houses for always supporting BIUST events, adding that the media had taken the BIUST brand beyond the frontiers and made it visible locally, regionally and internationally.

He emphasised that BIUST operated an open door policy for ease of information dissemination and exchange, as such the institution remained responsive to media needs and enquiries seeking to understand the University’s success stories.

The objective of the engagement was to strengthen BIUST’s relationship with the media fraternity and update them on new development and breakthroughs in the area of science, research, innovation and technology. ENDS