VISION MISSION

VICE CHANCELLOR’S MESSAGEThe University of Swaziland continues to executeits mandate of producing the highly skilled andknowledgeable human capital to bolster thesocio-economic development of the Swazi economyand beyond. This mandate is aligned with the University’score functions, namely teaching, research and communityservice. It is also aligned with the University’s visionofLeadership through Excellence in Education.The mission of the University is Excellence in teachingand learning, research and research training, communityservice, provision of opportunities for consultancy,professional leadership, and enterprise developmentin the contemporary context. Indeed, the measure ofsuccess in the attainment of the University mission liesin the attractiveness and relevance of its programmes,the quality, and the accessibility of its research output,the impact of community service on the benefi ciaries,the adequacy of its fi nancial and physical resources, andsustainability of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).The aftermath of the recent global recession, coupledwith the revisions in the SACU formula for sharingborder proceeds, have negatively affected the University’sfi nancial position. This has had, in turn, a negative impacton the University’s ability to deliver on its mandate. SinceOctober 2010, the University had serious diffi culties inmeeting its fi nancial obligations because of the cash fl owchallenges in the country. Indeed, the decline in SACUreceipts forced Government to cut substantially thesubvention to the University. The net effect of all this isthat the University has beenforced to equally apply costcuttingmeasures, which have had a negative effect on thequality of the programmes and its products.It is against this backdrop that the University’s currentgoing concern is lack of adequate resources for teaching,research, and community service programmes.Forthe University to properly and effectively design andimplementits programmes, it needs to recruit and retainhigh quality academic staff of international repute, be ableto source teaching materials and research equipment, andensure that the libraries are well equipped with up-todatebooks, print and electronic journals and databases.All these resources are a product of a healthy fundingbase.Notwithstanding the above, the University, through theUNISWA Foundation, is working very hard to supplementGovernment subvention and maintain the quality of itsprogrammes and its products. The University drawscomfort from the fact that Government recognizes thateducation is one of the priority areas for stimulatingthe economic recovery of the country. Based on thisrecognition, the University is one of the key educationalinstitutions that should be supported to stimulate theeconomic recovery of the country.The University continues to ensure that its academicprogrammes are responsive to the needs of the country’seconomy. It pays particular attention to global knowledgeeconomy and the labour needs of the Swazi economyand the region. It is in this context that the Universitycontinuously reviews and restructures its academicprogrammes as well as introduce new ones when theneed arises.During the year under review, the University upgraded theDiploma in Commerce in the Faculty of Commerce andthe Diploma in Journalism in the Faculty of Humanities toThe University continues to ensure that its academic programmes are responsive tothe needs of the country’s economy. It pays particular attention to global knowledgeeconomy and the labour needs of the Swazi economy and the region. It is in thiscontext that the University continuously reviews and restructures its academicprogrammes as well as introduce new ones when the need arises.09REPORT OF THE VICE CHANCELLOR