University of Eswatini

The University of Eswatini (or UNESWA; formerly known as the University of Swaziland, or UNISWA) is the national university of Eswatini.

University of Eswatini
MottoUmculu Sisekelo Sesive (siSwati)
Motto in English
The Scripture Is The Pillar Of The Nation
TypePublic university
Established1982
ChancellorMswati III
Vice-ChancellorJustice Thwala [1]
Administrative staff
298
Students~7,000
Undergraduates~6,700
Postgraduates~300
Location
Kwaluseni
,
Eswatini
CampusRural
AffiliationsAssociation of African Universities
Association of Commonwealth Universities
Websitewww.uniswa.sz

It was established by act of parliament in 1982.[2] The university developed from the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland (UBLS), formerly known as the University of Basutoland, Bechuanaland and Swaziland (UBBS), which was established in 1964.[3] It became the University of Botswana and Swaziland when the Lesotho campus withdrew to form the National University of Lesotho on 20 October 1975, and then became an independent national university in 1982.[3]

The university is divided into eight faculties, which are located in the three campuses of the university. Luyengo campus houses the Agriculture and Consumer Sciences faculties, Mbabane campus is home to the faculty of Health Sciences, and Kwaluseni campus is the main campus. The University of Eswatini is mainly an undergraduate institution, offering bachelor's degrees. There are a few postgraduate programmes including two Ph.D. programmes.

The head of the university is the Chancellor. The current Chancellor is His Majesty King Mswati III. Its daily management is the responsibility of the Vice Chancellor, who currently is Professor Justice Thwala.[1] UNISWA is home to various research centers and institutes.[4] The university also publishes some research periodicals such as the UNISWA Research Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology and the UNISWA Research Journal. [5] [6]

History

Tertiary education in Eswatini began with the establishment of the University of Basutoland, Bechuanaland and Swaziland in 1964 and continued via the University of Botswana and Swaziland between 1976 and 1982. It was only after the splitting of the latter institution in 1982 that the University of Swaziland (UNISWA) was finally established. The Swaziland Agricultural College and University Centre, which came into being in 1966, had developed independently, and it now constitutes UNESWA's Faculty of Agriculture and is situated on the Luyengo campus of the university. Main recipient of the courses offered are officers working for the Ministry of Agriculture and Education.

There are two other campuses which, like Luyengo, are situated in the Mbabane/Manzini corridor in the west-central area of the country. The main and oldest campus is at Kwaluseni, which was financed jointly by the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, the Anglo American Corporation, and the Eswatini government. This campus houses the faculties of Commerce, Education, Humanities, and Science. The Mbabane campus houses the Faculty of Health Sciences, established in 1996. Certificate, diploma and degree programmes are offered in general and specialised nursing, community mental health science and environmental health services.

Since achieving full university status in the early 1980s, UNESWA has grown in accordance with its chief mandate, which is to assist in the national development effort through manpower production. The output of teachers, nurses and agricultural experts has risen steadily, while the double-subject-major degrees on offer in both the humanities and the sciences have been designed to provide teachers with more than one speciality – an important qualification where teacher shortages are endemic.

The electronic and electrical engineering programme offered by the Faculty of Science and Engineering reflects the need to rapidly develop the science and technology expertise within the country.[7][8]

Governance and administration

The University of Eswatini is governed by the University Council which is appointed by the Chancellor. The present Chancellor of the University is His Majesty King Mswati III. In this capacity, he confers all degrees during the University graduation ceremony. The daily management of the university is the responsibility of the Vice-Chancellor with the assistance of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor. Both are appointed by the University Council and are accountable to it. The current Vice-Chancellor is professor J.M Thwala. In addition there is a University Senate which is responsible for academic authority of the University. It is chaired by the Vice-Chancellor. The Faculties of the University are run by the Deans who are also chairpersons of the respective Faculty boards. They are accountable to the University Senate. Other officers of the university are responsible for various affairs such as the Dean of Student Affairs, Registrar, Physical Planner among others.

Students are represented by the Student Representative Council (SRC) which falls under the Student Welfare Office which is run by the Dean of Student Affairs. The issues pertaining student accommodation and residences on the campuses is the responsibility of the warden also under the Student Welfare Office.

Campuses

The three campuses are within 40 kilometers of each other:

  • Kwaluseni campus is the main campus, with the faculties of commerce, humanities, social science, education and science.
  • Luyengo campus was formerly the Swaziland Agricultural College and University Centre (SACUC), and is the location of the faculty of agriculture and consumer sciences.
  • Mbabane campus was formerly Swaziland's Institute of Health Sciences, and is the location of the university's faculty of health sciences; it includes a nursing school, a midwifery programme and the environmental studies programme.

Academics

The university is divided into the faculties of Agriculture, Consumer Sciences, Health Sciences, Education, Humanities, Commerce, Science & Engineering, and Social Science. There is also the Institute of Distance Education (IDE) which is responsible for all distance education instruction. The Institute of Postgraduate Studies is responsible for postgraduate programmes at masters and doctorate level. The university is also home to the biggest library in Eswatini. The library has branches in all three campuses with the main and biggest library at Kwaluseni, the main campus.

Faculty of Agriculture

The faculty of agriculture is housed at the Luyengo campus which is located between Malkerns and Bhunya.[9] The faculty houses the departments of Agriculture and Biosystem Engineering, Agricultural Economics and Management, Agricultural Education and Extension, Animal Science, Consumer Sciences, Crop Production and Horticulture. The faculty offers undergraduate degree majors in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management, Agricultural Education, Agronomy, Animal Science, Animal Science (Dairy),and Horticulture.[9]

Faculty of Commerce

The faculty of commerce is located at the main campus in Kwaluseni.[10] It has two departments namely the Accounting and Business Administration departments and offers only undergraduate programmes. The undergraduate majors for the Bachelor of Commerce degree are in Accounting, Management and Marketing. The faculty also offers a Diploma in Commerce course.[10]

Faculty of Consumer Sciences

The Faculty of Consumer Sciences is located at the Luyengo campus.[11] This faculty is made up of the following departments:

  • Consumer Science Education and Community Development (CED)
  • Food and Nutrition Sciences (NFS)
  • Textiles and Apparel Design (TAD)

This faculty offers degrees at undergraduate (B.Sc.) and post-graduate (M.Sc.) level.[11]

Faculty of Education

The Faculty of Education is located at the Kwaluseni campus and has the following academic departments:[12]

  • Adult Education
  • Curriculum and Teaching
  • Educational Foundations and Management
  • In-Service Education
  • Primary Education

The Faculty offers undergraduate programmes leading to the B.Ed. degree and some departments within the Faculty also offer post-graduate programmes leading to the M.Ed. degree.[12]

Faculty of Health Sciences

The faculty of health science is located at the Mbabane campus of the university near the Eswatini Government Hospital.[13] The Faculty of Health Sciences has the following academic departments:

  • Community Health Nursing Science
  • Environmental Health Science
  • General Nursing
  • Midwifery Science

The Faculty currently offers only undergraduate programmes in nursing and environmental health.[13]

Faculty of Humanities

The faculty of humanities is divided into the following departments: Academic Communication Skills, African Languages and Literature, English Language and Literature, History, Journalism and Mass Communication and Theology and Religious Studies. The undergraduate programmes offered are the Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication, Bachelor of Arts (Humanities), Bachelor of Arts (Journalism and Mass Communication). The double major combinations are offered for the B.A. (Humanities) degree. The faculty also offers the B.A. (Humanities) through the institute of distance education. The only graduate programme on offer is the Master of Arts in History through the institute for post-graduate studies.

Faculty of Science and Engineering

The Faculty of Science and Engineering is the main centre for teaching and research in scientific and technological disciplines in Eswatini. The Faculty is located in the science block in the heart of the University. The faculty is divided into the departments of Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Environmental Science and Planning (GEP), Physics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science. The undergraduate programmes offers are the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) and the Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) with the latter under the Electrical and Electronic Engineering department.

The undergraduate programme in the faculty usually involves double major combinations from the various departments for the B.Sc. degree. Examples are double majors in Physics and Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology and Mathematics and Computer Science. The main aim for the faculty was to train students with the ultimate goal of them being teachers, with some going on to study Engineering and Medicine outside the country. However, new goals and new programmes such as the Engineering programme were developed to meet new challenges.

The Faculty of Science offers two post-graduate courses leading to the Master of Science (M.Sc.) and these are in Chemistry ( either Environmental/Analytical Chemistry or Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry ) and in Environmental Resource Management (ERM).

Research in the faculty of science is based on five themes namely, Environmental Conservation, Energy, Water Quality Management, Computational Science and Mathematical Modelling and Research in Indigenous Medicinal and Nutritious Food Plants. The faculty is home to the Institute of Research in Traditional Medicine, Medicinal and Indigenous Food Plants. Future plans of the faculty are to establish new research centres for Computational Science and Mathematical Modelling, Energy, Environmental Conservation and Water Quality Management.

Faculty of Social Sciences

The faculty of social sciences is made up of the departments of Economics, Law, Political and Administrative Studies, Sociology and Statistics and Demography. The department of Law offers the only Law programme in the university and in the country. The Bachelor of Laws ( LL.B. ) is the main undergraduate programme in the law department and a Diploma in Law is offered through the Institute of Distance Education. There is no graduate law programme. The remaining departments offer undergraduate majors leading to the Bachelor of Arts (Social Science) or famously B.A.S.S. Double major combination are common in the departments with possibility of a combination with mathematics which is offered in the Faculty of Science.

Institute of Distance Education

The Institute of Distance Education (IDE) is the main center for distance learning at the university and in the country. It is housed at the main campus at the IDE center. With the motto To Take University Education to the People rather than the People Come to the University, it serves various academic departments by offering distance learning variants of the existing programmes.[14] At present IDE offers six qualifications which are: Certificate in French, Diploma in Commerce, Diploma in Law, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Bachelor of Education in Adult Education.[14]

Institute of Post-graduate Studies

The institute of post-graduate studies is responsible for all graduate programmes in the university.[15] The institute currently offers a number of Masters degrees and a Doctorate. The masters programmes are offered in association with the departments of Adult Education, Agricultural Economics and Management, Agricultural Education and Extension, Chemistry, Crop Production, Curriculum and Teaching, Education Foundation and Management, and History. The doctorate programme offered is in Agricultural Education under the Agricultural Education and Extension department at the Faculty of Agriculture.[15]

Notable alumni
  • Patricia McFadden- Swazi author, Professor of Sociology, and African radical feminist.
  • Patrice Motsepe - South African mining magnate.
  • Lindiwe Sisulu - South African politician.
  • Elias Masilela - Chief Executive Officer, South Africa Public Investment Corporation.[16]
  • Siyabonga Gama - Director of Pan African Association for Port Co-Op (PAPC)
  • Naledi Pandor - South African politician.[17]
  • Totsie Busisiswe Memela-Khambule - MD of Postbank.
  • Nandi Mayethula-Khoza - Gauteng MEC for Agriculture and Social Development
  • Tokyo Sexwale - South African politician and Non-Executive Chairman Mvelaphanda Holdings
  • Thuli Madonsela - Public Protector of South Africa
  • Linda Hutchinson - Miss Swaziland from 2016 to 2018
gollark: I mean, look at something something continuous chaotic systems.
gollark: Aren't discreteness and small changes causing big differences somewhat separate, though?
gollark: True.
gollark: DNA is sort of kind of a digital storage system, and it gets translated into proteins, which can turn out really differently if you swap out an amino acid.
gollark: Real-world evolution works fine with fairly discrete building blocks, though.

References
  1. Nhlabatsi, Sifiso (26 September 2018). "PROFESSOR THWALA IS NEW UNESWA BOSS". Swazi Observer. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  2. "University of Swaziland". Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  3. UNISWA. "About UNISWA". UNISWA. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  4. "Centres and Institutes". Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  5. "UNISWA Research Centre - UREJ Policy". Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  6. "UNISWA Research Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology". Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  7. "SARUA : University of Swaziland". Sarua.org. Retrieved 2017-08-20.
  8. "Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering". Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  9. Faculty of Agriculture, UNISWA. "Faculty of Agriculture". UNISWA. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  10. UNISWA. "Faculty of Commerce". UNISWA. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  11. UNISWA. "Faculty of Consumer Science". UNISWA. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  12. UNISWA. "Faculty of Education". Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  13. UNISWA. "Faculty of Health Sciences". UNISWA. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  14. UNISWA. "Institute of Distance Education". UNISWA. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  15. UNISWA. "Institute of Post-Graduate Studies". UNISWA. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  16. "Elias Masilela". Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-10-24. Retrieved 2013-10-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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