By Prince Agyapong
Koforidua (E/R), June 5, GNA – The Koforidua Technical University (KTU) has conducted its 19th convocation with 2,241 graduates awarded degrees and diploma certificates for meeting all the necessary requirements.
Of the 2,241 students, 564 were awarded Bachelor of Technology (BTech) degrees, while 1,677 received Higher National Diploma (HND).
A total of 66 B’Tech students graduated with First Class Honours, while 338 had Second Class (Upper Division) and 158 had Second Class (Lower Division).
Just two students were awarded a pass.
Similarly, a total of 120 HND graduands achieved First Class Honours, while 1,288 earned Second Class (Upper Division) and 158 had Second Class (Lower Division) and 18 graduates obtained passes.
In an address, Professor David Kofi Essumang, Vice Chancellor of KTU, said there had been a significant rise in both the student population and academic programmes.
He said, “The university admitted its first batch of 47 students in the 1996/1997 academic year, but 26 years later, the university now has a student population of 8,389.”
The university recently announced the launch of seven new B.Tech. programmes.
These programmes include Fashion Design and Textiles, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Graphic Design and Technology, Actuarial Science, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Marketing, and Secretaryship and Management Studies.
The Vice-Chancellor also shed light on the challenges faced by the university, citing insufficient funds to complete ongoing projects, a lack of staff office space and accommodation facilities, inadequate library space, and inadequate ICT facilities, workshops, and an auditorium.
“The 448-bed GETFund student hostel is inadequate for teeming students. More than two-thirds of students live in privately rented buildings within the immediate communities, which are near the campus,” he said.
He stressed that the university’s greatest problem, however, remained the woefully inadequate student accommodation, with only one hostel available.
He explained that the student population had outgrown the capacity of the 448-bed GETFund hostel, leaving many students without adequate accommodation.
Professor Esummang appealed to the government to increase funding to ensure the timely completion of ongoing projects such as the clinic, 27 staff flats, and the 2020 Lecture Hall.
Mrs Gifty Twum Ampofo, Deputy Minister of Education in Charge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), said the government placed lots of interest in TVET in universities because TVET was the most effective vehicle to drive Ghana’s economic transformation.
She said the government had recently implemented a new policy called the “No Guarantor Student Loan Policy” with the aim of providing financial assistance to students and facilitating their pursuit of education.
She also said the ministry was committed to fostering innovation and creativity among the youth through the implementation of policies and reforms that prioritise science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
KTU was ranked as the top technical university and eighth among all public universities in Ghana for the year 2022, as per the World Scientist and World Ranking.
The primary aim of this institution is to offer advanced education in engineering, science, and technology-related fields, as well as technical and vocational training, applied science, and other related disciplines.
The institution strives to foster the moral, intellectual, physical, and social growth of young individuals.
GNA