This is the Architectural Design of the much awaited National University of Lesotho (NUL) School of Engineering. With six stories, it will not only be the tallest building at the Roma campus, it will also be a catalyst for the upcoming boom in innovation and entrepreneurship in Lesotho. That is so, thanks to a high level cooperation between NUL, the Ministries of Education, Development Planning, Finance and a Consortium of Local Consultants.
Actually, the Government of Lesotho is pouring millions into the detailed architectural and program designs!
“We spent almost two years in the development of the designs,” says Professor Leboli Zak Thamae, who was mandated by the NUL Vice Chancellor, Professor Nqosa Mahao, to lead the project. Dr Lerato Lerato, Dr Sissay Mekbib and Dr Thimothy Thamae are among the many NUL team members. “We benefited a lot from the experience shared by the University of Botswana (UB), in crafting their own school.”
So what is the plan for the School? What will it offer? “It is intended to offer conventional Engineering subjects from First Degree through Masters up to PhD,” Professor Thamae revealed the ambition behind the proposed school. “For far too long, we have held back when it came to offering postgraduate studies.”
Not anymore.
We know most of you are already salivating with curiosity to know what these engineering courses will be. Well, you can be sure of one thing. They were conceived with a single goal; to quadruple the already existing innovation efforts of the NUL. Here they are:
BEng, MEng and PhD in Civil Engineering: With Construction, Mining and Water poised to play a major role in Lesotho in the next decade, Civil Engineering could never have come at the right time. The major streams herein will be Civil Engineering, Mining Engineering and Water & Environmental Engineering.
Then there is another hardly understood engineering subject except by those in the field.
BEng, MEng and PhD in Chemical Engineering: Those folks who produce chemicals, plastics, tires, oils, food and so on, and in large scale, are called Chemical Engineers. Here is what is on offer for them: Chemical Engineering and Bio-Chemical Engineering. Those who want to start brewing and those who have fallen in love with production of pharmaceuticals, will have a strong partner in this Department.
Hold your breath. We still have much more in store for you.
Listen.
BEng, MEng and PhD in Electrical Engineering: Electrical and Electronic Engineers are those guys who are capable of creating miracles with that magical thing they call electricity. Here is what the school has for you in that area: Computer Engineering, Electronics Engineering and Power Systems Engineering.
And now, this one;
BEng, MEng and PhD in Mechanical Engineering: When we mention Mechanical Engineers, cars come to mind but, oh boy, do these folks build a host of other products! In there, we shall have Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Agricultural Engineering.
Just when you thought we could not come up with anything anymore… we do!
Bachelors, Masters and PhD in Built Environment: Here you find the visionaries, the visualizers, the planners, all in one room. For those of you who do not only foresee what the future will look like but also want to create it, the School will have the following in store for you: Architecture, Urban and Regional Planning and Real Estate.
The school will also house the NUL Water Institute and the NUL Energy Research Centre (https://erc.nul.ls).
Now, think about the list above and imagine what we can achieve with it. Many people are saying, “We wish the School happened earlier than this.”
However, the school could not have come at a better time.
It is coming at a time when NUL is being consumed to ashes by innovation fever. “Therefore this is not going to be just another School of Engineering,” said one NUL Lecturer who is excited about the prospects of the proposed School. “It will be a school that will be established with a purpose.”
Well, he said it all.
That purpose is simple. To add petrol to the fire that is called NUL Innovation. Every single one of the Engineering courses will be a petrol in the fire of innovation.
Give us the school and watch this space as “Roma Valley” is turned into a “Silicon Valley.” Watch as Town Planners create new cities, Real Estate Folks come with new villages, and Architects conceive industrial firms and buildings of the 21st century.
Watch as Civil Engineers create dams, build roads, construct bridges and bore tunnels through the mountainous land. Be patient and observe the Chemical Engineers refine stones, brew wines, create new green chemicals and engineer complex liquid transport plants.
Note intently, the adventures of the Electrical and Computer Engineers. See when they create systems that power self-driving cars, when they venture into Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, and when they connect Lesotho with a network of renewable power from the sun, winds and water.
Take a lesson from the Mechanical Engineers and their passion as they craft next generation automotive devices, as they create 3D printers, and as they make agricultural machines that will turn the motherland into a green city.
Thanks to the brilliant public servants in the three Government Ministries, the NUL School of Engineering is now a matter of time.