Namibia University of Science and Technology An award-winning university NUST_Namibia @NUST_Namibia @official.nust.na www.nust.na NUST BRIEF Official weekly newsletter of NUST 26 March 2021 NUST Ohangwena Campus on the horizon Plans to establish a NUST satellite campus in the town of Eenhana, Ohangwena Region, are well underway. It is envisaged that the campus will offer an assortment of programmes, with a particular focus on Natural Sciences, Management Sciences, as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training. Despite the fact that Ohangwena is one of the most densely populated regions in Namibia, All hands on deck there are no institutions of higher learning in The NUST Vice-Chancellor, Dr Erold Naomab, this part of the country, with the exception expressed his confidence in the project’s of the Eenhana Vocational Training Centre. success, due to his experience in facilitating Speaking at a meeting that was held to discuss new establishments. “I am 110% committed to the establishment of the new campus, Hon Dr ensure that this project reaches fruition,” he Itah Kandjii-Murangi, the Minister of Higher emphasised. The meeting was also attended Education, Technology and Innovation, said by the NUST Chancellor and Speaker of Third from left: Dr Erold Naomab, NUST Vice-Chancellor; Hon Dr Itah Kandjii-Murangi, Minister of Higher the decentralisation of NUST’s services has National Assembly, Hon Prof Peter Katjavivi, Education, Technology and Innovation; HE Dr Hifikepunye Pohamba, Patron; Florette Nakusera, NUST Council become a priority.“Education needs to be the NUST Council Chairperson, Florette Chairperson, pictured with other senior delegates. taken to the masses of the country. Windhoek Nakusera, and senior management of the no longer holds the masses,” she said. Ministry and University. The Patron The roll-out Former President of Namibia, HE Dr NUST will now embark on a vigorous Hifikepunye Pohamba, who was also in stakeholder engagement process, locally and attendance, has been selected as the Patron internationally, to solicit support and funds of the campus. During the engagement, he for the project. The project will then be rolled- highlighted that the Eenhana Town Council out in two phases, focusing on programme has already indicated a possible area to be offerings and infrastructure development, utilised for the prospective University. respectively. Hon Prof Peter Katjavivi HE Hifikepunye Pohamba Childminders get First Aid training What started off as a semi-formal training session for nine childminders, a few years ago, has slowly transformed into a small business that has trained over 180 women, to date. The Victoria Nanny Agency, with assistance from the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences (FHAS), offers basic First Aid training to childminders as part of community engagement. The first training session for the year demonstrations for choking management started in February, while the next one is and how to perform cardiopulmonary scheduled to take place in April. resuscitation,” Carolie Cloete, the The last training was provided by the Emergency Medical Care Programme Faculty’s third-year students. Coordinator at FHAS elaborated. NUST “We help women to gain basic skills offers a three-year Bachelor of Emergency on how to save children’s lives, the Medical Care degree, designed to provide importance of good hygiene practices and students with techniques, principles, basic awareness about HIV/AIDS, amongst concepts, and problem-solving techniques others” said Victoria Joseph, the Manager of emergency medical care. of the agency. The agency plans on expanding training “The training is aimed at creating to parents in the future, as well as various awareness of what to do in emergency towns across the country. Students from the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences about to demonstrate cardiopulmonary resuscitation. situations. It takes the form of mostly Southern farmers venture into organic farming The Centre for Enterprise Development (CED) at NUST, recently facilitated a two-day sustainable organic farming workshop, in partnership with the Omomas Care Centre (OCC). Founded in 2005, OCC is an association that is involved in projects that aim to better the lives of communities in the southern parts of Namibia. The training was held in Kalkrand, in Chisenga explained. the Hardap Region, where crop farmers The workshop hosted 25 participants who often face several challenges in accessing are upcoming small-scale vegetable farmers. training programmes. Ing-Anja Huppertz, The trainees further learnt about sustainable the OCC Director, emphasised the value of ways to restore the natural fertility of organic farming. “The technologies used degraded soil by making use of affordable in this farming method are an alternative local materials. Additionally, the workshop agricultural system that advocates the focused on a combination of agricultural use of appropriate and affordable farming practices and methods to help mitigate techniques in improving soil fertility,” she natural disasters in the sector, as a drought said. and flood rehabilitation strategy. Facilitator of the training, Dr Namu Musulwe (far right) addressing the trainees. Little to no rainfall can result in poor yields The topics that were addressed include: and degraded pastures, a continuous problem the fundamentals of organic farming; crop finding new alternative methods to improve agricultural land, and the need to intensify faced by communities in the Kalkrand area. “It rotation; intercropping; agroforestry; pest soil fertility; cultivation; and the agro- land use,” Chisenga concluded. is important that crop farmers are educated control; the identification of major land ecosystem. All participants received training manuals about various methodologies because limited degradation problems; composite making; “The workshop also provided a platform and NUST Certificates of Attendance. Similar knowledge on soil fertility management the identification of available indigenous for participants to discuss key initiatives training sessions have been scheduled for and overexploitation leads to diminished technologies and their feasibility; raising among the many other problems facing Okakarara, Otjinene and Keetmanshoop, in resilience of the soil,” CED Director, Godwin awareness on organic farming technologies; the agricultural sector in diminishing good the near future. 2021 THEME: RE-ENVISIONING HIGHER EDUCATION IN A POST-COVID ERA.