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Swaziland Christian Medical University to reopen on Tuesday

31/07/2013 03:32:00 BY SAMKELO NGWENYA

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MBABANE - After three months of closure, the Swaziland Christian Medical University is ready to reopen next week Tuesday.

Africa Continent Mission President and University Founder Pastor Chang Yong Kim said he was elated that his vision to establish the first medical school had finally come true.
“We are very happy that God has finally helped us to make this dream a reality and hope it will benefit everybody in Swaziland. The aim of the institution is to produce highly competitive medical graduates who will compete for international jobs and develop local health systems that will enable the country to be classified as a first world country,” Kim said.

When this reporter visited the institution yesterday afternoon, the Vice-Chancellor Dr. Isabel Zwane was locked in a meeting with Head of Departments (HOD) and lecturers in the boardroom.
SCMU Public Relations Officer (PRO) Philemon Mgabhi said the main agenda of the meeting was to make final preparations for the orientation programme of 316 students to resume on Tuesday.

Mgabhi took this reporter on a guided tour around the university to prove that indeed six lecture rooms, an electronic library with internet library access, laboratory, toilets and administration offices were ready for operation.
Minister of Education and Training Wilson Ntshangase recently announced that government had granted SCMU the go-ahead to resume operations following its closure in March 2013.

He said the university was expected to open next week after Cabinet approved that the institution had met all the necessary requirements that were needed for the institution to operate.
SCMU was shut down on March 13, 2013 subsequent to an order from government to halt operations because there was no letter of accreditation.
The accreditation letter was meant to provide credibility to the academic certificates students would obtain upon completion of their medical studies.

A letter written by government on the closure of the institution stated that the main issue pertained to the accreditation of the university, which had not been received from their potential accreditors.
SCMU received accreditation from the Medical University of Pretoria, Medical University of Limpopo and the San Medical Centre among others, the minister said.

The university was officially listed as a category A parastatal through the Public Enterprises (Amendment of Schedule) Notice of 2013 issued by Minister of Finance Majozi Sithole on May 20, 2013.
Ministry of Education and Training Principal Secretary Pat Muir said the registration of the university as a parastatal effectively meant the institution was entitled to receive a government subvention, subject to the availability of funds.