The University of Botswana (UB) Council has approved a proposal for the introduction of a geomatics programme effective August this year.

This discipline includes the tools and techniques used in land surveying, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS) and earth mapping. The course will be taught in the university's faculty of engineering.

The UB council met last Friday and made decisions on a number of pressing issues.

University council secretary, David Fani, says the university has written off debts of over P2 million.

The council approved a 15 percent salary adjustment across the board. The 15 percent increment is extended to allowances effective April.

In what is expected to bring smiles back to UB employees, council has approved a proposal for UB employees to sell their leave days to the university. The leave encashment process will begin at the end of March.

The university has also declared that it will stop the 40 percent subsidy on accommodation to non-citizen staff members. However, Fani indicated that the subsidised accommodation will be provided to staff at the Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre (HOORC) in Maun until staff houses are completed. Council has approved a 20 percent levy on fees paid to staff for private work done for the Centre for Continuing Education (CCE).

UB hopes to review the policy on staff members who do private work.