|
Unisa gets R600m revamp
16/11/2005 12:51 - (SA)
Pretoria - The campuses of the University of South Africa (Unisa) will undergo a R600m revamp in the next five years, principal Barney Pityana announced on Wednesday.
"The student profile of Unisa is changing and we have seen an increase in the number of younger people choosing to study full-time by long distance," he said.
He dismissed as "misleading and damaging" a report that the university posted a R356m loss over the past year.
It had actually shown a positive balance of R293m, said finance and estates vice-principal, Gerhard Cronje.
It would be disinvesting in certain of its property holdings to concentrate on the development, he said.
Although Unisa was able to finance the revamp on its own, the public distance education institution had entered into partnership with Tshwane city council and was seeking private sector involvement - in the country's best interests, added its executive director of finance Nkuli Swana, said
Pityana said the university had already started extending its countrywide network of learning centres with a new facility in Newtown in the Johannesburg CBD, another under construction in Pietermaritzburg and the extension of those in Cape Town and Durban.
It had upgraded its call centre and was exploring ways of using computer and cellular phone technology.
"We have been considering the use of technology for registrations, so that students don't have to register on campus and queue like its voting day on April 27."
He said the university' agriculture and environmental science departments were to be moved from the Pretoria campus to that in Florida, Roodepoort, where new laboratories would be built.
The Sunnyside campus would be getting a sport and recreation facility for staff, additional student registration centres and a student hub - scheduled for occupation next May.
Also on the cards was an R87m new entrance to the main campus in Pretoria, featuring reception areas, security areas, student registration facilities, and conference and meeting rooms.
It was the first major development on the campus since 1988, said Pityana.
- SAPA
|
News
