Unisa online - UNISA Rustenburg officially launched as Midlands Hub

The office of UNISA Rustenburg that used to operate as an agency was officially launched as a Regional Hub on 23 June 2008. This launch culminated after a decision by management in 2007 to declare Rustenburg as the Hub for the Midlands Region after the adoption of the Regional Model.

Speaking at the launch, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Barney Pityana said this was a way of creating access to education for all by bringing services of UNISA to the people of Rustenburg and neighbouring areas. “We need to ensure that all South Africans have access to tertiary education and contribute positively towards the socio-economic development of our country,” said Prof Pityana. It is because of this that a conscious decision was taken to establish regions, he added. Rustenburg has been without a university and people were forced to move to other cities in pursuit of an education.

Regional Model outlined

Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice Principal: Learner Support and Student Affairs Professor DL Mosoma outlined the Regional Model to the guests by stating that there are five regions in the country. He said the intention is to have all the services rendered in Pretoria also available in the regions. He added that Open Distance Learning is intended to combine certain principles such as removal of barriers to access and provision of learner support.