News / National
Nust receives $125m for construction works
15 Feb 2022 at 05:34hrs | Views
GOVERNMENT has released $125 million to the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) for construction works, a development that will positively impact on the construction industry in Bulawayo.
Construction works at Nust have been stagnant for almost 18 years with hanging cranes and incomplete buildings being synonymous with the university.
In the 2022 national budget, the university was allocated $1 billion to complete its giant library and shopping complex.
Although the 2022 budgetary allocations have not been disbursed to Nust, Government has released some funds to kickstart construction works.
This follows pleas from various stakeholders including industry players that there is an urgent need to complete construction works at Nust.
In 2016, the university's former vice chancellor and late national hero Professor Phineas Makhurane who died in 2018 urged Government to avail funds to Nust saying the university had not developed since he left in 2004.
Nust is mandated to produce graduates biased towards science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), but due in part to lack of proper infrastructure, the institution has been recruiting more commercial oriented students, betraying its core mandate.
In an interview, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said funds have been released to set the tone for construction works at the institution.
The Minister recently held a meeting with the university's leadership to outline the Ministry's vision as far as development of Nust is concerned.
"We released $125 million for the university to acquire construction materials and they are doing so. We had a meeting with the council on Wednesday just to team work on the construction work," said Prof Murwira.
Nust's departments of estates and engineering are going to lead the construction works as the main contractor.
The construction of the university is expected to contribute to local economic growth.
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Permanent Secretary Mr Paul Nyoni said Nust has been lagging behind in terms of infrastructure development.
He said lack of development at the institution could be impacting on the university's human capital development.
"Nust has lagged behind in terms of infrastructure development. That (its construction) is critical. We need to complete our basic infrastructure in terms of the university and its structures. But as we do that, we will create opportunities for thousands of people in the value chain, going down from the supplier of bricks, supplier of cement and supplier of the labour. All those people will benefit," said Mr Nyoni.
He said as funds are released to complete some of the outstanding buildings, more money should be released to start the construction of the university's standalone medical school.
Nust is supposed to have 27 buildings, but only seven have been completed and some buildings are now dilapidated.
The university is at the moment using Mpilo Central Hospital as its main campus for the Faculty of Medicine.
"In fact, we are hoping that the medical school construction will start soon. There is critical shortage of medical personnel and all those programmes that might come out from the medical school, will come out from a properly structured institution with relevant facilities so that we produce in those fields," he said.
Mr Nyoni said Nust has proven its capacity to solving local challenges hence there is a need to complete its construction for society's greater good.
"Nust plays and continues to play a critical role in response to Covid-19. They are one of the pioneers of production of sanitisers and fumigation hydrogen peroxide and have assisted many public institutions with those products," said Mr Nyoni.
"And that is what we expect them to do going forward, we expect them to continue finding solutions in the production matrix as we move forward. Because whatever we used to have 10 years ago is hardly irrelevant and is becoming completely uncompetitive. We need people who are trained in the modern ways of doing things."
Construction works at Nust have been stagnant for almost 18 years with hanging cranes and incomplete buildings being synonymous with the university.
In the 2022 national budget, the university was allocated $1 billion to complete its giant library and shopping complex.
Although the 2022 budgetary allocations have not been disbursed to Nust, Government has released some funds to kickstart construction works.
This follows pleas from various stakeholders including industry players that there is an urgent need to complete construction works at Nust.
In 2016, the university's former vice chancellor and late national hero Professor Phineas Makhurane who died in 2018 urged Government to avail funds to Nust saying the university had not developed since he left in 2004.
Nust is mandated to produce graduates biased towards science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), but due in part to lack of proper infrastructure, the institution has been recruiting more commercial oriented students, betraying its core mandate.
In an interview, Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said funds have been released to set the tone for construction works at the institution.
The Minister recently held a meeting with the university's leadership to outline the Ministry's vision as far as development of Nust is concerned.
"We released $125 million for the university to acquire construction materials and they are doing so. We had a meeting with the council on Wednesday just to team work on the construction work," said Prof Murwira.
Nust's departments of estates and engineering are going to lead the construction works as the main contractor.
The construction of the university is expected to contribute to local economic growth.
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Permanent Secretary Mr Paul Nyoni said Nust has been lagging behind in terms of infrastructure development.
He said lack of development at the institution could be impacting on the university's human capital development.
"Nust has lagged behind in terms of infrastructure development. That (its construction) is critical. We need to complete our basic infrastructure in terms of the university and its structures. But as we do that, we will create opportunities for thousands of people in the value chain, going down from the supplier of bricks, supplier of cement and supplier of the labour. All those people will benefit," said Mr Nyoni.
He said as funds are released to complete some of the outstanding buildings, more money should be released to start the construction of the university's standalone medical school.
Nust is supposed to have 27 buildings, but only seven have been completed and some buildings are now dilapidated.
The university is at the moment using Mpilo Central Hospital as its main campus for the Faculty of Medicine.
"In fact, we are hoping that the medical school construction will start soon. There is critical shortage of medical personnel and all those programmes that might come out from the medical school, will come out from a properly structured institution with relevant facilities so that we produce in those fields," he said.
Mr Nyoni said Nust has proven its capacity to solving local challenges hence there is a need to complete its construction for society's greater good.
"Nust plays and continues to play a critical role in response to Covid-19. They are one of the pioneers of production of sanitisers and fumigation hydrogen peroxide and have assisted many public institutions with those products," said Mr Nyoni.
"And that is what we expect them to do going forward, we expect them to continue finding solutions in the production matrix as we move forward. Because whatever we used to have 10 years ago is hardly irrelevant and is becoming completely uncompetitive. We need people who are trained in the modern ways of doing things."
Source - The Chronicle
