The C.K Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS) is grappling with an infrastructure deficit that is impeding academic activities.
The university, located in Navrongo, Upper East Region, was established in May 2020 with the mandate to provide higher education, undertake research, and disseminate knowledge related to development through integrated technology and applied sciences.
However, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of CKT-UTAS, Professor Samson Abah Abagale, bemoaned that the dream of the university is hampered due to its inadequate infrastructure.
“As a university with a focus on technology and applied sciences, the importance of laboratories for teaching and research cannot be overemphasized. The university is currently challenged with inadequate laboratories and, in some cases, has to collaborate with the Navrongo Health Research Centre for laboratory sessions for some students of our university.”
Coupled with inadequate hostel facilities and lecture halls, Prof. Abagale says the situation limits the university’s ability to admit many students and again compromises the quality of education delivery.
He appealed to the government to expedite action and complete a laboratory complex, a hostel facility, and a 4-storey lecture hall that are funded under the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).
The Acting Vice-Chancellor raised these concerns during the university’s 3rd congregation of 424 students comprising 190 graduate students and 234 undergraduate students. With adequate infrastructure, Prof. Abagale says the university would be well-positioned to admit the increasing number of students coming out of the Free Senior High School program, “particularly for those from the newly established STEM SHSs.”
Regardless of the challenges, he mentioned the establishment of a modern computer laboratory for the School of Computing and Information Sciences, state-of-the-art skills laboratory for the School of Nursing and Midwifery, and the upgrade of the university’s clinic to a polyclinic as some major achievements.
Professor Gordon Akanzuwine Awandare, the Chairman of the Governing Council of C.K Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS), emphasized the university’s commitment to supporting the government’s vision of positioning Ghana as a leader in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
“The government has rightly identified STEM as a key driver of national development, and CKT-UTAS is fully aligned with this vision. However, to fully contribute to this national goal, we must address the infrastructural challenges facing the university,” stated Professor Awandare.
The Upper East Regional Minister entreated the university management to leverage the institution’s proximity to Francophone countries such as Burkina Faso and Togo to develop programs that can address the needs of these countries as part of its internally generated drive.
He challenged the management of CKT-UTAS to come out with tailored programs that would equip the youth with the necessary skills to tap into the region’s natural and material resources such as gold, clay, and rock deposits for ceramics and quarry productions, respectively.
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