| University Of The North |
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In January 2005 the University of the North merged with the Medical University Of South Africa (MEDUNSA) to form the University Of Limpopo . The University of the North was established in 1959 under the Apartheid regime's policy of separate ethnically-based institutions of higher learning policy. The school was sited at Turfloop farm about 40 km east of Pietersburg . The town that grew around the university was named Sovenga, ( SOtho , VENda , GAzankulu ) for the three ethnic groups that were supposed to use the school. In reality, most inhabitants refer to the town as Mankweng, after one of the chiefs of the area. Under later apartheid, UNIN served as a "model" school where dignitaries were brought to show the "viability" of the separate facilities. As such, it receieved heavy government subsidies, but the real problem was that the learners that the school supposedly served were so under-resourced in their standard education that the quality of instruction was placed under incredible demands. The university was a center of resistance to apartheid in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s with the SADF occupying the grounds often during those years. After the end of apartheid, the school struggled through various re-organization and rationalization schemes, yet always managed to survive. Enrollment fluxuated wildly in the years after liberation and while some faculty did not transition very easily, others were able to seize upon the new opportunities. The school consists, today, of a wide range of sub-schools and disciplines from botany and soil science to geography and theology. Foreign instructors are warmly welcomed, especially in Soil Science and Geography programs among many others. The mode of instruction is English and the local environment is mild, although a bit dry. The university is positioned strategically between the beautiful Drakensberg escarpment and the industrial areas of Polokwane (Pietersburg). In a largely rural province, the school provides many much needed services. |
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