University of Botswana Vice Chancellor, Professor David Norris, has promised new students a comfortable stay on campus.
Professor Norris was addressing and welcoming new students at the university at the Campus Indoor Sports Centre on August 3, 2018.
He said in addition to the state of the art facilities that the university boasted of, old equipment and other facilities such as mattresses and curtains would be replaced in their rooms to make their stay on campus a memorable one.
"For the next few years the University will be your home away from home. The university prides itself in qualified staff and excellent facilities," he assured the students.
He added that unlike other institutions, UB did not offer a ‘spectator sport’ type of training, where faculty talk dominated while there was less student driven learning. On the contrary, he said UB promoted a learner centered approach, where students were in charge of their learning while lecturers only played a facilitative role.
“Take advantage of our Business Clinic and learn to be entrepreneurial while at the University so that when you graduate, you are a job creator and not a job seeker. Be proactive and have start-up companies while you’re still at the University,” advised Professor Norris.
Highlighting the challenges in higher education in the country, he said UB had also had its fair share and was currently grappling with issues of funding, student housing shortages, safety and security concerns especially given that the Gaborone campus was an open campus.
The new students were further advised to take responsibility of their studies. Professor Norris said the university would provide them with support to ensure they completed their studies on time.
The Vice Chancellor cautioned the students against substance abuse. However, he said those already struggling with substance abuse, the University provided counselling services to assist and support them.
"I can confirm that you came to the right institution. Two, three, four, five years we will be celebrating your success," said Professor Norris. The students also received counselling from their peers who shared with them their failures and successes and how to navigate challenges.