The Chamber of Mines of Peru was able to bring together the deans and directors of the various universities in the country.
Within the current mining scenario there is a need to establish bridges that allow a joint work between companies, universities and the State, for this reason, the Chamber of Mines of Peru organized a working group with university authorities from the north, center and south of Peru, who were in favor of the initiative of the Chamber of Mines of Peru; in order to achieve the consolidation of a profitable and responsible extractive activity.
This meeting was attended by representatives of the main national universities from the provinces of Perú, as Mr. Eliseo Pumacallahui, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad Nacional Amazónica of Madre de Dios; Eng. Walter Lizárraga Armaza, Director of the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of the Nestor Caceres Velasquez University of Juliaca; Mg. Maria Vallenas Gaona, Director of the Faculty of Engineering of the Private San Carlos University of Puno; Eng. Celso Quispe Ojeda, Director of the School of Environmental Engineering of the Jose Faustino Sanchez Carrion University of Huacho; Mrs. Magda Rodríguez Yupanqui, Director of the School of Environmental Engineering of the Cesar Vallejo University of Trujillo.
«It is important to establish a joint work between the university, the company and the State. This will benefit mining and related careers. For example, in the case of our graduates from the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, most of them achieve working in the mining sector; performing maintenance on mechanical and electrical machinery. As you can see, our students are linked to the mining industry and that is why I believe that working with the Chamber of Mines of Peru will allow us to improve our study plans», said Eng. Walter Lizarraga, Director of the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of the Nacional Nestor Caceres Velasquez University of Juliaca.
At the working group with the university authorities, it was considered that training in the mining sector is extremely important. Because this economic activity is one of the main drivers of the growth of Peru. In addition, it boosts the economy of the populations near the extraction areas. However, it is imperative that these benefits are complemented by the promotion of sustainable development to minimize environmental impacts.
In this regard, the Director of the Faculty of Engineering of the Private San Carlos University of Puno, Maria Vallenas, said: «I believe it is important to prioritize the training of students and teachers in environmental mining management. Therefore, I consider it a good idea to work with the Chamber of Mines of Peru and I am sure that our institution and the extractive sector will benefit».
For Mrs. Magda Rodriguez Yupanqui, Director of the School of Environmental Engineering at the Cesar Vallejo University of Trujillo, the mining sector needs more enterprising professionals. «The joint work will strengthen the training of our students and I am sure it will help us to promote the development of research work. I believe that this proposed alternative is an opportunity for the directors and professors of our institution to be more qualified to impart their knowledge to the students».
In addition to proposing alternatives to promote aspects such as innovation in the training of professionals in the sector. Another important aspect that was also analyzed in this working group was the management of socio-environmental conflicts. The occurrence of these problems caused the halt of important mining projects, thus slowing down the economic and social development of Peru.
Eng. Celso Quispe, Director of the School of Environmental Engineering of the Jose Faustino Sanchez Carrion University, said he was confident that with the support of the Chamber of Mines of Peru. «I would like to congratulate this institution for organizing this event, which I consider extraordinary. The joint work with the Chamber of Mines of Peru is particularly beneficial for the students of our faculty, because the task of the environmental engineer is related to mining, due to the fact that, for example, among its functions are the remediation of environmental liabilities, as well as the management of waste, both solid and liquid».
At the end of the meeting, the attendees expressed their commitment and hope to hold more meetings of this type. Likewise, the university authorities expressed their support for the work and thanked the Chamber of Mines for organizing this important activity. «I would like to thank the work done by the Chamber of Mines and especially that of Eng. Cesar Gallardo Vela, because thanks to his efforts, for the first time our university is participating in this type of event,» said Mr. Eliseo Pumacallahui Salcedo, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad Nacional Amazónica of Madre de Dios.
