State maintains stance on NRDC

Thu, 22 Feb 2018 10:34:25 +0000

By KALOBWE BWALYA

GOVERNMENT has maintained that it has not sold the Natural Resources Development Collage (NRDC) as insinuated by some critics, but merely signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Avic International to develop it, says Agriculture Minister Michael Katambo.  

In a Ministerial statement in Parliament yesterday, Mr Katambo said the intention by Government to move the school to the land offered by Senior Chief Shakumbila in Shibuyunji district followed an increase in student numbers and dilapidation of school infrastructure at the present campus.

Mr Katambo said NRDC currently had over 2,024 students adding that the number   was projected to grow to about 4,000 when the school was initially built to accommodate about 300 students.  Mr Katambo said the institution can only accommodate less than 650 students who have to share rooms while the rest of them either come from their homes or rent boarding houses.

He said the college also shared infrastructure facilities such as offices and classroom blocks and hostels with the In-Service Training Trust. “The college Infrastructure has also remained underdeveloped and has been dilapidating over the years and the college sits on a land size of only 304 hectares and is surrounded by residential areas such as Mtendere, PHI and Avondale with no room for expansion,” said Mr Katambo.

He said the offered land is 1.662.23 hectares and Avic International would develop a new brand institution and that Government accepted the offer from Aviv which was an expression of intent. Mr Katambo said the new campus will also offer a conducive learning environment for students who would be able to learn and undertake practical applications in agriculture.