A total of 3, 476 fresh students have been admitted into the Koforidua Technical University to pursue various Bachelor of Technology programmes and Higher National Diploma programmes for the 2017/18 academic year.
This is the largest number of first years the University has admitted since its inception 20 years ago.
Out of the over 5, 033 applicants who applied for admission into the university, a total of 4, 891 were offered admission to pursue various programmes.
At a short matriculation ceremony held to usher in the fresh students of the university, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Smile Dzisi, explained that the significant increase in the number of students was a strategy to acquaint and position the university to effectively manage a larger student population size in preparation for the beneficiaries of government’s flagship Free Senior High School Program.
“This academic year, the university received applications for admission from 5,033 applicants. Out of this number, a total of 4,891 were offered admission to pursue various programmes out of which 3,476 have reported.
The number of students enrolled this year includes 578 for the Bachelor of Technology programs, 2,639 for the HND programs and 259 for the Non- Tertiary programs,” she said.
“This huge number is historic, it is the first time this institution ever crossed the 3,000 mark in first year enrollment since inception 20 years ago, and this did not happen by accident, but it was carefully planned and executed through the concerted efforts of the faculty Deans, Heads and Lecturers of the various departments as well as non-teaching staff.”
She added that their decision to “sharply increase student enrollment is part of our strategic plan to expand access to higher technical education, and this is particularly significant because we in KTU anticipate an exponential increase in demand for access to tertiary education as the government rolls out the much awaited Free Senior High School Policy. We trust that we will receive all the needed support from the government in order to carry out this daunting task of handling larger student numbers effectively and efficiently.”
She reiterated the university’s commitment to becoming the reference point for world-class science and technology education and applied research.
“We have been working hard to improve the quality of teaching and learning, and we have gone beyond student internship to guaranteeing regular mandatory industrial attachments for our teaching staff in order to sharpen their professional skills and keep abreast with best practices in their various disciplines. Some of these partners are going a step further by providing scholarships to staff and students, an example is the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) providing scholarships for 20 HND students for this academic year. This and several other international collaboration with other institutions and companies will enable us provide the best of everything to our students.”
On his part, Professor Rexford Assassi Oppong, a member of the Koforidua Technical University University and the Dean of International Programs Office at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology who was the guest speaker at the matriculation ceremony, tasked the matriculants to take advantage of the opportunity given them to make a mark for themselves”.
“Koforidua Technical University is one of the youngest Technical Universities to be established, but I am very happy to note that it is making progress in the area of infrastructure development, staff recruitment and retention, staff development and students intake, and for this reasons I want every student here to take advantage of these innovations and become responsible after your tuition here to contribute to the development of our economy and country as a whole,” he said.
“A critical factor by which the performance of KTU will be judged, is the quality of the skills training, the research and development activities, and the extent to which graduates would have been prepared for the world of work and for life. Another yardstick for measuring performance is the extent to which the university is relevant to the needs of the immediate environment and how it helps to meet national aspirations.”
Professor Rexford urged the university to remain focused, and use all available resources at its disposal, including government subventions, GETFund, among others, to carve a niche for itself and to establish a tradition.
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By: Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku/citifmonline.com/Ghana
