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Government has clarified that the Natural Resources Development College (NRDC) has not been sold as reported in some sections of social media.
Chief Government Spokesperson Kampamba Mulenga explained that there is an unsolicited proposal from AVIC International to develop a brand new Natural Resources Development College (NRDC) on a 1,662.23 hectare piece of land with a view to turning the current NRDC land into a commercial city within a city.
Ms. Mulenga however, said AVIC has not returned with any concrete proposal and therefore, the government has not made any decision on the matter.
Ms. Mulenga who is also Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services said AVIC in their earlier proposal, stated that the proposed new campus is meant to offer a conducive learning environment for students.
She said government is cognizant of the fact that NRDC was built in 1965 to cater for a population of 300 students.
She added that today, the population of students has swelled to 2, 024 and is likely to reach 4, 000 by 2019.
Ms. Mulenga explained that the college infrastructure which sits on a land size of only 304 hectares is surrounded by residential areas, namely; Mtendere, PHI and Avondale making it difficult for Government to expand the campus.
She said AVIC, on the other hand, proposed that once developed, the new NRDC will be self-sustaining as it will engage in income generating activities because of the massive land.
Ms. Mulenga said students will be able to undertake various agricultural practicals as compared to the current situation where students have limited number of practicals to conduct due to limited space.
She said AVIC envisages an increased number of bed spaces once the new campus is built.
“I wish to inform members of the public that government is currently awaiting a detailed proposal from AVIC,” Ms. Mulenga said.
She further added that Government’s vision is to provide quality education to its citizens and any proposal to that effect will be judged on its own merit.
This is contained in a statement made available to ZANIS in Lusaka today.
