By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Sumbrungu (U/E), April 3, GNA – The Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU) has launched a 10-year Strategic Plan as part of efforts to reposition the university on the path of excellence and preferred centre for Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Ghana and beyond.
The Strategic Plan spans 2023 to 2032 and would provide strategic direction to implement innovative academic programmes and interventions to help the university realize its vision of producing problem solving graduates for sustainable development.
The Strategic Plan is a major development step for the university since its conversion from polytechnic into a Technical University in April, 2020 in line with the Technical University Act of 2016, Act 922.
Professor Samuel Erasmus Alnaa, the Vice Chancellor of the University, said the Act mandated the University to provide higher education in Engineering, Science and Technology-based disciplines, TVET, Applied Arts and other related disciplines, and award degrees, including honorary degrees, diplomas, certificates and other qualifications agreed upon by the Governing Council.
Therefore, he said the 10-year Strategic Plan would serve as a medium to long term guide to support the university to achieve its mandate and contribute to national development through practical training.
Professor Alnaa announced that among the University’s strategies was to increase access, enhance quality, improve financing and ensure effective governance and management.
He said those strategic priority areas support the University’s commitment to achieve excellence in its core functions of teaching and learning, knowledge dissemination and exchange in addition to stakeholder engagement.
“As a TVET Institution, it is the University’s belief of not only equipping students with technological skills for their future careers, but also inculcating in them critical minds, concern and respect for humankind and nature as well as an in-depth understanding of the world”, he emphasised.
Professor Theophilus Azunga, the Chairman of the Strategic Plan Committee, mentioned that strategic plan puts forth a key aspiration for the University to become a leading Technical University in Ghana and beyond, producing skilled, knowledgeable and employable graduates in various disciplines for industry.
To realise that aspiration, the University would promote effective and quality teaching/learning, research, community service and resource mobilization, he added.
He stated the first phase of the Strategic plan, which spans from 2023 to 2027, would aim at positioning the Institution to become a leading technological university while the second phase, 2028 to 2032, would consolidate the gains made.
The University, he noted, as part of the Strategic Plan, had developed seven strategic priority areas that sought to increase student enrolment taking into account diversity, quality and equity, improving infrastructure, facilities and services for teaching, learning and research.
It would also strengthen and improve teaching, learning, research and community service, and improve stakeholder collaboration.
Others include strengthening ecological agriculture through research, teaching and learning, training and extension services, improving resource mobilisation and utilisation and improving corporate governance and management systems
Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister, lauded management of the University for coming out with such good initiatives to help the growth of the school and challenged it to conduct proactive research that would be capable of addressing the challenges confronting the region and beyond.
GNA