THOHOYANDOU - The chairman of the council of the University of Venda for Science and Technology, Dr Barney Pityana, has urged the MEC for Education in the province, Ms Joyce Mashamba to help them in the campaign against the merging process.

During his address at the spring graduation reception dinner, held at Venda Tusk Hotel, Pityana urged Mashamba to support Univen in its letter that is to be submitted to the national Minister of Education on October 4. According to the recommendation made by the national working committee, Univen must merge with the University of the North and Medunsa.

Pityana said Univen was a jewel in the crown of South Africa, because of its achievements in terms of establishing quality programmes. In her address, Mashamba said that she wished Univen good luck in its merging process with Unin and Medunsa. She also said that the three institutions must come together for the sake of progress.

"Allow me to wish you well in your challenge to merge your institution with Unin and Medunsa into a single institution for higher learning. You already have a sense of the magnitude of this task and the implications it will have on us all. We should not allow this process to discourage us and make us loose focus of the need to transform our institutions and make them relevant to our socio-economic challenges. Just remember, through it all, that no fundamental transformation can take place without any pain and anxiety," said Mashamba.