survey.edu: The Present Status of Surveying Education, Time to rethink...
NIGERIA AND ZIMBABWE
Several authors, Fajemirokun (2002) Rüther (2003) Nwilo (2004), Paradzayi (2006) have outlined the difficulties that departments of Surveying and Geomatics face the African continent in theirpursuit of delivering good quality Geomatics education.
Although there are 23 Universities offering surveying programs in Sub- Sahara countries and Nigeria, where up to 11 universities offer Surveying and Geoinformatics at degree level, it is notas popular as other professions.
The intense African heat adds to the fact that the remunerations does notmatch to the amount of time and efforts put into the work.
Another issue is the high cost involved in the purchase of modern surveying equipments and software.
There have been some experiments to bring out modifications in the curriculain surveying for polytechnics and universities in Nigeria which has led to the improved students' interest in the field. This was done through addition of courses in spatial information and data management, environmental & coastal management and digital technology.
The Department of Surveying & Geoinformatics, University of Lagos together with a number of other departments are offering surveying course and have also modified the programmes. This has led to a substantial increase in the number of students seeking admission into the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. On an average 75 - 100 students are admitted annually into the undergraduate programme of surveying and geoinformatics.
In Zimbabwe, the University of Zimbabwe and Midlands State University offer surveying education. Midlands has a four-year BSc honours degree in Surveying and Geomatics.
The programme is structured in such a way that students undertake internships, during vacations, with established private and public surveying organisations involved in Cadastral Surveying, Engineering Surveying, GIS and Mining Surveying among others. There are plans to introduce a postgraduate diploma and a Master degree in GIS once both the human and technical resources allow (Paradzayi, 2006).
The disputed land reform programme and unstable political environment triggered an economic downturn that made it difficult for the students to acquire the requisite industrial exposure during vacations. The degree structure was then revised in line with the university work-related learning (WRL) policy of placing students in industry for a full year during their fourth year of study. On successful completion of the WRL period, the students then return to university for their fifth and final year. As of June 2006, 60 graduates have passed through the department of which 13% of the graduates are female. Most of these have been absorbed by the local industry while a few are now employed in the Diaspora (European and African countries).
The South African land surveying body, PLATO (South African Professional and Technical Surveyors), is in the process of assessing the degree programme so that MSU graduates can undertake articles to become Professional Land Surveyors in South Africa (Paradzayi and Nijke, 2006).
One of the pressing challenges is the legislative impediment pertaining to recognition of students for cadastral surveying practice. However, the pressure to issue 99-year leases to new landowners under the fast track land reform programme has forced the authorities to expedite the legislative changes so that graduates can become registered Land Surveyors. The Council of Land Surveyors has assessed the departmental curriculum and has made recommendations to effect the necessary changes to the legislation.
STI: The technology know-how
Though there is a training institute for survey education and training (The Survey Training Institute - a wing ofthe Survey of India), the intake and frequency of professional training programmes in Surveying depends on the demand and availability of sufficient number of participants. On an average, the institute has a capacity to enrol about 100 students in a year. The courses are structured under
- Basic
- Surveying Engineering
- Surveying Supervisor
- Surveying Technician
- Advanced,
- Refresher and
- Faculty Courses.
Through the enrolment programme it can be observed that through the Basic and Advanced courses, there can be an intake of 94 students in one batch, which generally stretch over a period of 1 year to 2 years.
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