The TUNDAVALA Higher Polytechnic Institute is the result of the evolution of the Private University of Angola (UPRA) - Lubango Campus, which began at the Private Higher Institute of Angola (ISPRA).

ISPRA in Lubango was inaugurated on May 3, 2005, with two Teaching Departments: one in Health and another in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The Health Department started with courses in Psychology, Physiotherapy, and Nursing. The Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences began with courses in Environmental Engineering and Agronomy.

In terms of partnerships, ISPTundavala collaborates with local, national, and foreign entities. Locally, it has agreements with the Tchivinguiro Agricultural Middle Institute, Chela Water Factory, the Provincial Health Directorate, and the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture. Nationally, it has a protocol with the Angolan Veterinary Research Institute.

Internationally, ISPTundavala has agreements with the Higher Agricultural School of Coimbra (ESAC), the University of Coimbra, Nova University of Lisbon, the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, the Higher School of Nursing of Coimbra, the Higher School of Nursing of Lisbon, SOFTIMBRA (Agroinformatics consultants), Cultivar (Tropical Agriculture Technicians Association), and the Lourinhã Museum, among others.

The Development Plan of the TUNDAVALA Higher Polytechnic Institute (ISPTundavala) is based on several years of experience in higher education, with significant engagement in the regional community, ensuring the project's solidity and sustainability.

MISSION

The TUNDAVALA Higher Polytechnic Institute (ISP Tundavala) is a private, non-profit higher education institution that builds knowledge in various fields, with a strong emphasis on training specialized higher-level technicians.

As a higher education institution, ISP Tundavala consolidates its role as a reference in the southern region of the country for training professionals committed to the life and progress of Angolan society.

ISP Tundavala's mission is to generate, disseminate, and apply knowledge based on freedom of thought and the plurality of critical exercises, promoting higher education and contributing to the construction of a society model based on humanist principles, with knowledge, creativity, and innovation as factors for growth, sustainable development, well-being, and solidarity.

Through its four current departments and the Tundavala Research and Studies Center, ISP Tundavala promotes and stimulates the intellectual capacities of faculty, students, and researchers, encouraging them to take positive actions that create conditions for societal well-being. Thus, ISP Tundavala promotes quality and innovation in teaching methods, prioritizing research that addresses various societal issues, identifying their causes, and proposing appropriate solutions.

The fulfillment of the aforementioned mission is conducted within an international framework, particularly in the contexts of SADC and CPLP, focusing on the centrality of research and its close linkage to teaching, pursuing high-level human training across ethical, cultural, scientific, artistic, technical, and professional dimensions, through a diverse educational offering, the creation of an adequate educational environment, and contributing to lifelong learning and the exercise of active and responsible citizenship.

Part of ISP Tundavala's mission also includes conducting research and participating in scientific institutions and events, promoting the ongoing pursuit of excellence, creativity as a source of innovative and differentiating proposals and solutions, and seeking responses to the major challenges facing society. Additionally, it focuses on the transfer, exchange, and enhancement of scientific and technological knowledge produced, community service, continuous training actions, and support for development, based on mutual appreciation and the promotion of entrepreneurship.

ISPTundavala also has an annual journal (Tundavala – Angolan Journal of Science), where the academic community in the region can publish their articles, provided they are approved by its Scientific Committee. This journal began in 2013 and plans to become biannual in the future.

Finally, ISP Tundavala considers it relevant to interact with society by contributing to the public understanding of culture, analyzing and presenting solutions to major daily problems, and forming partnerships for social and economic development at regional, national, or international levels, as well as contributing to the social and economic development of the region and the knowledge, defense, and promotion of its natural and cultural heritage.

Educational Offering

The demand for higher education students has been increasing year by year. Moreover, the offerings at ISP Tundavala complement the current public offerings, presenting undergraduate courses that are not available in the province, as well as others that are unique at the regional level.

All 11 (eleven) undergraduate courses currently taught at ISPTundavala correspond to established training areas, addressing the obvious social need for higher-level training.

Faculty and Student Body

ISPTundavala currently has 118 faculty members. In terms of academic qualifications, 56 are bachelor's degree holders, 6 are specialists, 49 are master's degree holders, and 7 are doctors. Notably, some of the full-time faculty members (bachelor's and master's degree holders) were trained at the institution itself, and it is the policy of ISP Tundavala to recruit faculty from among its best graduates and provide them access to postgraduate programs, including master's and doctoral degrees.

Regarding the student body, it has maintained a steady enrollment of around 2,000 students per year.