World-class experiences

Ester Kamati



The Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) International education Week is dedicated to celebrating diversity and making international students feel recognised and valued.

It featured exciting events organised through the Nust international relations department.

The week started off with a display of cultural activities on Monday, followed by an international cuisine day, where Nust hotel school students prepared famous global dishes.

It also included a public dialogue and an international lunch.

Nust international relations officer, Paulina Haikola, said they hope to grow the international lunch to an all-day event.

The luncheon was held on 11 September and international students and staff participated.

The lunch was hosted strictly for international staff and students, in order to make them feel special.

Haikola said they blend in so well with other students that it is easy to forget they are from other countries.

James Jamu, who is a third-year media student, hails from Malawi, and after three years at the institution, he mostly appreciates the interactive atmosphere.

“There’s a very good student-to-lecturer ratio and the lecturers really care about how you perform,” he said.

According to Jamu, housing is the main challenge international students’ face.

He said students would like to be surrounded by others like them, but often end up staying with random people, due to a lack of options.

Munyaradzi Mukesi, lecturer at Nust, who I also a foreign national, emphasised the importance of celebrating international staff and students.

“It brings diversity in how we teach and the approaches that we use in terms of teaching, so much so that the Namibian students we generate at Nust have an international flavour, because they are exposed to people from elsewhere, who share their experiences with them, even without them leaving the country,” he said.

“What we aim to produce is a candidate who graduates with a global view of issues and not just a localised view.”

Speaking during the informal session, Garikay Bindu, a first-year student from Zimbabwe, shared that the international relations department has helped him and his fellow students, not only with visa and study permit issues, but also in terms of showing that they care.

“The reason we came to Nust is because we were pushed by our dreams,” said Bindu, who is pursuing his dream of becoming a chartered accountant.

He said although dreams are free, hard work should go into realising them.

Juno Angula, the university’s SRC president, said the lunch served as a platform to caucus and create strong networks.

“Sometimes there are opportunities for Namibians to go abroad, because they make a lot of friends, so the exchange doesn’t only happen here.”

Angula added the international lunch can grow to accommodate students who engage with foreign students, and they could, for instance, end up inviting an entire class.