The University of Cape Verde (Uni-CV) on Friday announced the completion of the new university campus in Praia, funded by China, while it expects the move to the new facilities and full classes in the next academic year to be completed soon.
“The new campus of the Uni-CV is already a reality. The construction that started in July 2017 is complete. The move to the new ‘campus’ will be announced soon,” the university disclosed.
Located in the Palmarejo Grande area, the new facilities were due to be completed in July 2020, to start classes in October of the same year, but due to the pandemic it will have a one-year delay.
In an interview with the Lusa news agency in November last year, the rector, Judite Nascimento, said that the university will begin the move to the new facilities and foresees the start of classes next academic year.
“We have the expectation that in October 2021, we will start the academic year already in the new facilities at the pole of Praia,” predicted Judite Nascimento, for whom the Uni-CV will have a ‘campus’ with “very good conditions” for students, teachers, technicians and staff and to put into action the creativity and innovative spirit and be able to design programs worthy of the space.
Currently, the university operates in facilities scattered around the city of Praia, but hopes to have during the next year its faculties housed in the new university campus, which, according to the rector, will be “on a par” with the large campuses that exist around the world.
The new campus was designed to house 4,890 students and 476 professors in 61 classrooms, five auditoriums with seating capacity for 150, eight computer rooms, eight reading rooms, 34 laboratories, a multi-purpose hall with seating capacity for 654, cafeterias, a library, dormitories and sports facilities.
With the new facilities, the rector said that the Uni-CV is moving towards being, in the very near future, an “outstanding university” in the context of the African sub-region, on a par with those of Senegal, for example.
In addition, the dean said it would transform the surrounding area and become a major development hub of the city of Praia, in an expansion area where the Jean Piaget University, the Hotel and Tourism School, the Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Maintenance (Cermi) are located, and other large facilities are planned.
The work was funded by China, in 45 million euros, which also installed in 2015 the Confucius Institute in the country, and which today is an institution that promotes university extension, through the Chinese language and culture.
With 14 years of existence, the only public university in Cape Verde has three teaching centres, namely in Praia and Assomada, all in Santiago, and in São Vicente, with over 4,000 students, in vocational courses, undergraduate degrees, specialisations, master’s degrees and doctorates.
