New Era

WINDHOEK â€" The Polytechnic of Namibia has notched up another milestone by signing an agreement with the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP), in terms of which the NIP will avail its laboratories to Polytechnic students to conduct their experiential learning.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of the NIP, Tangeni Angula, the agreement will ensure that medical technologists are trained and qualified in Namibia without them having to enrol with institutions in South Africa.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Angula said her institute had been "crying out" to the Polytechnic to assist with the local training of medical technologists.

"We run medical laboratory services on behalf of Government and one of our biggest obstacles has been the fact that we do not have adequate local staff who are suitably qualified. All our technologists have been trained in South Africa, but because that country has its own needs, and because Namibia is independent, it became imperative that we develop our own local capacity," she explained.

She added that Polytechnic Rector, Dr Tjama Tjivikua, had been forward-thinking when he enquired whether the NIP would employ the products of the Polytechnic's training. After the initial agreement, the Polytechnic involved the NIP and other stakeholders in creating the curriculum and the facilities for the training of medical scientists/technologists. The Polytechnic offers a 4-year Professional Degree in Biomedical Science, and to date 31 and 25 students are enrolled in the first and second years, respectively.

Angula said students are already in their second year of training at the Polytechnic and that the NIP looked forward to having locally qualified medical technologist in its laboratory within two years. She continued: "In terms of the agreement we have to avail our laboratories to those students to conduct their experiential learning. This will also formalise our relationship with regard to the student's practical work. They will need laboratory space, machines and live samples, so that when they graduate we will know that we have the quality of technologists we need."

The agreement prescribes primarily that facilities and opportunities be provided by the NIP for experiential learning and for the NIP to avail staff for lecturing students at the Polytechnic. The two parties will also collaborate on research which would benefit both institutions, according to Angula.

Dr Tjama Tjivikua described the agreement as "the fruition of a very wonderful relationship which goes back some years." He emphasised that the NIP had assisted in the formulation of the qualification and presenting to collaboration framework to other partners and the funders, and thanked the NIP for partnering the Polytechnic in this project.

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