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10 March 2009

The Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor will on Thursday, 12 March 2009 spend the afternoon visiting the University of Witswatersrand (Wits), where she is expected to have meetings with the Senior Executive Management, some council members and the Student Representative Council Members.

The Minister is visiting the university to see for herself whether the huge investments made by the Department of Education for infrastructure development was being prudently utilised.

In September 2007, the Minister approved the following infrastructure projects for Wits:

University of the Witwatersrand: approved projects for increasing graduate outputs in engineering and other SET programmes:

Remodels extend and refurbish an existing building to provide additional large classrooms for SET programmes

* estimated cost (rands million): 62
* complete the fourth quadrant of an engineering building
* estimated cost (rands million): 70

Construct a new undergraduate laboratory building for the sciences and the health sciences:

* estimated cost (rands million): 178
* upgrade existing laboratories and itc provision for set programmes
* estimated cost (rands million): 25

Provide seed funding for strategic initiatives to improve teaching/learning in engineering and other SET programmes

* estimated cost (rands million): 16
* total: 351

To be funded by:

* Infrastructure grant from Department of Education for 2007/08 to 2009/10
* Estimated cost (rands million): 200

2006/07 engineering grant from Department of Education

* estimated cost (rands million): 14
* grant from department of education for teaching input funding shortfalls
* estimated cost (rands million): 5

Wits' own resources
* estimated cost (rands million): 20

External donors
* *stimated cost (rands million): 112

At 15h00, Minister Naledi Pandor, together with Professor Loyiso Nongxa, Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal, will brief the media on the role and resourcing of higher education institutions in the promotion of social and economic development in South Africa and Africa.

The Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor will elaborate on the billions dedicated to infrastructure development at higher education institutions.

Professor Loyiso Nongxa, Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal will provide an overview of the current capital projects underway at the university and will outline Wits’ proposed spend (R1 billion) on forthcoming projects.

The media conference will take place as follows:

Date: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Time: 15h00 to 16h00
Venue: Ground Floor, First National Bank Building, West Campus, Wits University. Use entrance from Empire/Yale Road and follow the yellow signage to the FNB Building site. Parking will be reserved for the media.

Enquiries:
Lunga Ngqengelele
Tel: 012 312 5538
Cell: 082 566 0446
E-mail: ngqengelele.l@doe.gov.za

Issued by: the Department of Education
10 March 2009