The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) has announced the establishment of a new university campus in Giyani, Limpopo.
TUT vice-chancellor, Professor Tinyiko Maluleke says the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) deserves a lot of the credit for the announcement of the Giyani campus.
The DHET conducted feasibility studies and decided that the facilities of the former Giyani College of Education have been confirmed as a site to establish the new TUT campus. The facilities have not been used since the college’s closure in 2003.
The campus will aim to serve students from high schools in the Mopani District and will focus on digital agriculture and science education.
Maluleke says the offering at the campus will ensure that students are ready for the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). This as there is no point in training students for jobs that no longer exist or industries that are slowing shutting down.
It is important to look into the future and to think of jobs that may not even exist as yet and equip the students accordingly
The vice chancellor says the university will aim to produce qualified technicians who can work in the farming industry that currently drives the Limpopo economy. These fields of work include animal husbandry, crop science and food science.
House of Traditional Leaders Limpopo chair, Hosi Pheni Ngobe says that extensive analysis took place by stakeholders regarding the establishment of the new campus. These stakeholders included the Rixaka Heritage Forum and Royal Leaders Unity (RLU)
Ngobe says while the province initially wanted a stand-alone university, they will hope to demonstrate the need for a fully-fledged university in the Limpopo province.
