AU supports STEM programmes
AFRICA University has aligned its budget and fundraising efforts in an effort to incorporate and support STEM related undergraduate and post graduate programmes, Deputy Vice- Chancel lor, Professor Pamela Machakanja, has said.
Addressing delegates on the transformation of universities to anchor industrialisation and modernisation through research, innovation technology solutions and commercialisation, Prof Machakanja, said one of the ways already being used to realign budget priorities was revisiting partnerships and engaging in discussions that propel partners to support the new direction in line with Government’s industrialisation and modernisation agenda.
Prof Machakanja said AU was set to launch five endowed chairs, three of which would be used to attract experts in STEM fields.
The fourth will be in intellectual property and innovation.
The varsity will also revisit the current $2 million annual scholarship and financial aid programme to cater for STEM disciplines, starting in the 2017/18 academic year.
Prof Machakanja said AU would be disbursing 10 STEM related scholarships.
Prof Machakanja said AU was also involved in strategic partnerships, research and outreach programmes that include the Malaria Molecular Entomological Surveillance, Presidential Of Malaria Initiative (USAID/PMI), Zimbabwe Assisted Programme in Malaria (ZAPIM) 2015/19 and the Southern Africa International Centre of Excellence for Malaria Research Programme (2017/23).
The university’s department of agriculture also has a partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the maize and wheat improvement centre with CIMMYT. It is also involved in maize and wheat Command Agriculture.
Prof Machakanja said AU was collaborating with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO) and the Japanese Government.
AU will mobilise resources towards the establishment of the College of Medicine.
AU plans to engage three United Methodist Church heath institutions — Mutambara, Old Mutare and Nyadire Mission Hospitals as teaching hospitals.
The varsity still has a lot to do to achieve this goal, particularly in the area of resource mobilisation, recruitment of experts and procurement of state-of-the-art hospital equipment.
It also has plans to establish a college of Engineering, with particular focus on Agricultural Engineering.
This will leverage on its strong agricultural science and natural resources department.
Prof Machakanja said the decision was triggered by a trip taken by officials from the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development and Vice- Chancellors to various countries across the world on a look-and-learn mission.