WSU SET TO CONSTRUCT BRAND NEW FACULTY OF EDUCATION BUILDING IN IBIKA

For the first time since its establishment, the Faculty of Education at WSU’s Butterworth campus will receive its very own faculty building, worth over R70-Million, equipped with state of the art teaching and learning facilities.

A site handover was held on Tuesday, 18 January where university leadership, including the Campus Rector and the Dean of Education Faculty officially gave the go-ahead for construction to commence.

Presently the Faculty of Education is lodged with some of the campus’s management programmes; which is set to change when construction of the new building is finalised.

“Faculty of Education, with its departments is one with a large number of students and staff at WSU and has been sharing lecture venues, labs and office space with other departments such as Fashion and Tourism. This new building will be solely dedicated to the faculty,” said Bonga Silwane, who is in charge of the project at Campus level.

The new building will boast computer labs, a lab for Engineering Graphics and Design, a lab for Civil Technology, and a lab for Electrical and Mechanical Technology, amongst other ultra-modern features. Furthermore, the building will provide special lecturing venues and storage for the Foundation Phase Programme.

“This is an extremely exciting development for the faculty and the campus. It has come at the right time, as we are at the early implementation stage of our Vision 2030. The building will provide us enough office space for lecturers, state of the art classrooms with the necessary teaching and learning equipment,” said Dean of Faculty, Professor Nolutho Diko.

In the past three years, the faculty has invested time and resources into streamlining its programmes to ensure responsiveness to the university’s vision - An impactful, technology-infused African University. As such, this new home for the Faculty of Education will ensure the realisation of this vision.

“The new building will definitely provide us with more than physical space that is long overdue. It will give us a sense of pride, self-worth and belonging. Our teacher trainees will get an opportunity to actually spend time in laboratories and workshops during training,” said Diko.

Construction is expected to be finalised within 18 months from the date of commencement.

By Yanga Ziwele