By REBECCA MUSHOTA? –
AN academician from Malaysia has urged Zambia to invest in becoming an education hub of Southern Africa.
Binary University director, business development and international collaborations Gilbert Alvin said yesterday that Zambia had the potential of becoming an education hub in Southern Africa.
“Zambia is like Malaysia. It has a stable economy and it is stable politically. It can also become a hub of education,” Professor Alvin said.
Prof Alvin was speaking when he on behalf of Binary University signed an agreement with the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) to provide oversight training for three degree courses at the institution.
The three business courses are the Bachelor of Arts with honours in Business Management, a Bachelor of Arts with honours in accounting and finance and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
The three courses would commence in July, this year.
Prof Alvin said not so long ago, Malaysia like Zambia, had a sizeable number of universities but with the appropriate investment, it has become a hub of the education sector.??He said countries like Malaysia could invest in setting up one of its global centres in Zambia to attract students from the region.
The Binary University also has an agreement for doctorate courses with the University of Zambia since 2009.
Prof Alvin said Binary was ranked as five-star in Malaysia and had a 96 per cent employable rate.
This was because the courses it offered provided entrepreneurship aspects that turned the students into employers once they completed their course.??NIPA executive director Answell Saka said the institution was not becoming a university but was just offering degree courses.
Mr Saka said NIPA chose Binary University because of its good reputation.??He said students that would undertake the courses in the degree programme would find it easier to get employed abroad because of international training.
Mr Saka said the students would have access to the Binary digital library and web portal and could be availed an opportunity to study their final year in Malaysia.
He said NIPA offered quality education to its students.