72
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
A N N U A LREPORT
2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE NO.
4 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
6 CAMPUS COMMUNITY IN FIGURES
10 FOREWORD
12 RECTOR’S REVIEW
14 SUCCESSES AND ACCOLADES
16 MANAGING RESOURCES AND OPERATIONS
26 ACADEMIC TRANSFORMATION
36 GOVERNANCE AND ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATION
38 MOVING FORWARD
PAGE NO.
40 TECHNOLOGY: A Driver for Teaching and Learning
42 INNOVATION: Where the Future Lies
46 TOWARDS UNIVERSAL ENERGY ACCESS
48 NEW BUSINESS CULTURE: Towards Developing a Customer-Centric Culture in Namibia
50 UNLOCKING POTENTIAL: Research Impacting widely our Society
62 REACHING FAR BEYOND NATIONAL BOUNDARIES
64 AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
66 COUNCIL
67 MANAGEMENT
68 CAMPUS MAP
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3
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONSLIST OF ABBREVIATIONSACOPEAC Africa Child Online Protection
Education and Awareness CentreBIA Business Intelligence AfricaBSI British Standards InstituteCCF Cheetah Conservation FundCES Centre for Electricity SupplyCEU Cooperative Education UnitCNS Centre for Nuclear SciencesCOG Centre for Oil and GasCOLL Centre for Open and Lifelong LearningCREEE Centre for Renewable Energy and
Energy EfficiencyDAAD German Academic Exchange ServiceDANRS Department of Agriculture and Natural
Resources SciencesDASP Department of Architechture and
Spatial PlanningDEASA Distance Education Association of
Southern Africa DFIS Digital Forensics and Information
SecurityDICT Department of Information and
Communications TechnologyDMME Department of Mechanical and
Marine EngineeringDRFN Desert Research Foundation of
NamibiaDRM Document and Records ManagementEAP Early Alert ProgrammeEXCO Executive CommitteeFCS Forensic Computing ServicesFNB First National BankFOSSGIS Free and Open Source Software for
Geographical Information SystemsGIC Geomagnetically Induced CurrentGIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale ZusammenarbeitGRN Government of the Republic of
NamibiaHP-GSB Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of
BusinessI’M Innovation Marketplace
IASB International Accounting Standards Board
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organisation
ICT Information and Communications Technology
IEA International Energy AssociationIFRIC International Financing Reporting
Interpretations CommitteeILL Institute of Laue-LangevinILMI Integrated Land Management InstituteInSTEM Introduction to STEMIPD Intensive Product DevelopmentIPM Institute for People ManagementIPP Independent Power ProducerIRPC Institutional Research and Publication
CommitteeItES Introduction to Engineering StudiesITIL International Information Technology
Infrastructure LibraryITS Integrated Tertiary SoftwareITU International Telecommunication
UnionITU-COP International Telecommunication
Union Child Online ProtectionIUM International University of
ManagementIWB Interactive White BoardKAYEC Katutura Youth Enterprise CentreKITE Knowledge Integration, and
Transparency in EducationLIST Library and Information Skills TrainingLMS Learning Management SystemLRDC Law Reform and Development
CommissionMME Ministry of Mines and EnergyMoE Ministry of EducationMSS Ministry of Safety and Security MTI Ministry of Trade and IndustryNAC Namibia Airport CompanyNAMA Nationally Appropriate Mitigation
Actions
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NAMCOL Namibia College of Open LearningNAMIS Namibia Minerals Industry SymposiumNANSO Namibia National Students’
OrganisationNBC Namibia Broadcasting CorporationNBIC Namibia Business Innovation CentreNBII Namibia Business Innovation InstituteNCHE National Council for Higher EducationNCRST National Commission on Research,
Science and TechnologyNCS Namibia Correctional ServicesNCWGCE National Core Working Group for
Cooperative EducationNDTC Namibia Diamond Trading CompanyNEEP Namibia Energy Efficiency ProjectNEI Namibia Energy InstituteNETA Namibian English Teachers AssociationNGIL Namibia-German Institute for LogisticsNGO Non-Governmental OrganisationNIPAM Namibia Institute of Public
Administration and Management.NIX Namibia Internet ExchangeNMC Namibia Medical CareNMH Namibia Media HoldingsNQA Namibia Qualifications AuthorityNQF National Qualifications FrameworkNRF National Research FoundationNSA National Statistics AgencyNTA Namibia Training AuthorityNUST Namibia University of Science and
TechnologyNWRAP National Wind Resource Assessment
ProjectNYS National Youth ServiceODL Open and Distance LearningOGEMP Off-Grid Energisation Master PlanOSISA Open Society Initiative in Southern
AfricaPGC Postgraduate CertificatePGSRU Postgraduate Studies and Research
Unit
PLE Personal Learning EnvironmentPMR Professional Management Review
AfricaPSP-4 Strategic and Transformation PlanPV Photo-voltaicPwC PricewaterhouseCoopersQAU Quality Assurance UnitREEEI Renewable Energy and Energy
Efficiency InstituteSADC Southern Africa Development
CommunitySADCE South African Society for Cooperative
EducationSAIS Southern Africa Innovation SupportSANSA South African National Space AgencySCI School of Computing and InformaticsSDI Service Desk Institute SIDA Swedish International Development
AuthoritySME Small and Medium EnteprisesSOLTRAIN Solar Thermal Training and
Demonstration InitiativeSRC Students’ Representative CouncilSRDT Student Research Development TeamsSSC Social Security CommissionSSF Student Success ForumSTEM Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics TLA Teaching, Learning and AssessmentTLU Teaching and Learning UnitTLUD Top Lid Up DraftUCCB University Central Consultancy BureauUIA International Union of ArchitectsUNAM University of NamibiaUNDP United Nations Development
ProgrammeUNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural OrganisationVLE Virtual Learning EnvironmentWACS West Africa Cable SystemWARN Wildlife and Airsraft Research NamibiaWIL Work Integrated Learning
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CAMPUS COMMUNITY IN FIGURESHistory and ProfileEstablished by Act of Parliament 1994
Institution attained autonomy 1996
No. of employees 828 (full-time)
No. of academic departments 22
No. of Schools• Computing and
Informatics • Engineering • Health and Applied
Sciences • Human Sciences • Management Sciences • Natural Resource and
Spatial Sciences
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Campus and GrowthReplacement of value of buildings and equipment
N$ 1 378 376 765
Total revenue N$ 585 076 652Subsidy N$ 354 485 000Tuition N$ 174 573 829Other income N$ 44 259 335Average cost per student N$ 45 215State subsidy (average per student) N$ 27 382State subsidy as percentage of total income
61%
Tuition revenue as percentage of total income
30%
Research seed funding (institutional)
N$ 500 000
International partnerships/ co-operations
136
Total student enrolment 12 946No. of countries represented by student body
31
Gender ratio (F:M) 54% : 46%No. of degrees/diplomas awarded 26 264
Library acquisition budget N$ 3 000 000Volumes added to the library 9 816Printed volume in the library 78 500Subscription to e-journals 63 722
Gender Ratio
Enrolment by Offering Type
46.1%
53.9%Female
Male
25.5%
52.9%Full-time
Part-time21.6%
Distance
Graduation Statistics
Qualification Type Female Male Total
Masters Degree 10 12 22
Honours Degree 84 68 125
Professional Bachelor Degree
58 60 118
Bachelor Degree 916 522 1 438
Diploma 654 403 1 057
Higher Certificate 24 68 92
Certificate 294 250 544
Total 2 040 1 383 3 423
6
Schools and DepartmentsComputing and Informatics
• Computer Sciences
• Informatics and TechnologyEngineering • Civil
• Electrical, Electronics, and Telecommunications
• Mechanical
• Mining and Metallurgical Engineering
Health and Applied Sciences
• Health Sciences (Biomedical Sciences)
• Environmental Health Sciences and Emergency Medical Care
• Mathematics and Statistics
• Natural and Applied Sciences
Human Sciences • Communication
• Languages and Education
• Social Sciences
Management Sciences
• Accounting, Economics and Finance
• Hospitality and Tourism;
• Management
• Marketing and Logistics
• Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business (Semi-autonomous)
Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences
• Land and Property Sciences
• Geo-spatial Sciences and Technology
• Architecture and Spatial Planning
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Enrolment StatisticsSchool Name Qualification Type Female Male TotalComputing and Informatics Doctoral 3 8 11
Master 9 15 24Honours 42 55 97Bachelor 265 555 820Diploma 4 9 13Post-Graduate Certificate 1 5 6TOTAL 324 647 971
Engineering Masters 17 32 48Professional Bachelor 147 500 647Diploma 35 70 105InSTEM 59 279 338TOTAL 258 881 1 139
Health and Applied Sciences Honours 13 9 22Professional Bachelor 142 61 203Bachelor 164 149 313Higher Certificate 6 2 8TOTAL 325 221 546
Human Sciences Honours 36 20 56Bachelor 809 651 1 460Diploma 5 20 25Higher Certificate 21 65 86Certificate 17 45 62TOTAL 888 801 1 689
Management Sciences Masters 61 66 127Honours 59 40 99Bachelor 4 234 2 498 6 732Diploma 325 219 544TOTAL 4 679 2 823 7 502
Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences Masters 16 18 34Honours 20 28 48Bachelor 357 384 741Diploma 67 110 177Certificate 6 18 24TOTAL 466 558 1 024
Office of the Rector Certificate 20 14 34TOTAL 20 14 34
Office of the Registrar Non Diploma Purposes 18 23 41TOTAL 18 23 41
GRAND TOTAL 6 974 5 968 12 946
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9
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
FOREWORD
It is a privilege for me to present this Report to the readers with a sense of pride. The Report is a reflection of an institution that is fast on the move. Indeed, following on past years, it clearly shows our appetite for hard work and dedication to excellence. It, therefore, came as no surprise that the Institution was once again rated as the most innovative Namibian institution/company and also the best higher education institution in Namibia. We deeply appreciate the support from all stakeholders.
One of the most significant events in the year was the finalisation of the NUST Bill, which with the support of the Law Reform and Development Commission (LRDC) was put through extensive consultations with stakeholders countrywide. The LRDC produced a report substantiating the need for change and the Draft Bill. The public opinion was unanimous: that the renaming was long overdue, for the country needs a niche university, a “new generation” university distinguishable from the polytechnics of yesteryear and general universities.
The Bill will be considered by Cabinet and Parliament and the renaming is foreseen early in the new year.In turn, the rebranding and rethinking of our mission
are captured in the Strategic and Transformation Plan (2014 - 2018). The planning platforms were fully functional and seasoned experts worked with the Institution on new initiatives to strengthen the foundation and to create a sense of newness and a new brand. Internal stakeholders were thus engaged in realigning the Institution’s activities to meet our strategic goals and it is gratifying to see many staff members enrolling for higher qualifications and undergoing development. At the same time the focus on science and technology has taken hold and is a hallmark of the Institution’s profile and drive.
Regarding governance, enthusiasm was not lost on the need for realignment to international best practice, but challenges remained at the level of a Council in terms of attendance at meetings. The Delegation of Authority Framework became fully operational and several policies were developed or revised.
From a financial point of view, the Institution had to cope with another challenging year due to underfunding. Stringent measures ensured a reduction in the deficit and an unqualified audit. I must highlight that in spite of prudent financial
10
management of resources, funding remains a serious concern which severely limits the Institution’s ability to regenerate and grow. The Institution cannot be maintained at this level of funding and the new mandate and paradigm will simply not be realised without the dedication of new, adequate resources. Therefore, I plea to the government to find a lasting solution.
All in all, the Polytechnic has contributed immensely to national and international development and has forever changed the Namibian higher education landscape in the most positive way. Given the above, it behoves me in leading the Council at this critical time of transition to be thankful for everyone’s contribution. The foundation for the future is firmly set and I remain positive about the future.
Faithfully
Ms Evelyn BreuerChairperson of Council
11
RECTOR’S REVIEW
Having relentlessly dedicated nearly two decades to reimagining and reengineering the Institution from polytechnic to university, it is gratifying to see the dream unfolding. Ours is a journey that simply defines a remarkable path to maturity, “from planting small seeds in the desert to harvesting the fruits in a garden.” Nevertheless, we all know that in life the end of one path is the beginning of another. And the next one promises to be equally exciting.
The period under review saw a great deal of dialogue on the mission and future of the university in line with the Strategic and Transformation Plan. Herein the Department of Institutional Planning played a critical role of coordinating and directing the institutional agenda, in measuring and evaluating the goals and outcomes, and inspiring the community.
The Strategic Plan Steering Committee and other transformation organs met regularly to address the various aspects of development. These platforms created opportunities for the Institution to streamline its activities and resources, thereby creating greater synergies and efficiencies. We should know how we are managing our resources going forward. This is absolutely necessary in an environment where funding is highly inadequate and unpredictable.
The realignment of Schools (Faculties) and academic departments, and programmes and courses, was necessary to strengthen specialisations and enhance cross- and multi-disciplinarity. Thirty six academic departments became 20, for example. This meant the refinement of curricula and the development of new and higher qualifications, notably at Masters and Doctoral levels primarily in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
fields, thereby fortifying the Institution’s new mandate. Multi-offerings of certain courses such as Mathematics were reassessed to lessen the teaching and administrative burdens and also to strengthen collaboration and intermingle students from different majors.
In respect of the business process review, the Department of Planning and International Relations gave birth to two distinct departments in order to provide better focus on each profile. Indeed, over the years this department had become central to the Institution and had taken on many more responsibilities without the necessary support. Similarly, the professional services components were redefined or reclassified as institutes, centres and units, depending on their major focus and roles (internal or external). Thus the conversion of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Institute to the Namibia Energy Institute became necessary to address the broader energy scenario nationally.
Research saw a great deal of growth with institutional and external funding. Many more academics were engaged in research and the Projects Service Unit, in partnership with the Schools and Centres, succeeded in developing proposals and raising considerable and dedicated funding, now worth tens of millions of dollars.
Human resources development remained high on our agenda, enabling many staff members to enrol for and or complete higher degrees. Most of these engaged in research and published in peer-reviewed journals and the positive results are telling. Additional investment went into enhancing management capacity through targeted trainings and driving the culture change.
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We strengthened our role in the community by crafting several outreach activities. This was in the form of internships and work integrated learning, and tutorials at high schools, as well as providing development platforms through tailor-made trainings and professional clubs such as the Namibia English Teachers’ Association. In return, support to the Institution came from government, industry, communities, professional bodies, development agencies and universities and institutions at home and abroad. Thus we hosted many visiting academics, scholars and students, and many of our faculty and students travelled far afield to gain a world perspective necessary for a global citizen.
In summary, I am confident to say that the name change is not just ornamental or an end in itself, but a means to an end. We are proud to be rated once again as the best higher education institution in Namibia, and also the most innovative institution/company in Namibia. These are wonderful accolades that support our noble efforts.
The next stage is set for NUST, a brilliant future lies ahead and we shall remain at the forefront of innovation. With much gratitude and compliments to all.
Faithfully
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2 0 1 3 A N N U A L R E P O R T
P o l y t e c h n i c o f N a m i b i a
When the history of this Institution is written, it will beremembered forbeinga forward-looking,high-performingandrespecteduniversity.Thisisacommendablefeatinthehighly competitive and dynamic global higher educationenvironment. Indeed, the Polytechnic’s phenomenalevolution – its growth and success - is an excellent casestudyfornewandemerginguniversities.
Tangible progress has beenmade over the past 17 years.Thelocalandinternationalrecognitionandawardsreceivedfrom year to year are testimony to our endeavours andculminated in the Cabinet directive of December 2012 torename the Polytechnic as Namibia University of ScienceandTechnology.
The directive came at an opportune time as we begandesigning a new strategic and transformation plan forthe next five years. Thus an extensive, exhaustive andcomprehensivereviewoftheInstitutionwasundertakentocraftthevisionandprofileof thenewuniversity.Thenewparadigmandgrowth-intermsofprogrammes,enrolments,staffing,infrastructure,andsoon-areclearlymappedout.
OtherkeyrecommendationsoftheCabinetfactoredintotheplanningprocessare,thati)allcertificateand diploma courses be phased outwithin five years; ii) qualifications in the Science, Technology,EngineeringandMathematics (STEM)areasbe increased; iii) studentenrolment in theSTEMareasbeincreased;iv)post-graduateenrolmentbeexpanded;andv)thePolytechnicassiststheMinistrytoestablishacollegesystem.
ThustheCabinetdirectiveaimstocreatearadicallydifferent institutionandvalidatedthestrategicdirectionwe embarked on since inception of the Institution in 1996 in the pursuit of becoming atechnologicaluniversity.Onthelargerscale,thenewuniversitybringsaboutadiversificationofthehighereducationlandscapeandafocusonS&T,inordertoenhancenationalcompetitiveness.
ExtensiveconsultationswereheldwithinternalstakeholdersontheDraftBillforthenewuniversity.SimilarconsultationswithexternalstakeholderscommencedthroughtheLawReformandDevelopmentCommission.
Supportingthechange,anewbrandwasbeingdevelopedasidentityforthenewuniversity.Here,too,extensiveconsultationswithinternalandexternalstakeholderscreatedasampleofthenewidentity.
Over theyear, the Institution’sprofilegrew inmanyrespectsandfirmedupthe foundationfor thenew university. Accordingly, more under- and post-degree STEM programmes were approved forimplementationin2014,resultinginimmediategrowthintheSTEMprofile.Theseare,forinstance,inthenaturalsciences(biology,chemistryandphysics).
Review
Prof Tjama Tjivikua
13
Tjama Tjivikua BA, MS, PhD (Chem), DSc (honoris causa), DLitt (honoris causa)Founding Rector
A GLIMPSE AT SUCCESSES AND ACCOLADES
During the period under review our achievements were considerable and illustrated here are some of the awards.
The Professional Management Review Diamond Arrow Awards
The announcement that the Institution had again won the Professional Management Review (PMR) Diamond Arrow Award for the Best Higher Education/Tertiary Education Institution in Namibia, was received with great joy by the Polytechnic community partly because this award represents the picture external stakeholders have on the overall performance of the Institution. This well-deserved outcome was a morale booster for the Polytechnic community who had put tremendous effort in their implementation of the Strategic and Transformation Plan. Importantly, it served as a confirmation that the transformation to NUST was on track. It is noteworthy that between 2002 and 2008 the Polytechnic received the PMR Gold Arrow Awards and since 2009 has yearly been awarded the PMR Diamond Arrow as the Best Higher Education/ Tertiary Education Institution in Namibia.
In further recognition of our drive towards excellence, the Institution received an accolade in the form of the PMR Diamond Arrow for the Most Innovative Company/Institution in Namibia. This attests to the results-driven ethos of the Institution and of which the innovation drive forms part of a crucial engine that creates a continuous cycle of quality learning and improvement, renewal and growth.
To further illustrate this point, the Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business (HP-GSB) for the second year in succession won the PMR Diamond Arrow Award for the Best Institution Offering Executive Education.
There is no doubt that these awards have further enhanced the Institution’s reputation for quality and excellence which it has built over the years nationally, regionally and internationally.
National Honours and other achievements
The President of the Republic of Namibia recognises citizens and residents of Namibia who have made significant contribution to the betterment of the nation in the economic, scientific, academic, public administration or any other field of human endeavour by conferring national honours. It was, therefore, a great honour that the Rector, Tjama Tjivikua, was conferred the National Honours of The Most Distinguished Order of Namibia: Second Class for his outstanding achievements and contribution to the development of education in Namibia. It recognises the exceptional leadership he has provided in guiding and shaping the education sector in the country.
At national level the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) recognised the Rector as the 2014 Cheetah Conservation Educator of the Year for the work done with the School of Natural Resources and Tourism. More than 100 student interns had been trained over a period of 15 years. This cooperation will continue for many years to come. The Rector was also elected to be a member of the Board the CCF.
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At an international level, based on criteria which include multiple faculty participation and exchange, regular student exchange, a working academic exchange and mutual summer schools between the institutions, the Polytechnic was recognised as the Preferred Partner Institution for the Africa Region by the German-based Hochschule RheinMain (University of Applied Sciences). The Hochschule RheinMain, as part of its strategy for internationalisation of education, aims to identify preferred partner institutions for the establishment of strategic partnerships from among its 140 partner universities all over the world.
Additionally the Rector was invited to serve as President of a recently established voluntary organisation, the African Expert Foundation (AEF), whose interest is to advance and promote the professional interests of independent African experts.
Mobilising resources for our activities
The Institution was proud to have signed an agreement formalising the second round of support to the Namibian-German Institute for Logistics (NGIL) with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The NGIL was established in 2009 by the Polytechnic and the German-based Flensburg University of Applied Sciences and funded through the Aktion Afrika programme of the German government. As a result of the range of training programmes from undergraduate to Honours and Master’s degree levels, and bridging courses in the areas of transport and logistics as well as research conducted in this field, the success of the NGIL was rewarded by the German government committing N$ 15 million to the NGIL over the five-year period from 2014 to 2018. This brings total funding for the Institute to N$32 million to date, after it received N$17 million from Germany in 2009. This is only one example of our successful record of mobilising resources.
The Polytechnic community is proud of all its achievements and celebrates excellence with all its stakeholders.
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MANAGING RESOURCES AND OPERATIONS Administration and Finance
This Division supports the Rector in the formulation of policies and procedures and the implementation of and compliance with all the laws, policies and regulations applicable to the Institution. This ensures transparent and accountable governance. The Institution is committed to comply with internationally acceptable standards of accountability, responsibility, fairness and integrity. It endorses the principles contained in the King III Report on Corporate Governance and strives to lead and manage the Institution accordingly. The responsibilities of this Division entails oversight of the following departments: Finances, Human Resources, Information and Communication Technology, Student Services and Auxiliary Services and Facilities.
The Institution had to cope for another year with the predicament of underfunding by government, which was exacerbated by lack of a funding framework, thus resulting in large budgetary readjustments as has been the case since 2011. This situation unfortunately resembles what is found in many African countries as observed by the National Council for Higher Education: “(Systematic underfunding has led to widespread deterioration in quality of infrastructure, faculty and student facilities … and research and postgraduate studies.” (NCHE 2012 Higher Education Review, p. 9).
For the Polytechnic to remain a reputable driver of knowledge and skills acquisition for the knowledge-based economy, in support of Vision 2030, proper funding is a precondition for the desired development. All in all, the national policy and planning documents will carry a weightier meaning when higher education institutions are resourced and empowered to undertake fast-track development.
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FinanceThe budget of the past five years has been exceptionally tight and has thus forced the Institution to drastically cut or defer expenditure on both operations and capital projects. In order to ensure financial sustainability it is a sine qua non to manage the available resources and growth wisely, efficiently and prudently.
In so doing, the Institution maintained its good record by complying with principles of good governance and international best practice, such as new and revised accounting standards and interpretations which are relevant to its operations as issued by the International Accounting Standards
Board (IASB) and the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC).
An analysis of the cost per student reveals where the main shortcoming is – it is in subsidy funding. In 2014 the average cost per student amounted to N$ 46 361, whereas the average subsidy per student was N$ 27 382. This constitutes a funding deficit of N$ 18 979 per student. As can be gleaned from the figures, the gap between cost per student and subsidy per student over the past five years has widened as a consequence of a substantial decrease in the State subsidy.
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014Academic Year
14 13
1827
33 3337
4346
5-
101520253035404550
N$,
Tho
usan
d
20
Subsidy perStudent
Cost perStudent
Subsidy vs. Cost per Student
17
RevenueRevenue increased by 25.3% for the year to N$ 585 076 652 from N$ 466 874 334 in 2013. Government subsidy remained the highest contributor to the revenue stream at N$ 354 485 000, followed by tuition fees at N$ 174 573 829. The latter increased by 8,3% from the previous year. The third single revenue component was the extra-curricular income. This is income received from various sources, including recognised revenue from donor-funded projects and income raised through the revenue generating units and other services and activities.
Total operating expenditure increased by 8,8% from N$ 537 957 122 in 2013. As in prior years, personnel and related costs made up the highest component at 70% of the total expenditure. Personnel costs include provisions for the post-retirement medical aid, severance and other employee benefit liabilities with a combined value of N$ 20 million taken through the accounting records during the year under review.
The administrative and other cost component represents 23% of the total expenditure. The main contributors were the cost of utilities and maintenance with a combined value of about N$ 34 million. The depreciation of property, plant and equipment remained fixed at about 8%.
Expenditure
Revenue Analysis
N$,
Mill
ion
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50-
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014Academic Year
154
115135 148 161
175
4662
46 40 44
8 9 10 12 12
223
163
253
354 Operational Subsidy
Tuition Income
Residences IncomeOther Income
Expenditure Analysis
N$,
Mill
ion
Academic Year
400350
300250200150
10050
-
450
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Personnel and Related CostsAdministrative and other CostsDepreciation
22 27 35 42 41
13111610192
74
225
288
348381
414
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The Institution’s good reputation has meant that there is a constant demand for introduction of relevant programmes. Therefore, the Institution should gradually enhance the physical infrastructure. However, due to the limited resources, the Institution applies the limited resources allocated by Government to build only one or two projects at a time while there remains a huge demand for facilities overhaul and campus expansion.
Capital Development Funding
140
120
100
20
40
60
80
-2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Financial Year
Additions to Infrastructure
Capital Development Funding
Capital Development Funding
18
62
88
119
74
103
79
57
N$,
Mill
ion
47
19
The professional management of human resources is a core and fundamental function of corporate governance and has a huge impact on the realisation of the Strategic and Transformation Plan (PSP-4).
The transformation imperative has contributed to a very interesting and challenging year for the Department. The transformation requires an emphasis on aligning current human resources and operations with international best practice. At the core of this alignment is the supportive role the Department has to play in the attainment of the strategic mission of the Institution. The PSP-4, identifies nine critical areas which will affect the transformation, five of which directly impact human resources management: staff qualification profile; teaching approach; research focus; community engagement; and institutional culture.
Overall in Namibia there is a dearth of skills which means a shortage of qualified persons to lecture in the scarce disciplines such as architecture, engineering, logistics, criminal justice, sciences and computer science. The transformation has shifted the emphasis of the programme-and-qualifications mix to more post-graduate education and training. Accordingly, recruitment targeted holders of Masters and Doctorates, while many at or below Master’s level were enrolled for higher qualifications.
Obtaining the required work permits and visas continued to be a challenge in spite of the shortage of urgently required academic expertise. This in many ways affects academic quality. Surely, this means extraordinary bureaucracy and requires extensive consultations with the Ministries of Labour and Home Affairs, respectively.
Human Resources
Staff Profile as at 31 December 2014
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
363
234223
59128
Namibian
Other
Administrative Academic Part-time
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The Department processed about 2 600 employment applications at a considerable recruitment cost. Of the 93 academic positions posted nationally and internationally, 21% could be filled by Namibians and 8% posts by non-Namibians. Sixty-four posts could however not be filled by the end of the year. Sixty-five advertisements for administrative and other positions were posted, of which 43 posts were filled by Namibians.
The full-time and part-time staff components stood at 828 and 71, respectively.
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D AYSTAFF WELLNESS
The Department continued to dedicate resources and expertise to maintain a healthy working environment through, inter alia, active labour management; health and safety committees; and grievance and conflict resolution mechanisms.
A Health and Safety Committee, representing various internal stakeholders, was established to ensure a safe working environment. The team is tasked to proactively identify risks and emergency issues in order to develop practical and sustainable systems and processes to manage and maintain safety on campus.
The Department partnered with Namibia Medical Care (NMC) to initiate a Staff Wellness Day and advice on health and information about the NMC/BANKMED Wellness Programme was provided. A total of 154 staff members were screened for medical conditions with referral to a biomedical laboratory for follow-ups, where necessary. Presentations were made by specialists on various health issues.
Both academic and administrative staff members participated in the pilot performance management system, and 42 workshops were held to provide an opportunity for staff to learn and start engaging in a performance management system.
Qualifications Profile of Academic Staff, 2014
200
175
150
125
100
75
50
25
015
82
170
0
36
71
Doctorate Masters Honours Degree/Diploma
67
18820142006
Staff Qualifications Profile, 2014
41%
7%
37%
15% Doctorate
Masters
HonoursDegree/ Diploma
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Information and Communications TechnologyThe core function of this Department is to develop, implement and maintain ICT systems required by the Institution and to provide an enabling environment for a holistic learning experience. The systems have been designed according to international standards in order to guarantee compatibility, efficiency, reliability, security and effectiveness.
In line with trends elsewhere, the demand for Internet access has grown considerably, thus causing a strain on the system without adequate expansion. For example, about 18 000 unique devices such as desktop computers, laptops, smart phones, accessed the institutional network at one point in time during the month of September, whereas in the same month in 2010 only 6 000 devices accessed the same network. The number of wireless access points in the Library had to be increased from 10 to 38 with up to 1 Gb/s. This is still insufficient to provide world-class service, but a considerable improvement for the benefit of the students. The provision of high speed Internet access to accommodate the exponential growth of used devices has been a challenge and impacted negatively on access to information for staff and students. This is an area that will require huge investments in the near future.
Membership of the Namibian Internet Exchange (NIX) has facilitated direct connections from institutions to all major hubs in Namibia rather than utilising previous international bandwidth to connect these local resources. Joining the NIX network provided some relief, but throughout the year restricted Internet bandwidth remained a source of concern. The West African Cable System (WACS), to which Namibia is connected, has brought noticeable positive effects, although it has not translated into dramatic speed improvement and significantly reduced costs.
The above challenges and the constant changes experienced in the field have increased the risk of exposure exponentially and have reduced efficiency and effectiveness. These effects have been mitigated by following best practice and affordability, policies, procedures and strict controls that have been designed to minimise the risks of human error and fraud as well as having competently skilled and trained staff to ensure control over all data and protect the privacy of communication. Thus having built on strong foundations has positioned the Department to cope well with these challenges.
The Integrated Tertiary Software (ITS) system provides software solutions and services for administrative functions such as student management, resource allocation, human resources, finance, payroll and assets management. A major upgrade of the ITS system was completed and this dramatically enhanced functionality and security of all major functions.
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In addition, a significant number of enhancements were made to the self-service (web) applications to enable end-user data access and processing, accompanied by extensive security enhancements. The new upgrade enabled the Institution to engage in electronic communications, for example, the automatic emailing of student application acknowledgements and other letters, via the use of the iComms application. The latter makes it possible to replace all paper-based communications, thus resulting in significant cost savings.
The proliferation of passwords to access systems and applications is a worldwide problem. It is estimated that 50% of all phone calls to ICT support staff are related to passwords. The PC Support section initiated a single sign-on project to address this issue, thereby centralising in one “Domain” all user data, profiles and access rights.
All PC support processes, internal procedures and guidelines have been documented according to International Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) standards. The resulting catalogue will be placed on the institutional intranet early in 2015, and will provide information about all the services provided by the PC Support section.
The Institution invested in a new e-mail system called Zarafa. The new system offers enhanced features such as shared calendaring, a more user-friendly interface and the ability to restore items deleted from “Trash”. The system also integrates well with the established backup device and is fully compatible with single sign-on.
The growth of institutional data poses serious challenges for backups and data protection. The Institution invested in a backup device called Data Domain with high compression ratios and data protection capabilities. The device became fully operational by the middle of the year. The upgraded storage offers added advantages such as the ability to replicate crucial data to disaster recovery sites and improved responses to storage demand by new applications from schools and units.
The Institution’s Firewall installation was featured internationally in a case study by one of the world’s largest companies, Cisco Systems. The study is available on the Cisco.com website at: http:// www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/products/collateral/security/identity-services-engine/c36-732194-00-polytechnic-of-namibia-security-cs.pdf
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Student Services
This Department provides student-centred services to support their development in a holistic manner - academically, socially and psychologically, and the following services under the following units: Health, Social Welfare, Student Counselling and HIV/AIDS Coordination, Career Guidance, Accommodation, Sport and Culture and Hostel and Kitchen Services. In addition, it oversees and supports Student Governance through the Students’ Representative Council (SRC).
An important observation is that in all counselling interventions, two to three times more female students received counselling than male students; only in career counselling were they equal at 117. Health counselling services had the highest demand, and a significant number of students sought HIV/AIDS counselling.
Services ProvidedSERVICES MALE FEMALE TOTALHealth 418 1 522 1 940Social welfare 19 40 59Student counselling and HIV/Aids coordination
44 94 138
Academic counselling 79 170 249Career guidance 117 117 234Total 677 1 943 2 620
In addition to developing communication skills and “smart writing” capabilities of students, the Department runs a series of development workshops to empower and assist them to develop their full academic potential.
At the beginning of each academic year the new student orientation programme is run to make the transition from high school into the university environment easier for all the new and international students. Throughout the year a number of extracurricular activities were staged as part of enriching this experience. These include: the 8th Polytechnic Student Prayer Day (February); the 9th Polytechnic Student Prayer Day (September); the 19th Annual Trophy Award Ceremony (October) to recognise student achievements in sport and culture; and the SRC developed an election activities map with the guidance of the Department and also facilitated electronic elections.
Auxiliary Services, Facilities and InfrastructureAs a result of poor funding, it has become impossible for the Institution to properly carry out the following essential tasks: overdue maintenance of buildings, equipment and infrastructure, acquire state-of-the-art equipment and services, acquire adjacent land for expansion. Yet, the Institution managed to provide and maintain basic services. It is clear that the postponement of urgently required equipment and high-level maintenance will come at a huge cost in future.
Without additional land and funds the Institution will not be able to develop a dynamic, modern and vibrant learning environment needed to prepare well-rounded graduates for the future economy. The penury of space has already taken its toll. Although there is a huge demand for hostel accommodation, the Institution can only accommodate 400 students in the three hostels whose infrastructure is in dire need of revitalisation. Many of our students from the rural areas are seriously
disadvantaged as they have to find substandard accommodation at a high cost which in fact does not augur well for student support and learning.
Nonetheless, in terms of new buildings, construction for the Architecture and Mining Engineering Building was 70% completed by the end of the year, meaning that the relevant group of students will be able to enjoy learning in a new purpose-made facility.
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ACADEMIC TRANSFORMATION Academic RestructuringThe year was crucial in implementing the transformation agenda. In line with the Strategic and Transformation Plan all academic units were re-organised. Thus the consultations held in 2013 resulted in the combination of specialisations and harmonisation of functions. With a view to effective and efficient academic management a new academic structure consisting of six schools was adopted for 2014.
With one main campus in Windhoek supported by countrywide Regional Centres, and the capacity to deliver contact and distance academic programmes, students are offered considerable flexibility in their study choices and directions. The emphasis in teaching and learning was on raising the level of academic and other support services available to students and also assisting the faculty to deliver the content better. This effort is reflected in the steady increase in student success and graduation rates. Thus the Institution crafted a holistic approach to teaching
and learning strategies, refining enrolment planning, revisiting distance learning capabilities and exploring blended learning options. These strategies and initiatives strengthened the Curriculum Model, which imparts on the students the following attributes: creativity; productivity; cross-disciplinary and innovative thinking; good communication skills; interpersonal skills; market readiness; entrepreneurial skills; good problem-solving skills; teamwork; and global citizenship.
Teaching and Learning
The transformation for the Centre for Open and Lifelong Learning (COLL) has meant enhancement in the quality of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) at national, regional and international levels. The Centre yet again showed evidence as a forward-looking and high-performing ODL provider. It grew in many respects as a result
of its commitment to infuse the teaching and learning process with appropriate information and communication technology (ICT) as an alternate way to deliver teaching and to provide an optimum virtual learning environment to support students’ learning in an active, collaborative, participatory and contextual manner.
Open and lifelong learning
The common methodologies adopted at the Institution are: lectures, tutorials, excursions, demonstrations/practicals, simulations, project-based learning and work integrated learning. The delivery modes are: full-time, part-time, and distance education and e-learning, with their respective enrolments at 53%, 25% and 22%.
Pedagogy
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On an annual basis the curricula of a number of programmes are revised, while new ones were developed. A total of 20 programmes were revised, indicating the Institution’s commitment to ensuring that curricula are responsive to changes that are taking place in the respective fields.
The Bachelor of Computer Science in Cyber Security was developed, whereas in the Bachelor of Computer Science Honours, additional areas of specialisation in Information Security and Digital Forensics were added. The first Master and Doctoral degrees in Computer Science and in Informatics, respectively, were developed for implementation in 2015. The Postgraduate Certificate (PGC) in Business Computing was
revised to become the PGC in Informatics (Information Systems Audit).
Two Masters programmes, in Natural Resources Management and Spatial Sciences, and in Agribusiness, were implemented. Also new programmes, the Master of Architecture, Bachelor of Geomatics Honours, Bachelor of Town and Regional Planning Honours and Bachelor of Land Administration Honours were developed.
The Bachelor of Science (major and minor in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics) degree programmes were launched in February with an intake of 100 students. For Human Sciences, the
Bachelor of Public Management Honours and the Bachelor of Communication Honours were approved by Senate.
In the School of Engineering, the effort to enhance enrolment and improve the quality of candidates qualifying for studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields in the Institution, led to revamping the Introduction to Engineering Studies (ItES) bridging programme. The outcome is a one-year bridging programme, known as Introduction to STEM (InSTEM), and was implemented in 2014. The results are promising since the pool of students qualifying for the much needed STEM programmes increased by about 20%.
Delivering the Academic Programmes
The Centre transformed static print to interactive print, utilising an augmented reality tool, Layar, that enables one to embed interactive rich digital media into print media, thereby changing the way educators and students experience interaction with traditional print-based study material. Layar is a cutting-edge tool that allows for a meaningful, digitally enhanced
view of the real world, which was showcased during a media launch in July. This tool innovatively enriches physical media with layers of digital information that can be continuously updated.
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The Teaching and Learning Unit (TLU) supported Schools to deploy new courses on the institutional Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), which was hosting more than 1 550 courses. Based on advice, training and support of the TLU, the Schools are improving their online courses, following the web presence strategy implementation for all courses offered within the Institution.
The Instructional Technology division of the TLU trained about 100 lecturing staff on the effective use of technologies in teaching, learning and assessment, such as the VLE (Moodle), Interactive White Boards (IWB) and presentation applications. These trainings were in the form of mini-workshops
and on-demand customised training sessions. This Division is working on the progressive extension of the usage of virtual classroom system across the Institution. The TLU was also working on the Personal Learning Environment (PLE) digital ecosystem, currently made up of four solutions, viz. VLE (Moodle), the ePortfolio system, the virtual classroom system, and the data collection system available to students. These main systems are centralised in a unique interface for students to choose the most suitable technology solutions based on their needs.
Blended learning: Pedagogical technology integration
The Programme Development Unit has overall responsibility for coordinating and managing programme (curriculum) development activities in the Institution and ensuring the registration of qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). The Unit continued to assist academic departments in their endeavours to develop new programmes and/or re-curriculate existing programmes.
All educational institutions in Namibia are required to register their existing qualifications on the NQF by January 2015. This Institution submitted 28 more qualifications to the NQA during the year in order to ensure compliance with this requirement. This brings the total number of qualifications submitted for NQF registration to 128, of which 100 are already registered.
Quality of Academic Programmes
Quality assurance activities for academic programmes were strengthened. All examination papers for courses at NQF Level 7 were externally moderated while those at NQF Level 6 and below were moderated internally. A minimum of 20% of all examination scripts were moderated either internally or externally. In addition, all Honours and
B-Tech research projects were moderated and so were the Master theses and mini-theses. A total of more than 60 external experts contributed to these external moderations.
Quality programme reviews were carried out to support student learning. The process entails running a workshop to assist the Department in preparing the Self-Evaluation Report prior to the site visit, with panelists from the Institution, professional bodies and other universities. The Department of Mechanical Engineering was third to respond to the request from the Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) to subject their programmes for review. In this instance the Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) was identified as most suitable for the pilot review.
NCHE Accreditation
Three programmes were reviewed for accreditation by the NCHE, these being: Bachelor of Informatics, Bachelor of Environmental Health Sciences, and Bachelor of Office Management and Technology. The QAU facilitated the accreditation process by assisting the Departments to develop of Self-Evaluation Report. The NCHE review process commenced in October, with accreditation by the end of the year.
Programme Alignment to NQA and NCHE Requirements
NQF Registration of Qualifications
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Student Support
Academic Risk Abatement: Access and SuccessAny university should guard against the risk of students dropping out or the inability to complete their studies in the shortest time possible. Skills training and mentoring to assists all students, especially those who come underprepared, to adapt to the demands of higher education and achieve success in their studies, is an important parameter. To this end, the Institution had identified a need to implement an Early Alert Programme (EAP) in 2011. The programme identifies and supports students needing academic assistance early on and during the semester on the basis of various indicators: poor academic performance, poor participation in academic activities, absenteeism and other symptoms arising from personal issues. The EAP was strengthened by the selecting of a lecturer in each department as well as one representative per School to report to the institutional coordinator of the EAP. The effectiveness of the revised EAP strategy could immediately be gathered from the many success stories told by both lecturers and students who had utilised this service. It was recommended that the programme should be rolled out to cover the entire Polytechnic student community.
The Library increased its contribution to e-learning by making the Library and Information Skills Training (LIST) course on Moodle fully functional, thus enabling students to self-enrol. This will allow students to take the course at their own time and pace, contributing positively to information literacy and eventually life-long learning.
With the growing number of students and staff studying towards their Master’s and Doctoral degrees, the Library strengthened its support for postgraduate students. The establishment of a Research Commons for this group of students was identified as a way to offer support. A venue for this purpose was prepared and a librarian was appointed for the Research Commons to become functional in February 2015. The Research Commons will offer individual research support, access to computers and Internet, as well as comfortable seating to encourage discussion and the sharing of research experiences.
The acknowledgement of the importance of strong relationships with alumni has inspired the Library to create the Alumni Membership option. This allows alumni to borrow 10 items for a period of 30 days, and it offers them access to the Library’s electronic resources and the Internet. Alumni membership came into effect in September.
The acquisitions budget has enabled the Library to focus its attention once again on acquiring more electronic resources. During the year, seven databases were trialled and subscription fees were paid for four additional databases. Overall, there has been a 24% increase in individual e-book and e-journal titles since 2012.
Library and Information Services
English proficiency is a challenge for many students. The international student population, particularly from non-English speaking countries has increased and this prompted the establishment of the Writing Unit to support the students. The Unit was transferred from the TLU to the School of Human Sciences under the Department of Education and Languages. From March until June, approximately 100 students made use of the Unit through 154 consultations.
Writing support
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Recognition of Teaching Excellence
The Institutional Teaching Excellence Awards have been introduced to, annually, recognise exceptional performance for sustained and outstanding achievements in teaching activities that are aligned to the Institution’s vision and mission. The objectives of the Institutional Teaching Excellence Awards are to:
• Demonstrate the Institution’s commitment to teaching and learning engagement related activities.
• Create an environment which recognises and rewards achievement in teaching and learning engagement.
• Enhance teaching and learning engagement excellence through a recognition process.
• Recognise teaching and learning engagement performances that have made a broad and meaningful contribution to enhance the quality of education at the University.
The awards were given as follows to five recipients:
• Category A – Early Career Teaching Award: Mr Maduako Okorie, School of Engineering
• Category B – Mid Career Teaching Award: Mr Andrew Zulu, School of Engineering and Dr Nelson Mlambo, School of Human Sciences
• Category C – Advanced Career Teaching Award: Dr Rewai Makamani and Dr Hendrik Bruyns, School of Human Sciences
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Research In striving towards becoming a balanced teaching and research university, the Institution has been making carefully targeted investments in building research capacity and creating a conducive and supportive environment for research staff, especially through the Institutional Research and Publication Committee (IRPC) and the Projects Service Unit. Over the past few years, these investments have been reaping good returns as seen from the outputs below.
PublicationsResearch output 2013 2014Journal articles 53 69Conference proceedings 43 49Book chapters 6 4Books 2 2Total 104 124Per capita 0.3 0.3
Although, the per capita output, referring to total publication output per year, did not increase in 2014, the total number of publications increased by 20%.
Developing Research Capacity
In order to develop a sound foundation for the academics to undertake research, the facilitation of postgraduate studies has become more important. The Postgraduate Studies and Research Unit (PGSRU) is being established with the mandate to drive and support these developments and to give practical guidance to established researchers and postgraduate students. At the beginning of the year orientation sessions were held for prospective Masters and Doctoral candidates. Many workshops intended for academic staff who were upgrading their qualifications were conducted throughout the year and a significant number of staff members assisted made progress in their work. School research days were published in the institutional calendar and all researchers including emerging researchers had opportunities to present their work and receive feedback from the participants. Apart from that, two writing retreats, in each semester respectively, were conducted and hailed by researchers as an important booster for research capacity development at the Institution.
Rewarding Researchers
One of the steps to promote research is to identify and award those who excel in research and innovation, for these promote national competitiveness. Through the awarding of the “School Researcher of the Year” and “Unit/Centre Researcher of the Year”, the Institution is promoting a positive and stimulating work environment. Recognising, showcasing and rewarding successful research staff, significantly enhances the Institution’s profile and staff morale.
The following researchers were recognised for their outstanding contributions: Dr Victor Kamara (School of Engineering); Dr Ben Strohbach; Dr Mogos Teweldemedhin (School of Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences); Dr Shawulu Nggada (School of Computing and Informatics); Dr Rooyen Mavenyengwa (School of Health and Applied Sciences); Dr Cyril Ogbokor (School of Management Sciences); Mr Carva Pop (Units and Centres). In addition, Dr Shawulu Nggada, Head of Informatics, was awarded “Institutional Researcher of the Year”.
The project provides guidance to the NAC personnel responsible for managing the problem, and assists them in dealing with birdstrike risk. For this purpose the NAC has availed office space at Eros airport (Namibia’s busiest airports) for the WARN Birdstrike Centre, where Polytechnic student interns are able to record birdstrike information, conduct bird monitoring and analyse bird remains from collisions from all eight NAC airports.
The impact of the project has been recognised, as it has been invited to the past two bi-annual World Birdstrike Association meetings in Norway and Mexico to deliver research papers and posters. In addition, frequent talks have been held at various airline and airport management meetings, and also a website was established to share findings of the project’s research. The project has published three full research articles in international scientific journals, and three more in popular magazines.
Captions to photos (high resolution versions are available from Morgan – please do not print fuzzy or distorted images):
Photo 1: A student examines the remains of a bird following a collision with an aircraft – at the WARN Birdstrike Centre at Eros airport.
Photo 2: Polytechnic Nature Conservation interns: Kefilwe Mogotsi and Dirk Bockmuhl in front of the WARN Birdstrike Centre at Eros airport.
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Engagement and ImpactThe Institution endeavours to address the major challenges facing society and thereby meet the needs of the communities we serve, expand our international outreach through globally relevant networks and partnerships. Through these initiatives faculty and graduates can make a greater impact on the world.
The School of Engineering embarked on outreach by tutoring high school learners. “Catch-them-young” is one of the strategies adopted to expose high school learners early to the engineering profession, thereby getting them interested in studying engineering in future. Over ten high schools were visited. During these visits, an exhibition of students’ projects and demonstrations of laboratory equipment were carried out by the technicians to the amazement of the young minds. The School continued with its programme to help high school learners achieve high grades in science and mathematics. In this scheme, engineering students provide regular tutorial classes to grades 10 to 12 learners at selected high schools.
An interesting event added this year was the science and mathematics quiz competition by the School of Health and Applied Sciences. Two high schools were locked in a science and mathematics battle for the first place. Final-year students were the coordinators for the competition. The interaction between students and the high school learners spiced up the programme and created an atmosphere that drew the interest of the high school learners to the sciences in general.
For the School of Engineering, the first ever Namibia Minerals Industry Symposium (NAMIS) was hosted by the School under the theme Practice and Development. The symposium attracted key players in the mining industry. Some of the stakeholders that were represented are the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Chamber of Mines, National Commission on Research Science and Technology (NCRST), Geological Survey of Namibia, Namdeb Diamond
Cooperation, Langer Heinrich Uranium, Rössing Uranium and Rosh Pinah Zinc Cooperation to mention a few. Both staff and final year students from the School were also in attendance. Emeritus Laureate Professor John Ralston, founder of the Ian Wark Research Institute of the University of South Australia, was the key speaker at the symposium. He is also a special adviser to the Department of Mining and Process Engineering.
The HP-GSB has featured significantly in the national media with its Director, Prof Grafton Whyte, appearing on NBC for Talk of the Nation, Election Talk, and Good Morning Namibia on three occasions and on One Africa. He authored over a dozen newspaper articles and spoke on two radio programmes - for NBC and Base FM.
The School of Computing and Informatics (SCI) conducted visits countrywide and interacted with learners and teachers in high schools. Over this period 24 school visits and presentations were conducted (four in the Karas Region and 20 in the Northern Regions). An award was given to the best computer science learner at Karibib Private School which will enable him to study in this School in 2015.
The Departments of Languages and Communication in the School of Human Sciences offered community service by supporting the Namibian English Teachers’ Association (NETA). A workshop held in Gobabis in October saw the launch of an independent NETA East, which added to the other five branches in different regions of Namibia and thus bringing NETA membership to about a 1 000.
The School of Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences through its Integrated Land Management Institute (ILMI) conducted a baseline study for the Ministry of Environment and Tourism on communities in the northern communal areas to “Scale up Community Resilience to Climate Variability and Climate Change”.
• A waste recycling project (Peddling from Waste to Wealth Project) aimed at improving the livelihoods of informal waste pickers scattered across Namibia. A pilot project was run by a group of students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and our institution which saw the first collection system by bicycle tested in Windhoek suburbs.
• Integrated Land Management Institute developed the “Roadmap for an Implementation Plan for the Flexible Land Tenure System in Namibia”. This is a
national imperative to ensure that the Flexible Land Tenure Act is fully implemented and able to contribute to alleviating the housing crisis facing Namibia.
• DASP in partnership with the Namibia Housing Action Group contributed to the re-blocking project of the Freedom Square informal settlement in Gobabis.
• Architecture students undertook a project with a focus on social housing typologies in the Tweetheni Informal settlement in Windhoek.
• Dr Robert Riethmueller finalised the Windhoek Transport Master
Plan Project in collaboration with the City of Windhoek, GIZ and Ministry of Works and Transport.
• Eight DASP students of Architecture represented the Department at the UIA 2014 Durban Pecha Kucha event.
• Mr Salomo Mbai sourced funding from the Ministry of Veteran Affairs for drilling of boreholes, acquisition of production inputs and cooling facilities for the Robben Island Political Prisoners Trust at Ongombo West farm.
This School also managed the following community projects:
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International collaborations – bits and pieces The School of Engineering hosted a joint research workshop with University of Cape Town and the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), with focus on the assessment of the potential threat of Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GIC) on the Namibian Power grid. This workshop was a forum for information exchanges, capacity building and partnerships in research and was jointly supported by the Namibian National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) and the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) under a bilateral cooperation agreement between Namibia and South Africa.
International collaboration was further strengthened with reciprocating teaching between the School of Engineering and Hochschule Rhein-Main, which provided the opportunity for comparing notes and cross-fertilisation of ideas. More students in Germany are showing interest to study at the Polytechnic for at least a semester, as the credits earned are recognised by their universities.
The Department of Communication in the School of Human Sciences had a responsibility of running the OSISA Summer School, for mid-career journalists in Southern African countries, which was held in Lusaka, Zambia. The summer school is a joint project of OSISA, UNESCO, University of Zambia and Polytechnic of Namibia.
The Cooperative Education Unit (CEU) successfully facilitated the first year of the Knowledge, Integration and Transparency in Education (KITE) project with support from the Erasmus Mundus Programme of the European Union. This project culminated in two PhD scholarships awarded at the University of Velnius in Lithuania and Masaryk University in the Czech Republic. Furthermore, in collaboration with Wismar University in Germany, the CEU analysed the impact of the 2013 intake on the Multi-disciplinary Student Research Development Teams (SRDT) project. The results of this project were presented at meetings which took place at the two respective institutions during May at the Polytechnic and July in Germany. The Director of CEU also continued to represent the Institution as member of the Executive Committee (EXCO) and Board Member on the Southern Africa Society for Cooperative Education (SASCE).
Community engagement and work integrated learningThe importance of the contribution of the Cooperative Education Unit (CEU) in preparing students for the job market was recognised nationally when the Institute for People Management (IPM) at its 4th Annual Conference, awarded the Unit the top honours as the “IPM Centre Excelling in Cooperative Education for the Year”.
Given the Unit’s expertise in the facilitation of WIL, CEU hosted an Industry Breakfast under the theme
“Building Relationships” which more than 80 industry leaders attended. This was in recognition of all the industry partners that support students through providing WIL opportunities and has become an annual event.
The Polytechnic, through the CEU, was contracted by the Social Security Commission (SSC) Development Fund to monitor and evaluate the SSC development projects in all 14 Regions of
Namibia. The Unit administered the National Council of Higher Education’s (NCHE) Graduate Tracer Study, which was launched July, while also conducting the 5th Institutional Graduate Exit Survey at the 19th Graduation Ceremony. The Director, in his capacity as deputy chair of the National Core Working Group for Cooperative Education (NCWGCE), submitted the National Strategy on Cooperative Education to the Minister of Education.
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GOVERNANCE AND ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATIONOffice of the Registrar
Governance and Committee Work
This Department provides secretarial services to governance instruments of the Institution, as well as their committees. The year started with the filling of leadership positions on the Seventh Council as well as the appointment of members to the various committees. The Council and Committee system therefore was well placed to provide for smooth and high-quality oversight and governance. Attendance of Council meetings remained a concern and two scheduled Council meetings could not take place due to lack of a quorum. The Department is also responsible for student disciplinary cases and this year showed a further reduction in the number of cases to less than 20.
Strategic Management
The new Management structure approved for PSP-4 was implemented in January, which meant that the Programme Development Unit moved to the Office of the Vice Rector: Academic Affairs and Research. The Registrar continued to provide guidance, support and advice to the Unit, especially in the absence of the Director: Programme Development and the Deputy Registrar.
The Registrar further continued to represent the Institution on the NQA and NCHE Councils, as alternate for the Rector and Vice Rector: Academic Affairs and Research, respectively.
Applications, Admissions and Registration
Student recruitment activities were again somewhat curtailed by lack of funding. Nevertheless, recruitment materials and forms were made available on time and were distributed to all senior secondary schools and at important shows and career fairs, while significant recruitment drives were undertaken to all the major events and centres around the country.
An on-line application system was successfully used for the second time and generated approximately 1 830 of the more than 12 000 applications received. Feedback from the users of the system remained positive, in spite of the fact that there were delays in the set-up of the academic structure, as well as late approval of new and revised programmes for implementation in 2015.
The Office embarked on a project aimed at improving e-communication, and made strides in utilising the iComms facility of ITS to produce and send electronic acknowledgement and admission letters.
On-line registration was once again implemented very successfully, and is growing in leaps and bounds. All senior students registered online, while more than 3 500 new students were registered manually.
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All students were issued with the Nammic/Polytechnic cell card which combines the student card with a banking and loyalty card.
Faculty Administration
The ongoing work of Faculty Administration consists of activities such as registration of students, maintaining academic records, and promotion of students. Focus was placed on continuous improvement of business processes, which included changes in academic and student code structure; annual result code set-up and implementation; and NQF data (levels and credits) which were captured for all registered qualifications for the years 2012 to 2014. This has resulted in improved student academic record management and fewer student enquiries.
The Registrar worked with Adapt IT (vendors of the ITS System), and other universities to develop the technical specifications for an automated system of allocating annual results, effecting promotion and facilitating graduation. The new programme is expected to be delivered to institutions in 2015.
Assessment Administration
The Department is responsible for arranging and facilitating all institutional summative assessments, as well as certification of graduates.
The Department facilitated and administered 71 203 examinations over two sessions (June and November) consisting of 18 days each and each day having three examination sessions. The Department also successfully facilitated the Rector’s Special Examinations held in February and in August.
A system of accommodating students who have religious observances on days of examination was introduced.
Central Records and Archives (CRA)
The following were the main activities and outputs of this Department:
• An Electronic Document and Records Management (DRM) workshop has been conducted in co-operation with CED and the Document Warehouse.
• A Records Management Framework for the Polytechnic has been drafted. This provides a disciplined approach as well as a strategic plan to manage records and will play a vital role in the implementation of a Records Management Programme.
• The Polytechnic Filing System has been finalised and approved by the National Archives of Namibia and Senate. The implementation and training on the Filing System will be dealt with during 2015.
• The DRM Policy has been reviewed and approved by Senate.
• The Access to Student Records Policy has been reviewed and submitted to Senate and Council for approval.
• Approximately 900 archival boxes containing the Examination Scripts of 2010 – 2012 have been transferred to the Document Warehouse.
• The Retention Schedule has been compiled and submitted to the National Archives of Namibia for approval.
• Fumigation of the Archives Storage Areas took place in accordance with the requirements of the National Archives of Namibia.
• Approximately 20 Linear Meters of Examination Scripts from 2008 were destroyed in terms of disposal authority number 1-03/2014.
• The Central Records and Archives received approximately 300 Personnel records from the Human Resources department during 2014 for safekeeping.
Institutional Timetabling
Continuous improvements were made to timetabling in the form of timetable audits, production of utilisation reports, training of timetablers, and the publication of timetables on the web. The Timetabling Policy was revised and approved by Senate and Council, while the Department also facilitated the development of a revised campus map. A building identification protocol was developed and approved, thus making it easier for students, staff and external visitors to find their way around campus.
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MOVING FORWARDInstitutional Planning
In the wake of Cabinet’s directive to transform the Polytechnic of Namibia to the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), the Law Reform and Development Commission (LRDC) and the Polytechnic worked smoothly hand-in-hand towards the formulation of the Namibia University of Science and Technology Draft Bill, which once adopted will be the new establishing Act of the university.
The LRDC facilitated the engagement of external stakeholders, and published a Discussion Document which was availed inter alia to the Ministry of Education (MoE), Namibia College of Open Learning (NAMCOL), Namibia National Student Organisation (NaNSO), Namibia Qualifications Authority (NQA), Namibia Training Authority (NTA), National Council of Higher Education (NCHE), National Youth Service (NYS), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and University of Namibia (UNAM).
Discussion workshops were held during April and May throughout the country, namely in Windhoek, Walvis Bay, Keetmanshoop, Oshakati and Katima Mulilo. Comments from these workshops were incorporated into the draft Bill and the LRDC delivered same with the final report for consideration to the Ministers of Education and Justice, respectively, toward the end of 2014.
Another important step in the transformation process, overseen by the Department of Institutional Planning was the development of the PSP-4, which had been completed in the previous year. Thus one of the key features in the execution of the PSP-4 was the integration of the work of all internal stakeholders through regular consultations across the board and measuring outputs versus targets. To this effect a number of consultation forums were established
at different levels of the Institution’s organisational structures and they included the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and fora for Associate Deans, HoDs, Secretaries and Academics. With the Steering Committee providing guidance to the agenda for transformation and ensuring the appropriate flow of information in both directions - top-down and bottom-up, the understanding of concepts such as culture change, innovation, and transformation was developed across the Institution to the extent that these concepts were entrenched in the daily vocabulary of the community. This understanding facilitated a buy-in into the processes, which was one of the critical success factors of the project.
The Department, therefore, worked closely with various academic and administrative departments and implemented the following:
a. Launched the Student Success Forum (SSF), promoting student-centredness and providing opportunities for students to share and celebrate successes and promote best practice in teaching and learning.
b. Appointed student ‘change agents’ to inform students about the transformation/change process and to develop an institutional transformation video that was launched in November.
c. Formed a committee of representatives from various departments and units to establish the NUST Community Radio Station (NUST FM). The radio station aims to: disseminate information on the transformation; engage with students enrolled in distance learning; provide a training ground for students to apply their knowledge by carrying out different roles and be a tailor-made platform to support academic coursework.
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‘Change Agents’ were appointed across the Institution to facilitate the change in the following areas: staff qualifications profile; teaching and learning approaches; research focus and institutional culture. Given the nature of a university of science and technology, community engagement was adopted as an additional focal area.
To lay the foundation for technology-driven applied TLA, the Teaching and Learning Change Team focussed on four activities: enhancing student access to study material; eliminating gatekeeper courses; eliminating course duplications; and enhancing teaching methods. These activities were based on enhancing the quality of teaching, refining economies of scale, and improving student experiences.
By December, the course material for 39% of the courses offered by the Institution were available online, 17 Research Methodology and 21 Mathematics courses were streamlined by combining different classes. This led to only six Research Methodology and 11 Mathematics classes being offered. On the other hand, institutional research improved significantly from 60 in 2013 to 176 projects in 2014.
Monitoring Progress in the Implementation of PSP-4
The annual performance review, reflecting progress on the key performance indicators identified in the PSP-4, given the hands-on management approach to the strategic plan in the previous year, shows excellent results. These are reflected, for instance, in the structuring of the Schools, the seamless merger of academic departments, the number of publications, number of staff undergoing development for higher degrees, the streamlining of offerings across the Institution, the on-line availability of course material and enhanced efficiency in teaching and governance. These outputs are indicative of a system already well-positioned and prepared for greater development.
With the extended mandate for greater postgraduate offerings and strengthened research capacity, the need for academic staff to upgrade their qualifications became an urgent strategic imperative. Despite the fact that the qualifications profile of academic staff compared favourably with those of staff in the other Universities of Technology in the region, it was necessary that we had a relook at this issue in order to be able to achieve our targets of excellent service delivery and becoming one of the top institutions in Africa. Of strategic importance was the fact that it provides us an opportunity to encourage more Namibians to acquire higher degrees. Following a number of workshops 129 staff members were enrolled for Masters and Doctoral degrees.
The year also saw the full implementation of an integrated planning framework. The five-year Financial Plan (2014 – 2018), Integrated Planning Framework outlining the cost of the initiatives contained in the strategic plan and recommending ways of financing the activities was completed in October.
The Academic Plan (2014 – 2018) was under development. The Plan will be derived from the five Institutional goals as set out in the PSP-4. The goals are compressed into an action framework covering the core functions of a university of science and technology.
The first Institutional Operational Plan was completed in December. It sets out the processes and timelines for the implementation of goals and objectives of the strategic, academic, and financial plans for the main operational and functional areas of the Institution. The Plan covers a period of two years.
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TECHNOLOGY: A DRIVER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNINGEmbracing the transformation has taken centre stage in the integration of cutting-edge technologies in Teaching, Learning and Assessment (TLA) in Namibia. For more than a decade, the Institution’s profile has grown continuously in many respects as a result of its commitment to infuse the TLA process with the relevant Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). ICTs provide an alternative optimum learning environment to students’ learning in an active, collaborative, participatory and contextual manner. As a result, most courses offered at the Institution have minimum and moderate web presence on the Learning Management System (LMS) while others are offered fully-fledged online.
eLearning Activities An initiative was embarked upon to transform static print to interactive print utilising augmented reality that enables one to embed interactive rich digital media into print media, thereby changing the way educators and students experience interaction with traditional print-based study material. The team utilised Layar, a cutting-edge tool that allows for a meaningful, digitally enhanced view of the real world, which was launched and showcased during a media launch in July. This tool provides students and educators an innovative way to enrich physical media with layers of digital information that can be continuously updated.
The Institution further utilises an array of technologies such as the following:
Learning Management System
Online courses are designed and delivered through Moodle as the institutional LMS. This LMS consists of a variety of tools which allow for different pedagogies to be applied in addressing diverse student learning styles. Students access LMS, which allows for an interaction with the content, other students and the eTutor. The robustness of the LMS enhances 21st century graduate skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication, problem-based learning and digital literacy.
ePortfolio System
The Institution piloted the ePortfolio system, because it has the potential to integrate theory,
action, self-reflection and assessment. This pilot was found to be successful as it enabled students to develop learning artefacts and package them as portfolio documents for sharing and learning purposes, thus enhancing their communication and collaboration skills. The ePortfolio system is an effective tool that facilitates Work Integrated Learning (WIL), because students can remotely share their work-based learning activities with their supervisors during internship. This system further serves as a repository for students to keep record of academic activities for the duration of their studies at the Polytechnic.
Online LimeSurvey System
This free and open source online survey tool enables faculty and students to collect data during their research projects or academic activities requiring the collection of data. It analyses the collected data and provides preliminary findings in the form of statistical values and graphs to enhance the quality of TLA. It has also made it easier and faster to collect data related to learning activities, thereby enabled timely intervention planning in learning activities.
Virtual Classroom Platform (BigBlueButton and WebEx)
Issues such as time, technology and access to information are some of the factors affecting the learning process of students at tertiary institutions, hence the utilisation of the BigBlueButton virtual classroom as an alternative that speaks and eliminates these time barriers. Using this platform, lecturers can conduct classroom activities from remote locations in a synchronous manner. This helps extend learning activities and learning opportunities outside the classroom. The Computer Services deployed WebEx, a virtual video-conferencing system, to further extend virtual learning across the Institution.
Anti-Plagiarism System
One of the most vibrant additions to the technology support-base for TLA is the anti-plagiarism software, Turnitin. This software helps to enforce integrity and support the originality of learning and authenticity of assessment.
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ImpactThe calibre of eLearning professionals at the Institution and the success of the initiatives undertaken in all eLearning projects and course design have attracted international benchmarking visits and scholars from institutions within SADC and beyond.
eLearning has impacted the quality of teaching in a number of distinct ways in the Institution:
• The eLearning platform has drastically improved the effectiveness of communication between students and lecturers, especially in courses with a high student enrolment;
• It enables teaching, learning and assessment to go beyond the classroom thereby allowing students to study on their own pace;
• Online assessment creates the opportunity for students to engage in self-assessment and receive immediate feedback;
• The use of multi-media such as videos and podcasts helped students to deepen their understanding of the topics being taught;
• Online discussion and collaboration forums have enabled students to actively participate in the development of ideas, assessment and learning;
• Students have become creators of knowledge and perhaps more importantly, enabled them to harness their creativity and innovation; and
• Data collection tools embedded in the eLearning platform have proved to be vital elements in automated data collection and analysis to support research skills and the learning process.
To ensure that the Institution is continuously pioneering the utilisation and integration of innovative technologies, the Annual Technology Day with the theme: “Impact of Technology and Bandwidth on Quality Teaching and Learning” was
re-launched. At this event, faculty and students showcased the innovative strategic approaches in which they integrated and utilised ICTs to enhance the teaching and learning experience.
Industry partners and stakeholders in the ICT sector took part in a roundtable discussion and commended the Institution for initiating an event of this magnitude, emphasising the importance of integrating new technologies and approaches that prepare students for the world of work and equip them with skills for the 21st century.
Worldwide, eLearning has shown to have a drastic positive impact on TLA to ensure: enhanced communication and interaction; quality of instructional material; quality of teaching methods; flexibility in course delivery; students’ diverse profile and learning styles are met; and equal participation in the knowledge economy.
The Institution has positioned itself as far back as 2004 to be at the forefront of eLearning technologies as a means of providing flexible and student-centred education to a diverse student population. Today, the Institution is poised to be a leading provider in eLearning, therefore, making significant strides into the higher education sector with its students embracing innovation spontaneously with their flexible learning and cognitive abilities. Preparing graduates for not just Namibia, but the world at large, continuous awareness in eLearning is created at both strategic and operational levels to increase student enrolment for online courses. As such, the Institution increases its footprint in education, attracts a greater pool of international students, and continues to gain global recognition by scooping several international awards for technology-enhanced learning in higher education. This remarkable feat was achieved through the systematic, efficient and integrated efforts of a dedicated team with exceptional talent and commitment to hard work to create a leading university of science and technology.
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INNOVATION: WHERE THE FUTURE LIES Despite solid macroeconomics, Namibia’s industrialisation has not taken off as expected and consequently the challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality still prevail. Globally it is known that advances in knowledge and development and exploitation of new technologies are a result of research and innovation, a precondition for long-term growth in productivity and prosperity. Therefore, Namibia’s industrialisation policy suggests that an innovation policy should be linked to the developmental challenges of the country.
While advances in knowledge and development and exploitation of new technologies are a result of research and innovation, the Namibia Business Innovation Centre (NBIC), established in 2009 by the Polytechnic, and which since has become an institute (NBII), addresses challenges such as provision of basic amenities, viz. affordable housing; access to quality health services; access to affordable financial services; mitigation of climate change, availability of clean and sustainable energy and food security.
As an innovation facilitator in the country, it has contributed directly and indirectly to the innovation landscape by participating in the formulation of relevant legislation and policies as well as in collaboration with key stakeholders. Thus, the Institute extended its reach in the innovation value chain by establishing the FABlab Namibia.
This initiative was realised with funding of N$ 7.0 million and N$ 2.2 million from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the German government, respectively, for the provision of state-of-the-art equipment and a container building. The latter was achieved in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Transworld Cargo and Container World.
After a short period of incubation, the FABlab Namibia was launched officially in February, where the Minister of Trade and Industry argued that, “… what is needed is to build and nurture a pool of entrepreneurs who possess innovative business ideas and the determination to translate them into viable employment creating enterprises that would produce goods and services for domestic consumption and for export. Also, such a pool of people would consequently help transform the economy from its heavy reliance on the production and export of finite natural resources.”
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The FABlab will create linkages and collaborate with various stakeholders to harness research, science, technology and innovation potential to contribute to socio-economic development. By harnessing amongst others different design skill sets, traditional knowledge and crafts, bio- and food technologies to develop new products and technologies, the Fablab aims to empower local communities, entrepreneurs, artisans and SMEs to develop technological solutions as a means of solving local problems. The FABlab accomplished a number of achievements. Several initiatives of the two components are, for example, the following:
The Innovation Marketplace (I’M) unit of the NBII with the National Statistics Agency (NSA) and Southern Africa Innovation Support (SAIS) programme joined 1 Billion Africa to successfully host the 1st Namibia Open Data Innovation Hackathon, an event intended to give an opportunity for software developers to create with mobile applications. With the City of Windhoek through the FEMTECH project of SAIS, the Institute facilitated the second intake of women on a 4-month ICT intensive training course. The FABlab, on the other hand, pioneered development and facilitation of new and innovative local workshops on product development and prototyping and on global and local design and market trends. Engagement with Namibian youth was instigated through the launch of a new programme targeting 8 to 18 year-olds for bi-monthly coding and technology classes or FABroots. The FABlab developed a unique model, dubbed the Intensive Product Development (IPD) programme, consisting of a three-month intensive training programme for product development through assessment of local needs and creation of a practical solution to spark local innovation that is sustainable. The FABlab also developed an innovative local campaign to uplift the wool industry. The HERD National Wool Campaign was piloted with workshops on product development in three of the 14 regions of Namibia. While these examples are not exhaustive, they illustrate how alive and vibrant innovation is at these important units.
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Grooming future innovators and entrepreneurs
The I’M stimulates innovation by providing an empowering environment for the so-called quadruple helix partners (academia, civic society, private sector and government), conducive to inspiring the will to experiment, learn fast and aim high.
As part of the I’M’s mission to change the mindset of Namibians, two activities created a chain reaction of stimulating thoughts towards an open-innovation approach, especially amongst academics, private sector, students and pupils, that is, the Seminar X and the Innovation Talks.
Seminar X, dubbed so as it aimed to broaden the understanding of what open innovation entails by showing corporate players and other stakeholders the value in harvesting from open innovation resource networks. This was illustrated in a practical open innovation session facilitated by I’M in partnership with Regional Connect and University Central Consultancy Bureau (UCCB) of UNAM. By using mixed groups of people from various backgrounds, namely SMEs, corporate players, pupils and students, interacting in a collaborative work space it demonstrated the speed, efficiency and effectiveness that can be harnessed to address challenges. In one case of a participating social entrepreneur, it saved one and half years of market research, large capital investment and time.
Innovation Talks are I’M’s most effective awareness building tools to date. Providing an inspirational dialogue platform, the quadruple helix partners are exposed to and do discuss current and future topics
on innovation and entrepreneurship. Experts from Namibia, elsewhere in Africa and from around the world were invited on specific topics - to educate, inform, inspire, motivate and share their views on the subject matter.
The two talks that stood out particularly and served as a springboard and could potentially create a paradigm shift in the near future, were Women in Innovation and the Blue Economy Talk on Water Scarcity in Namibia. The I’M created an open dialogue platform where five selected Namibian business women and entrepreneurs representing various sectors and background (prominent business women – role model, entrepreneur, professional and career women) presented their insight on “What makes women such good innovators”.
The founder and creator of Blue Economy elaborated on the concept which arises from the observation that we are almost permanently in a cycle of global economic and social crises suggesting that the usual management of the problems does not provide long-term solutions. Scientists, researchers, politicians and social networks are acutely aware of this challenge and therefore are working out new models for the future. The Blue Economy allows a response to the basic needs of all with that we have. It thus requires new ways of designing business by establishing cascading systems, where the waste of one product becomes the input to create a new cash flow. In this way, jobs are created, social capital is built and income rises – while there is minimal strain and pollution to the environment that provides the basis for our lives. This leads to an evolution from an economy where the ‘good’ is expensive and the ‘bad’ is cheap to a system where the good and innovative is affordable.
HERD National Wool Campaign
Wool, specifically Karakul, is a largely under-utilised material in Namibia with up to 600 tons of potentially valuable raw material being discarded annually. FABlab was engaged by wool industry stakeholders to consider innovative approaches to utilise this wasted local resource.
The farmers of Karakul sheep in the Hardap and Karas Regions of Namibia are reluctant to shear their sheep. The price they fetch for the wool is far too low to compensate for the great amount of effort and costs involved in shearing the sheep. Instead, the farmers dispose of the wool after mandatory bi-annual shearing or, where possible, send it to auctions in Keetmanshoop or Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Similar wool industry innovation campaigns have been held in Europe, South Africa, and big players in the wool industry like New Zealand and Australia. This FABlab project received funding of N$ 300 000 from the Finnish Government through the SAIS in partnership with Agra ProVision, the Swakara Board, and FABlab’s key partners - Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Polytechnic. Training and transfer of new skills and knowledge to over 300 participants, particularly women and youth, in the Erongo, Hardap/Karas and Khomas Regions took place under the auspices of the HERD campaign. The objective was to upcycle this wasted local raw material through innovation, and the campaign therefore intends to create new local wool products and a market for these products. FABlab exhibited at the International Participatory Design Conference in October in Windhoek.
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The Blue Economy talk created a drastic mindshift in those who attended. It was followed by establishing collaboration between NBII and the University of Pecs, Hungary, which facilitated an opportunity that every year, five places are reserved at Namibian universities to enable the building of national capacity for the Blue Economy. In the process the NBII will be in a position to effectively drive the local Blue Economy project highlighting Namibia’s potential, which in turn can translate into implementable projects that optimise utilisation of own resources to create a growing and sustainable economy. The Blue Economics Summer School at the University of Pecs is introducing these ideas to the participants who will develop a new way of thinking and a new generation of business professionals.
Both these talks and other activities have generated much interest, passion and enthusiasm to change and the drive to become a country that utilises innovation to realise sustainable socio-economic growth.
A market study was conducted during the exhibition to gauge the impact of the campaign. The key results were:
• 91% of the respondents indicated that they would buy one or more of the wool products displayed;
• 27% of the respondents indicated that they would be interested in starting a business using wool and wool-based products;
• Recommendation for a pop-up shop – this idea arose due to the demonstrated demand for wool products through the HERD National Wool Campaign.
Through the campaign so far, it is clear that there is a potential market for modern and innovative products made with Namibian wool. The momentum gained must be harnessed further towards growing a competitive wool industry in Namibia through support
of the products already created as well as further research into additional innovation potential with our local wool.The highlighted events of the innovative Campaign included:• Knowledge and skills transfer on product
development using wool to over 40 students at the College of the Arts and the University of Namibia, respectively;
• Wool product and process training of over 30 SMEs and entrepreneurs in collaboration with COSDEF, Swakopmund; and
• A published academic paper titled “From Sheep to Product: A Design Exploration into the Benefit of Collective Creativity in Upcycling Waste and Generating Value”.
It is clear that both NBII and FABlab, in working with various stakeholders are actively promoting innovation, and it is by pooling together their resources and working synergistically that they are beginning to make a huge impact on innovation in Namibia.
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TOWARDS UNIVERSAL ENERGY ACCESS
The Namibia Energy Institute (NEI), a unit of the Polytechnic, which evolved from the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Institute (REEEI), embodies our hope for universal energy access in Namibia.
Energy access is not an end in itself. Today, more than ever before, it is at the core of the development fabric of a nation. Access to modern energy is essential for the provision of clean water, sanitation and healthcare, and for the provision of reliable and efficient lighting, heating, cooking, mechanical power, transport, and telecommunications services. At the same time, as a commodity, energy access is a prerequisite for the value addition to raw materials.
Currently, however, half of Namibia’s electricity supply of some 3 000 GWh per year is supplied by South Africa, which in turn faces serious supply constraints itself. Consequently, Namibia faces severe challenges in power supply, if no new power plants or sources are commissioned soon. Looking beyond the imperatives for the immediate future it is important that focus be on an appropriate diversification of economically competitive and reliable sources and especially local, Namibian resources.
The debate on whether energy access should be declared as a basic human right is on-going. The International Energy Association (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2014 cites Sub-Saharan Africa as having 621 million people without access to electricity, where the average national electrification rate is 32%. Namibia is cited as having a national electrification rate of 30%, where the urban dwellers with access reach is 50%, and the rural area population with access is only 17%. It is estimated that about 40% of the population lives in urban areas, meaning that
out of a total population of about 2.2 million, more than 1.5 million people lack access to electricity in Namibia.
In December 2012, the Cabinet of the Government of the Republic of Namibia authorised the transformation of the REEEI into the NEI, in order to support the broader development and dissemination of knowledge, skills and good practices towards a safer, more secure and sustainable energy system in Namibia.
The NEI’s new mandate includes the establishment of four Centres, viz.: the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CREEE); the Centre for Oil and Gas (COG); the Centre for Electricity Supply (CES); and the Centre for Nuclear Sciences (CNS). The Institute received a donation of N$ 150 000 (from the Electricity Control Board) towards the transformation, and the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) has availed a budget of N$ 14.5 million for the next three years. It is the NEI’s raison d’etre to produce evidence-based policy support to national strategies with the aim to harness this diversity of energy resources. A five-year strategic action plan for the NEI was finalised, and the Institute was launched in May. Initially, the NEI is established as a Unit within the Polytechnic, but an Advisory Board will guide it towards its establishment by an Act of Parliament. The process of constituting the NEI Advisory Board has been finalised, with its first meeting planned for early 2015.
The establishment of new centres of the NEI started in earnest in 2014. Through fact finding visits to companies such as Shell, Repsol, Petrobras, Petard, and HRT, a clearer understanding of the structure
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and role of the COG emerged. Furthermore, as a result of these visits a Competency and Capacity Needs Assessment study for the Oil and Gas Sector of Namibia was initiated by Shell in collaboration with the NEI-PETROFUND technical team. This study, to be concluded early 2015, will further inform the NEI regarding the capacity building activities it might need to institute.
The harmonisation efforts are necessary to establish synergies between different initiatives by various government ministries and the private sector as this will propel Namibia into a sustainable energy future. The establishment of CNS, within the NEI, serves as an example of such harmonisation efforts. The creation of new Centre took into account the Nuclear Fuels Cycle Policy, developed by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, which had advocated for the establishment of a similar Centre.
In the case of access to energy supply the current discourse however is much broader. While legislation paving the way for independent power producer (IPP) participation in Namibia’s energy sector is yet to be finalised, at the same time the debate on whether energy access should be declared as a basic human right and thus efforts towards universal energy access be pursued, is already ongoing. This is in the context where currently the main efforts are directed at securing the supply for those who already have access. The NEI is an integral part of this future and is well placed to complement government efforts in this respect, by developing skills, and building the capacity needed, as well as working on seamless introduction of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) into the energy sector, and thus ensuring sustainability through proper management of established projects.
The NEI mainly continued with projects that were already started by the REEEI. Such projects are now run under the newly established CREEE and CES, and include: Solar Thermal Training and Demonstration Initiative (SOLTRAIN); National Wind Resource Assessment Project (NWRAP); Namibia Energy Efficiency Programme (NEEP) in Buildings; EDULINK II-EU-ACP Projects; Concentrated Solar Power Technology Transfer for Namibia (CSP TT Nam) Project, among others.
The NEI has participated in the Off-grid Energisation Master Plan (OGEMP) of the Ministry of Mines and Energy and has driven the project on the management of the Energy Shop Project as part of the
rural electrification programme using solar energy. Concerning the Energy Shops projects, a performance review process of the 13 energy shops established in 12 regions of Namibia was conducted from November 2013 to February 2014 and the outcome highlighted the need to establish more shops. Additional five energy shops were planned for, and established, in 2014.
The NEI served on a committee consisting of the MME and NamPower that coordinated the electrification of the Gam community, a settlement of approximately 1 600 inhabitants in the Otjozondjupa Region, and the battery expansion of the already existing Tsumkwe Photo-voltaic (PV)/Diesel Hybrid power system. As a result, students were engaged by the NEI to sensitise the Gam community on capabilities and limitations of the Photo-voltaic system. This brief study resulted in the battery storage upgrade of the facility which was completed and commissioned in September, followed by the commissioning and energisation of the Gam 292 kWp PV mini-grid that took place in October and November, respectively.
The NEI was awarded two consultancy projects:
a) SME – EIF Green Soft Loan Scheme: The NEI was selected as the Consultant to inspect the renewable energy systems installed under the green soft loan scheme. Twenty systems were inspected; and
b) The Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA): The NEI participated in the drafting of a NAMA concept for Namibia, by hosting consultants from the UNDP – USA, and Austria. The NEI is the local contact point for NAMA in Namibia.
The NEI also participated in the NTA-led drafting of Unit Standards for technical qualifications on Solar PV and Solar thermal technology, which is envisaged to be implemented by Vocational Training Centres, Young Africa, KAYEC and any other body accredited by the NTA.
The REEEI has since 2009 played a key role on projects relating to provision of renewable energy in the country. However with its transformation to the NEI, an institute with a broader mandate, it is positioned to complement government, private sector and community efforts to provide adequate and sustainable energy supply in order to meet the national development needs.
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A NEW BUSINESS CULTURE:TOWARDS DEVELOPING A CUSTOMER-CENTRIC CULTURE IN NAMIBIA
The Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business (HP-GSB) posits that customer service will become the catalyst for many changes: As a source of social change, excellent customer service has the potential to transform basic service delivery. It is a source of employment change as jobs are created by the growth of the customer service industry. Excellent customer service is also a source of competitive advantage as companies seek to differentiate themselves by pleasing and retaining more customers.
Customer service in Namibia is often characterised by attitudes of apathy and indifference; people either cannot be bothered or simply do not care about the service they deliver. At the same time, consumers seem to have resigned themselves to accepting this low level of service. The issue of poor customer service in business, government and community has long been a topic of national concern as it also affects the delivery of basic services such as housing, water, electricity and sewerage.
Realising the numerous benefits associated with high quality customer service the HP-GSB developed a programme to promote customer service, which in the first year of implementation culminated in the first-ever Customer Service Awards and Conference held in November 2014 in Namibia.
Implementing this programme, every year the best performing companies, government departments, State Owned Enterprises and NGOs will be awarded for their outstanding service provision. The awards are a reflection of the national perception of the quality of services these organisations provide.
The 2014 Awards were based on a nationwide survey covering 1 500 households, and this will remain the case for subsequent surveys.
The survey was carried out from June to August and 7 258 responses on customer service were collected. Data were collected across twelve predetermined sectors of the economy by independent research company Business Intelligence Africa (BIA). The final awards were therefore based on rigorous international standards of customer feedback overseen by the HP-GSB. The national survey of customer service was the first of its kind in Namibia and is the foundation upon which, the customer service movement, the espoused aim of this five-year programme is built.
Sponsors and Publicity
Since the Customer Service Awards were instituted as a vehicle to raise the awareness of business and organisations to the importance of quality customer service, it was necessary to engage both print and broadcast media to ensure that this event received a great deal of publicity. An aggressive media campaign through radio, television and print media ensured that the topic was constantly in the public eye was made possible by sponsors who recognised the importance of participating in, and facilitating dialogue about customer service at a national level. Major sponsors such as Namibia Media Holdings (publishers of the Namibian Sun, Republikein and Allgemeine Zeitung) and the Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (through the flighting of advertisements, hosting the HP-GSB on national talk shows, as well as broadcasting of the Awards) ensured that a constant stream of information reached the public.
Furthermore, in support of the Conference and Awards the HP-GSB and Conference Link managed to raise N$ 2 million from its sponsors, which included PricewaterhouseCoopers Namibia (PwC), Namibia Media Holdings (NMH), Namibia Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Namibia Wildlife Resorts, Nampower, Harold Pupkewitz Foundation, FNB, Business Intelligence Africa (BIA) and the Namibia Diamond Trading Company (NDTC).
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International Conference and Awards Ceremony
The Conference brought together a host of international experts and speakers who presented papers relating to four themes: Customer service in (i) Commerce, (ii) Government, (iii) Education, and (iv) the Information Technology sector. Approximately 50 academic and practitioner papers were received following the School’s call for contributors. A wealth of information pertaining to issues surrounding customer service in the region was generated by this call and by the various presenters.
To provide an international perspective two world-renowned speakers, namely Prof Moira Clark and Mr Howard Kendall featured at the Conference. Prof Clark is Professor of Strategic Marketing at Henley Business School, Head of Marketing and Reputation as well as Director of the Henley Centre for Customer Management (a consortium of organisations which are interested in leading-edge best practice in customer management). Mr Kendall, who founded the Service Desk Institute (SDI) in 1988, is recognised as the leading authority in Europe on Help Desks and IT Support. Mr Kendall wrote a definitive book on customer service for the British Standards Institute (BSI).
Both the Conference and Awards ceremony received strong support from public sector leaders. The Conference was opened by City of Windhoek Mayor and the Home Affairs Minister delivered the keynote address. Other notable speakers included Polytechnic of Namibia Rector, and Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM) Executive Director.
Awards in twelve sectors representing the key areas of concern for the majority of Namibians and accounting for approximately 95% of typical household expenditure were conferred.
The winners in the different sectors for 2014
Category Organisation/Service Provider
Supermarkets Spar
Banks Nedbank
Health Services Roman Catholic HospitalMunicipal Services Walvis Bay MunicipalityEnergy Services Erongo REDTransport Services TransNamibTelecommunications MTCSecurity Services City PoliceHome Affairs SwakopmundInsurance Services SanlamPost Office Services KatuturaEducation Services Swakopmund
In the wake of the Conference, invited customer service experts Prof Clarke and Mr Kendall facilitated a Master Class to educate Namibian professionals in service industries on important issues surrounding service provision. A total of 230 business entities were represented in the Conference, Awards and Master Class.
Outcomes
Outcomes of the first Namibian Customer Service Awards and Conference and Master Class were the following:
• Increasing awareness of the importance of customer service and its effect on business and the end consumer. Through support from sponsors, presence in local media, and the exposure generated by the conference, the School was able to contribute to customer service being viewed as a priority issue in business.
• Knowledge transfer by international experts and presenters during the conference and plenary discussions.
• Production of reports for companies, based on research findings. The rating scores used in the report were entirely derived from customer experiences of using the specific services targeted by the survey. The reports were based on two simple concepts: First, what customers thought of the company’s service. This was the performance rating. Secondly, how the company’s services compared with others in its sector. This was obtained by comparing the performance rating with the average global score in the sector. This information enabled companies to draw meaningful conclusions and take sensible actions that would lead to more satisfied customers.
2015 and beyond
The 2015 event, the second Customer Service Management Africa Awards and Conference, will be held under the theme “Expecting Better: Delivering More”. The event, which will adopt the same format as its predecessor, will take place mid-September 2015 and is expected to attract a pan-African audience. The event will also feature the country’s first Customer Service Heroes and Heroines Awards. This award category will be dedicated to individuals who deliver excellent customer service in their communities. The event will also feature two forums - Professional and Research - that will bring together major industry players and provide practical solutions to customer service issues. HP-GSB also plans to offer a postgraduate diploma in Customer Service Management later in the year. A combination of the above efforts is expected to result in HP-GSB becoming a Customer Service research centre of expertise in Africa.
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(DANRS)
UNLOCKING POTENTIAL: RESEARCH IMPACTING WIDELY OUR SOCIETYDefined by the transformation, research in the Institution remains high on the agenda, through applied, multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches.
Our research objectives require the Institution’s commitment to research and innovation on socially relevant problems whose solutions would impact positively on the lives of the Namibian citizens. In order to achieve this goal it is imperative that, first our research is aligned to the national development agenda of the country; and secondly, that collaboration with government, industry and the wider community is deepened.
The following few interesting projects pursued and sampled from the different Schools for publication, are supportive of the national development agenda and have a direct impact on society.
Birds versus Aircraft – A Serious Threat to Human Life
The Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Sciences (DANRS) has been working since 2009 in partnership with the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) to find proactive and sustainable solutions to the bird-strike problem affecting air traffic at Namibian airports.
Collisions between aircraft and birds in the vicinity of airports are an alarmingly common occurrence globally. In fact, it is recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as a priority safety concern. In recent times the “miracle crash landing on the Hudson river” in 2009 as a result of a collision with snow geese at LaGuardia airport in the USA, and a tragically fatal crash involving tourists in Nepal, have brought this problem to the fore.
Namibia is not immune to this problem, with between five and 20 collisions annually between aircraft and birds at the main international airport, Hosea Kutako, alone. The ICAO has concluded that birdstrikes, as the problem is known in aviation circles, are not a random act of nature and airports need to minimise them.
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(DANRS)
The Wildlife and Aircraft Research Namibia project (WARN), led by Dr Morgan Hauptfleisch, sets itself apart from other research organisations in this unique safety problem by its causative approach in considering all factors in the ecosystems around airports and their possible effect on attracting and maintaining bird populations. “Other industry leaders are concerned more with finding more effective ways of shooting or repelling birds once they are detected at airports, which we see as a symptomatic and reactive measure, because if the ecosystem offers services for birds, more birds are just drawn in to replace the ones that are killed – this means you shoot again, and the cycle repeats itself”.explains Hauptfleisch. He continues: “We look at the attractants, such as small mammals which draw in large birds of prey, or insects, or vegetation. If the attractiveness of the airport is lower, fewer birds will come”. One of the project’s aims, supported by the NAC, is to find more environmentally friendly methods to deal with birds at airports. “Most of Namibia’s tourists fly in to enjoy our variety of wildlife (including birds), and if we are destroying this wildlife at the very place they land in the country it’s a bit counterproductive,” says Hauptfleisch.
The project also serves as a training ground for the Polytechnic Nature Conservation students. To date nine undergraduate students, two honours and one Masters students have conducted internships or research into aspects of birdstrikes at Namibian airports. The principles involved in dealing with the
problem are common to most other human-wildlife conflict issues, and therefore learning how to manage birdstrikes provides skills for issues such as predator-livestock conflict and elephant-crop raids, to name a few.
The project provides guidance to the NAC personnel responsible for managing the problem, and assists them in dealing with birdstrike risk. For this purpose the NAC has availed office space at Eros Airport (Namibia’s busiest airport) for the WARN Birdstrike Centre, where the student interns are able to record birdstrike information, conduct bird monitoring and analyse bird remains from collisions from all eight NAC airports.
The impact of the project has been recognised, as it has been invited to the past two bi-annual World Birdstrike Association meetings in Norway and Mexico to deliver research papers and posters. In addition, frequent talks have been held at various airline and airport management meetings, and a website was established to share findings of the project’s research. The project has published three full research articles in international scientific journals, and three more in popular magazines.
Project Leader: Dr Morgan Hauptfleisch, Tel: +264 61 207 2339, Email: [email protected].
Photo 5: WARN training NAC emergency personnel on birdstrike minimisation
More photos are available.
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Savings serve a number of purposes in every country. An individual needs savings in order to meet his or her daily expenses, as well as guiding against unforeseen contingencies. Savings can also be of value to a business when it needs to expand its operations like opening a new office, branch or factory. Countries also need savings for the sake of creating more wealth in the economy. This creation of wealth usually occurs whenever a country invests its savings in productive activities such as the production of vehicles, food and road infrastructures. Part of the success stories of individuals, businesses and countries have always been attributed to good saving habits.
Through a number of in-house staff trainings and mentorships that have already taken place the project is contributing to capacity building in research as well as training of postgraduate students. Publications in scholarly journals have come out of this research, which is boosting the moderate research output the School has been achieving over the years.
The project focus has been to identify and explain the main factors affecting savings in Namibia, such as poverty, industrialisation, savings mobilisation, unemployment and others, and to inform policy makers.
The initial findings arising from this project suggests the following: First, the main factors that explain saving habits in Namibia are income, inflation and population growth. In terms of income, employees will generally have a stronger capacity to save more with higher income. Due to inflation the price of goods and services increase and, savings, especially on the part of low income earners, are discouraged since little or nothing will remain after making provisions for basic necessities. Population growth was also found to discourage savings because with a growing population income earners have more mouths to feed and little or nothing to save.
Secondly, the findings indicated that the savings level in Namibia is very low, generally at less than 2% of income. The story is not materially different when compared to most countries in the region. Given this situation, it is advisable for the Government of Namibia to implement policies that would lead to a general improvement in savings habits in its economy, such as controlling inflation.
The project team is currently considering other ways of making greater impact on societal needs in general, such as to engage more graduate students, and society at large.
Project Leader: Dr Cyril Ogbokor, Tel: +264 61 207 2449, Email: [email protected].
Savings in Namibia: Is the Country Doing Enough?
The School of Management Sciences has had a moderate research output over the years. It is engaged in research niches covering multiple areas: poverty, unemployment, industrialisation, inflation and economic growth and development. Among these numerous projects is one on “Savings in Namibia”, which cuts across a number of the areas and addresses issues related to Namibia’s developmental agenda.
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Engineering Supports Rural Farmers through ResearchCrop farmers in the rural areas will either remove crop residues for energy production or, as in Kavango East communities, allow cattle to feed on crop residues during the dry season. In the latter case, “productivity gets transferred to kraal”. Both practices have deleterious effects on soil organic carbon of the fields, which is needed to enrich soil fertility. In terms of energy production, the crop farming communities of the Kavango East region have traditionally used open fire with three stones to support the cooking pot, a system that is not efficient in the utilisation of the energy or the bio-char produced. This is the problem the School of Engineering in the Department of Mechanical and Marine Engineering (DMME) set out to solve. They used the process of pyrolysis of crop residues to produce both heat energy and bio-char.
of the TLUD stove and found that the bio-char produced was of good quality and suitable for the local soils. The Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN) also came on board to facilitate local mass production of the stoves by the Skoonheid community which used only hand tools thereby enhancing sustainable development in this community. As of the time of compilation of this article, the stoves were being used already by eight farmers in the Kavango East Region. This cooperation between engineering, food safety and the local community led to an appropriate and ecological solution using improved technology. So research had a valuable social impact.
Picture 1: local bio-‐char stove Picture 2: A prototype of the top lit updraft (TLUD) stove designed
Picture 3: Field testing of the TULD stove
of the TLUD stove and found that the bio-char produced was of good quality and suitable for the local soils. The Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN) also came on board to facilitate local mass production of the stoves by the Skoonheid community which used only hand tools thereby enhancing sustainable development in this community. As of the time of compilation of this article, the stoves were being used already by eight farmers in the Kavango East Region. This cooperation between engineering, food safety and the local community led to an appropriate and ecological solution using improved technology. So research had a valuable social impact.
Picture 1: local bio-‐char stove Picture 2: A prototype of the top lit updraft (TLUD) stove designed
Picture 3: Field testing of the TULD stove
The first set of bio-char stoves that were availed to the farmers was designed by a student in the Department. The height of these stoves, in relation to the fire, was relatively high in order to accommodate sufficient airflow through the mahangu (millet) husks, but farmers preferred a stove with lower height and also larger and denser pieces over mahangu husks for fuel. The Department undertook to find answers to the issues raised by the farmers. The research produced other models of bio-chars and each model was based on field testing and feedback from the community, thus each being an improvement on the previous one. The top lit updraft design (TLUD) model used by the communities compared to the student-designed model seems to have higher efficiency and its bio-char output is more superior.
The TLUD stove produces bio-char from crop residue like mahangu husks and maize stalks by burning it inside a cylinder in an oxygen-limited environment. The biomass goes through a gasification cycle where most of the volatile components are released and flared. The resulting residue is the high quality bio-char.
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of the TLUD stove and found that the bio-char produced was of good quality and suitable for the local soils. The Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN) also came on board to facilitate local mass production of the stoves by the Skoonheid community which used only hand tools thereby enhancing sustainable development in this community. As of the time of compilation of this article, the stoves were being used already by eight farmers in the Kavango East Region. This cooperation between engineering, food safety and the local community led to an appropriate and ecological solution using improved technology. So research had a valuable social impact.
Picture 1: local bio-‐char stove Picture 2: A prototype of the top lit updraft (TLUD) stove designed
Picture 3: Field testing of the TULD stove
The stove developed by the Department used locally available biomass like small pieces of wood, mahangu husks and shelled maize cobs, but the mahangu husks, by virtue of being readily available in small pieces accumulated at most homesteads in the community, are the most convenient fuel for making bio-char. However, because mahangu husks burn up within five minutes due to their low density, the farmers still preferred to use a denser fuel that burn for a longer period.
Apart from enriching the carbon content of the soil, bio-char - when added to soil - improves its water and nutrient holding capacity. However, it is known that the bio-char produced from most biomasses is not immediately suitable for the soil, but has to be first conditioned by beneficial soil micro-organisms that degrade it to prepare it for the soil. The bio-char produced from husks is suitable for use on the soil without the need to crush it beforehand.
The DMME in collaboration with the DANRS, which has direct links with the Kavango East communities, conducted the entire field testing of the TLUD stove and found that its bio-char was of good quality and suitable for the local soils.
The Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN) also came on board to facilitate local mass production of the stoves by the Skoonheid community which used only hand tools thereby enhancing sustainable development in this community. By year end, the stoves were being used already by eight farmers in the region.
This cooperation in engineering and food safety with the local community led to an appropriate and ecological solution using improved technology.
Project Leader: Dr Sameul John, Tel: +264 61 207 2548, Email: [email protected].
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Moringa Research: Unravelling the “Miracle Tree”
In a project led by the Polytechnic and Uppsala University in Sweden, scientists and colleagues from Lund in Sweden as well as Botswana, France and the USA have investigated how and why a protein extract from seeds of Moringa trees can be used to purify water more efficiently and effectively. The study forms part of a series of scientific endeavours to uncover the potentials of a plant species which is also known as the “miracle tree”.
The researchers have studied the microscopic structure of aggregates formed with the protein. A protein in the seeds binds to impurities causing them to aggregate so that the clusters can be separated from the water. The study compared protein from the seeds of different varieties of Moringa trees that are grown in different countries. It also allowed estimates of the optimum amount of seed extract that should be used to minimise residues in treated water. The study published in 2014 in the journal Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, takes a step towards optimisation of the water purification process. The results showed that the clusters of material (flocs) that are produced with the protein are much more tightly packed than those formed with conventional flocculating agents. This is better for water purification because these flocs are more easily separated.
But the higher efficiency of water purification is only one aspect why the Moringa tree is of scientific interest in particular for developing countries like Namibia. The Moringa tree could also offer a solution to the problems of malnutrition and poverty. It is a multipurpose tree with most of its parts being useful for medicinal and commercial applications in addition to its nutritional value and water treatment properties. Seeds by weight contain forty per cent oil. This edible oil is of high quality and has high market value for cooking oil and cosmetic applications. The seeds cake left over after the easy oil extraction process can be used as a protein-rich plant fertilizer as well as for better production of environmental agriculture water containing lower levels agriculture-related pollution.
This tree that can easily be grown from seed and cuttings, requires little water, demands little or no horticultural attention, possesses a hardness that enables it to survive prolonged periods of drought and is capable of producing pods within a year. These attributes make this tree ideal for cultivation in dry countries like Namibia.
Ensuring Universal Access to Potable Water
Water intended for human consumption should be safe, palatable and aesthetically pleasing. In developing countries, however, the quality of drinking water is often insufficient and hazardous to health. It is known that polluted water is an important vehicle for the spread of disease. A large number of people in rural areas in developing countries lack access to adequate clean water supply due to a number of factors such as cost, unreliable or insufficient clean water supplies, and long distances to clean water supply points. As a result, most people in these areas use water directly from available and often contaminated sources without any treatment and therefore are exposed to many water-related diseases.
Considerable investments are being made by governments to ensure universal access to potable water. Conventional chemicals used for water and wastewater treatment such as aluminum and iron salts, polyaluminum chloride, polyferric chloride and synthetic organic polymers are however not optimal in respect of health and environmental safety. The use of low-cost and waste materials of biological
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Moringa Research: Unraveling the “Miracle Tree”
Moringa tree, Cimbebasia, Windhoek
In a project led by Polytechnic of Namibia and Uppsala University in Sweden, scientists with colleagues from Lund in Sweden as well as Botswana, France and the USA have investigated how and why a protein extract from seeds of Moringa trees can be used to purify water more efficiently and effectively. The study forms part of a series of scientific endeavours to uncover the potentials of a plant species which is also known as the “miracle tree”. The researchers have studied the microscopic structure of aggregates formed with the protein. A protein in the seeds binds to impurities causing them to aggregate so that the clusters can be separated from the water. The study compared protein from the seeds of different varieties of Moringa trees that are grown in different countries. It also allowed estimates of the optimum amount of seed extract that should be used to minimise residues in treated water. The study published in 2014 in the journal Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, takes a step towards optimisation of the water purification process. The results showed that the clusters of material (flocs) that are produced with the protein are much more tightly packed than those formed with conventional flocculating agents. This is better for water purification because these flocs are more easily separated. But the higher efficiency of water purification is only but one aspect of which the Moringa tree is of scientific interest in particular for developing countries like Namibia. The Moringa tree could also offer a solution to the problems of malnutrition and poverty. It is a multipurpose tree with most of its parts being useful for medicinal and commercial applications in addition to its nutritional value and water treatment properties. Seeds by weight contain forty per cent oil. This edible oil is of high quality and has high market value for cooking oil and cosmetic applications. The seeds cake left over after the easy oil extraction process can be used as a protein-rich plant fertilizer as well as for better production of environmental agriculture water containing lower levels agriculture-related pollution. This tree that can easily be grown from seed and cuttings, requires little water, demands little or no horticultural attention, possesses a hardness that enables it to survive prolonged periods of drought and is capable of producing pods within a year. These attributes make this tree ideal for cultivation in dry countries like Namibia.
origins, like the Moringa tree, has shown to provide economic solutions to this global problem through reduction of exorbitant costs for water treatment and is being advocated as a sustainable technology for water treatment.
Beyond Potable Water
Further investigations seem to suggest that Moringa seeds could be used for separation of different materials rather than just removal of all impurities. Separation processes are very important in mining industries to remove valuable material from waste. This further application of a natural product would reduce the need for expensive synthetic chemicals. Proteins from crushed seeds of Moringa bind to particles in water and cause them to aggregate. They can then be removed easily by filtration or settling. Choosing the right quantity avoids leaving unnecessary protein in purified water. The amount that saturates the surface is markedly less for alumina than for silica.
The results helped the researchers to find the optimum amount of Moringa seeds to purify water. Experiments with detergents added to the bound protein showed that the behaviour changes for different materials. For instance, a cationic detergent, widely used as a disinfectant, causes the protein to detach from the surface of alumina. This discovery allows control of aggregation and gives a way to separate different materials. Combining
the protein with detergents offers new ways to use this natural material in mineral industries that are important in many countries where Moringa grows well.
The work used research facilities at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in France and the NIST Center for Neutron Research in the USA. Powerful research tools such as those for neutron scattering and reflection are important to tackle challenges facing developing countries as well as industrialised regions. Neutron scattering and reflection are an ideal tool for understanding the internal structure of these complex organic aggregates due to a contrast matching technique that only highlights the protein components adsorbed to the particles. Additionally, the use of Ultra Small Angle Neutron Scattering allowed mechanism of aggregation of these large flocs to be followed non-invasively. These latest results on new applications of the Moringa seed protein are indeed exciting and add value to products of this tree.
The work has been funded by the ‘Research Links’ programme of the Swedish Research Council and SIDA.
Project Leaders: Dr Habauka Kwaambwa, Tel: +264 61 207 2583; Email: [email protected] or Prof Adrian Rennie, Tel: +46 70 4250914, E-mail: [email protected].
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In Namibia the prison population is relatively high (0.23%) compared to 0.15% in countries, such as the United Kingdom, with well-developed correctional services. This is partly because the system does not provide alternatives to imprisonment or the resources necessary to make a visible impact on the inmate population are not made available. At the same time there is little scientific information available on the profiles of inmates to determine who really needs to be incarcerated, who could be incarcerated for a shorter time and/or who could be taken care of in the community without posing a security threat. An additional complication to the above, the NCS, under the Ministry of Safety and Security (MSS), finds itself in a predicament where it has to provide concrete evidence that it is effective and adding value to the social and economic reconstruction of the country. This implies a frequent assessment of the organisation’s performance to ensure the continuous delivery of cost-effective, innovative and high quality correctional services.
In an attempt to understand the breadth of the problems faced, this research sets out the environment in which the NCS operates and from the information gathered suggesting mechanisms which can be used to rehabilitate and reduce the inmate population in order to add value and sustain the delivery of an effective correctional service.
A mixed research approach (Qualitative/Quantitative-descriptive) was followed to determine the impact of prison reform on the inmate population
of Namibia. On the one hand, the study examined a theoretical perspective on international best practices, the Namibian corrections environment and prison population was assessed, as well as the risks and needs of the sentenced inmate population. On the other hand, two surveys were conducted, namely one by officers in charge to gather information on the composition of the prison population and the other on sentenced inmates to gain a better understanding of their risks and needs (offender profiling). This was necessitated by the fact that at the time the research was conducted an offender management system was not in place. Collecting data from different sources and also using different strategies for the collection thereof is an important aspect of the research because it allows one to cross check whether the same patterns and themes occur and also ensures some measure of control over the accuracy of the data collected.
One of the key findings of the study was that about 86% of the prison population (n = 4 435) at the time of data collection are sentenced up to two years or less. A striking finding was that 46% are serving sentences of less than six months, which according to international benchmarks should realistically be serving their sentences in the community (community service orders) rather than in a prison. The researchers also contend that the number of inmates (approx. 3 471) serving sentences of 24 months or less in prison is far too high and that about 40% (1 388 inmates) of this population ought to serve their sentences in the community.
Are we doing enough for our Prison Population?
The School of Human Sciences’ project entitled Prison Reform and the Inmate Population in Namibia investigates the environment in which the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) operates and its inmate population were studied with the view to establishing how best to respond to the needs of the organisation and provide strategies that can have an impact on crime and recidivism.
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The cost saving brought about by not keeping the latter group in prison could thus be utilised for the administration of community-based sentences and implementation of correctional programmes.
Further examination of the prison population revealed that the majority (92%) of the inmates are Namibian citizens. More interesting was the range of offences for which they were incarcerated and the categories included economic (38%), violent (35%), sexual (15%), narcotic (4%) and miscellaneous (8%) crimes. The age distribution of the offenders was such that 12% were young offenders (21 years and less), 71% were in the age range 22 to 39 (thus constituting the majority of inmates) and 4% who were aged 50 and above.
From the information available it appears that the MSS has not yet made attempts to systematically assess the impact on pre-trial detention and community-based sentencing practices, whereas an analysis of the Criminal Justice environment has brought to light that community service orders is the only community-based sentencing option currently available, which nonetheless has not frequently been imposed by the courts. Parole is also used sparingly by correctional services. The reason for the reluctance to implement these sanctions seems to be based on lack of proper policies or strategies, infrastructure and resources.
A revealing finding was that approximately 43% of the inmate population could not speak, read or write English, 57% had little or no education and only 0.7% of the respondents indicated that they possess a trade certificate. This is an indication of the magnitude of the challenge faced by the NCS in rehabilitating inmates so that upon release they can become useful members of society. Therefore, a more coherent cross-governmental approach and national strategy is urgently needed, both in terms of the social and economic reconstruction of the country, and the efficient management and reintegration of the offender population into the community.
The challenge for the Criminal Justice sector will be to provide a national strategy towards effective law enforcement, sentencing practices and rehabilitation that will enhance the integration of offenders into the community as law-abiding citizens. In this regard it is recommended that the Namibian Criminal Justice sector use the various international instruments and African declarations as a vantage point to compile a national strategy directed towards effective law enforcement, public safety and protection, the management of offender populations and reintegration of inmates into the community.
Project Leader: Dr Stefan Schultz, Tel: +264 61 207 2318, Email: [email protected].
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The Digital Forensics and Information Security (DFIS) research group was established in 2012 with the objective of contributing to the global attempt to address threats to the Internet Security. The research group’s focus is on Resilient Cyber Systems, including research interest in Solid State Drive Forensics; Forensics Computing Models for Namibia, and Cloud Forensics; and the Effects of Usability in Client-side Applications Security on Overall Network Security under Forensic Computing and Security (FCS) research cluster.
The Internet revolution has dramatically changed the way individuals, public and private organisations, and the government communicate and conduct business. For example, the telecommunications and broadcasting, banking and finance, energy, and transportation industries, as well as the military and other essential services like Higher Education and Research systems, all depend on the Internet and networked computer systems to conduct most of their operations. However, this widespread interconnectivity has increased the vulnerability of computer systems - and more importantly, of the critical infrastructures they support. Threats include identity theft, information theft, online privacy breaches, social engineering, phishing, etc.
Thus the increasing ubiquity of the Internet provides cyber attackers more opportunities to misappropriate or corrupt personal, organisations and government data resources. According to the Report of the President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure (1997, p. ix), “This interconnectivity has created a new dimension of vulnerability, which, when combined with an emerging constellation of threats, poses unprecedented national risk and concerns.” This explains the explosive number of international meetings where industry, government, academia gather to learn and share experience for a better global approach to the challenges. In 2014 alone there were on average 18 topical conferences per month (http://www.concise-courses.com/security/conferences-of-2014/).
Where are we in Namibia? How do we position ourselves as a country? Vision 2030 (Knowledge Economy) entails Namibia being defined through the digital age in the ways that we communicate and build ‘smarter’ business practices. Namibian society has advanced considerably in the Information Revolution, and more individuals and businesses, including SMEs, are doing business online. However, the implementation of faster and more efficient technologies, e.g. West Africa Cable System (WACS),
that includes high-speed broadband transforming cyber-space into a more open, more inviting place for all also leaves end-users exposed. The increasing global cyber security incidents impose a high burden on economies, and the impact of attacks is likely to be magnified in Namibia in the very near term through the ubiquitous access to high speed broadband and efficiencies offered by ‘the cloud’. Among these threats online privacy is a hidden one that is becoming a growing concern.
The DFIS research group has dedicated its study to actively raise the quality of every child’s experience while online, and to ensure that every Namibian resident enjoys the advancement of life that is partly made possible by the appropriate use of technology, especially the Internet as an enabler. The Internet has become a hub for business and social activities such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Viber, WhatsApp and the like, which have allowed children to have virtual networks of friends, mentors, role models and ‘super heroes’. However, they are also exposed to activities that can potentially harm them, including cyber bullying, child pornography to name a few. It was with this in mind that project X was conceptualised.
The research group acknowledges efforts made by ITU Child Online Protection (ITU COP), African Child Online Protection Education and Awareness Centre (ACOPEAC) and many other organisations to set standards and guidelines on how to protect children. According to ITU, COP is a global problem, however efforts are mainly concentrated at national level. To date, four sets of guidelines have been developed for: children; parents, guardians, and educators; industry; and policy makers. They have availed a lot of resources for the different stakeholders to use.
Thus the research group aims to sensitise the public on these issues and also educate the general public how they can proactively mitigate the abuse and protect themselves, their businesses and government from these security threats.
Research is running in collaboration with the University of Pretoria and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa; Highline College, United States of America; University of New South Wales, Australia; and the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Japan.
Project Leader: Ms Fungai Buhnu-Shava, Tel: +264 61 207 2510, Email: [email protected].
Cyber Security - a Critical Global and National Threat
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REACHING FAR BEYOND NATIONAL BOUNDARIES
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AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSRevenue and Expenditure Statement for the years ended 31 December 2014 and 2013
2014N$
% of Total (approx.)
2013N$
% of Total (approx.)
REVENUE
Subsidy 354 485 000 61 253 431 280 54
Tuition income 174 573 829 30 161 253 623 34
Residence income 11 758 488 2 11 803 394 3
Other income 44 259 335 7 40 386 037 9
585 076 652 466 874 334
EXPENDITURE
Personnel and related costs 412 181 805 70 380 566 3511 71
Administrative and other costs 131 950 742 23 115 556 471 21
Depreciation 41 215 527 7 41 834 300 8
585 348 074 537 957 122
OPERATING DEFICIT (271 422) (0) (71 082 788) (16)
____________________
1 This figure, as published in the 2013 Annual Report, included the loss suffered on actuarial valuation on post-retirement medical benefit liability, which is not part of the operating results.
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Subsidy and Cost Analysis and Assets
2014 2013
Subsidy as % of total revenue 60.6 54.3
Tuition as % total revenue 29.8 34.5
Subsidy per student (N$) 27 382 19 302
Cost per student (N$) 45 215 40 972
NBV of PPE (N$) 1 177 654 238 1 049 925 933
Total Assets (N$) 1 378 376 765 1 193 301 525
*Average exchange rate for 2014: US$ 1.00 = N$ 10.85
NBV = Net Book Value
PPE = Property, Plant and Equipment
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COUNCIL
External Members
Organistion / Constituency Name
Namibia Employers’ Federation Ms Evelyn Breuer (Chairperson)
Namibian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mr Silas-Kishi Shakumu (Vice-Chairperson)
Chamber of Mines in Namibia Ms Meriam Kahitu
Engineering Council of Namibia Mr Erastus N. Ikela
Women representation Ms Katrina Liswani
Namibia Agricultural Union Dr Louis Burger
Namibia National Teachers’ Union Ms Loide Shaanika
Public Service Commission Ms Florence Munyungano
Council Appointment Prof Brian de Lacy Figaji
Council Appointment Ms Rebecca Iyambo
City of Windhoek Mr Joshua Amukugo
Internal Members
Rector Prof Tjama Tjivikua
Vice-Rector: Administration & Finance Dr Gert Günzel
Vice-Rector: Academic Affairs & Research Dr Andrew Niikondo
Senate Representative to Council Mr Charl-Tom Bayer
Students’ Representative Council Mr Paulus Nakale (January - December 2014)
Secretary to Council (Registrar) Mr Corneels Jafta
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MANAGEMENT
Executive and Senior ManagementRectorProf Tjama TjivikuaVice-Rector: Administration and FinanceDr Gert GünzelVice-Rector: Academic Affairs and ResearchDr Andrew NiikondoRegistrarMr Corneels JaftaDeputy RegistrarVacantBursarMs Mamijoo O. TjejambaDeputy BursarMs Justine ShingengeDean of StudentsMs Frieda ShimbuliChief Librarian Ms Judy GroblerDirector: Human ResourcesMs Riëtte Duvenhage
Deans of SchoolsComputing and InformaticsProf Hippolyte Muyingi (Acting)Engineering Dr Samuel JohnHealth and Applied SciencesProf Sylvester MoyoHumanitiesDr Sarala KrishnamurthyManagement Sciences Mr Kofi BoamahNatural Resources and Spatial SciencesMr Lameck Mwewa
Directors and Heads of Units, Centres and Institutes
Rectorate AffairsVacant
Communications and MarketingMr Kaitira Kandjii
Information Communication TechnologyMr Laurent Evrard
Institutional PlanningMs Neavera Olivier
International Relations Dr Marius Kudumo
Quality Assurance UnitMs Himeesora Kaimu
Centre for Enterprise DevelopmentMs Margaret Bennett
Centre for Open and Lifelong LearningDr Delvaline Möwes
Cooperative Education UnitMr Carva Pop
Programme Development UnitVacant
Projects Services UnitDr Anna Matros-Goreses
Teaching and Learning UnitDr Michael Tjivikua
Namibia Energy Institute Dr Zivayi Chiguvare
Namibia Business Innovation InstituteMs Dorothea Mischo
Namibian-German Institute for LogisticsMr Neville Mbai
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BLOCK SS1. Poly Heights
BLOCK BB1. Quality Assurance Unit
BLOCK CC1. Foundation House
BLOCK DD1. Library and Information Services
BLOCK AA1. Elizabeth Haus (Rectorate)A2. Sander HausA3. Administration BuildingA4. Land Management (Old Library) A5. Centre for Life Long Learning (COLL) A6. Department: Student SevicesA7. Monresa ResidenceA8. Hopker ResidenceA9. Shangri - La ResidenceA10. ClinicA11. Vocational TrainingA12. Oppenheimer HouseA13. Dawakos HouseA14. Centre for Enterprise Development
D2. Engineering BuildingD3. Auditorium BuildingD4. Science and Technology Building
BLOCK EE1. School of Health and Applied Sciences
E2. Mechanical Engineering BuildingE3. Civil Engineering Building
E4. Architecture Building
BLOCK FF1. Hotel SchoolF2. Pre-Fabricated ClassroomsF3. New Energy Efficient House
BLOCK GProposed in Campus Development Framework
BLOCK IProposed in Campus Development Framework
BLOCK JJ1. Teaching and Learning UnitJ2. Haydn Street No.9J3. Daniel's Guest HouseJ4. Namibia Energy InstituteJ5. Namibia Business Innovation Institute J6. Namibia-German Institute for Logistics J7. Gluck Street No.5
68
F
E
N PR
C
S
AK
J
G
H
I
ML
L
O
D
3 2
1
1
4 3 2
1
1
3
2
4
11
1
2
3
6
5
7
1
1
3
24
51
68
7
9
9
10 1112
1314
1516
17
1
4
Q
B
POLYTECHNIC OF NAMIBIA - CAMPUS MAP
A15. Lecture BuildingA16. Information Centre and KioskA17. Office Building
Wagner Str
Brahms Str
Brahms Str
Beet
hove
nSt
r.
Bac
h St
r
Beet
hove
nSt
r
Schubert Str
Haydn
Str
Web
erSt
r
Albrecht StrSt
orch
Str
Gluck
Str
Schubert Str
Vola
nsSt
r
Proposed in Campus Development FrameworkBLOCK H BLOCK P
Proposed in Campus Development Framework
BLOCK LL1. Computing and Technology House
BLOCK KK1. Architecture House
BLOCK QProposed in Campus Development Framework
BLOCK MProposed in Campus Development Framework
BLOCK NProposed in Campus Development Framework
BLOCK OO1. Hotel Pension Kleines Heim
BLOCK RProposed in Campus Development Framework
BLOCK SS1. Poly Heights
BLOCK BB1. Quality Assurance Unit
BLOCK CC1. Foundation House
BLOCK DD1. Library and Information Services
BLOCK AA1. Elizabeth Haus (Rectorate)A2. Sander HausA3. Administration BuildingA4. Land Management (Old Library) A5. Centre for Life Long Learning (COLL) A6. Department: Student SevicesA7. Monresa ResidenceA8. Hopker ResidenceA9. Shangri - La ResidenceA10. ClinicA11. Vocational TrainingA12. Oppenheimer HouseA13. Dawakos HouseA14. Centre for Enterprise Development
D2. Engineering BuildingD3. Auditorium BuildingD4. Science and Technology Building
BLOCK EE1. School of Health and Applied Sciences
E2. Mechanical Engineering BuildingE3. Civil Engineering Building
E4. Architecture Building
BLOCK FF1. Hotel SchoolF2. Pre-Fabricated ClassroomsF3. New Energy Efficient House
BLOCK GProposed in Campus Development Framework
BLOCK IProposed in Campus Development Framework
BLOCK JJ1. Teaching and Learning UnitJ2. Haydn Street No.9J3. Daniel's Guest HouseJ4. Namibia Energy InstituteJ5. Namibia Business Innovation Institute J6. Namibia-German Institute for Logistics J7. Gluck Street No.5
69
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