Category: Education

The Koforidua Technical University has graduated 2,398 students from various academic disciplines with a call on them to make a difference by creating employment for themselves and not wait to be employed. Professor John Owusu, Vice Chancellor of the University indicated that 231 had first class in the various disciplines and levels including bachelor's degree and Higher National Diploma (HND). He admonished the graduates to use the skills acquired to create job opportunities for themselves and not wait for government employment or to be employed since they had been imbibed with the necessary skills for that. The KTU started with only two HND programs but now offers more than 19 academic programs with 17 new degree programs introduced in the 2022/2023 academic year. The Vice-Chancellor noted that the school had an infrastructure deficit considering the student population of over 8,000 and appealed for increased GETFund allocation to complete projects which had already started. Mrs Gifty Twum-Ampofo, Dep uty Education Minister (TVET), said Technical Universities occupied a unique position in the TVET agenda, hence government had well-resourced all 10 Technical Universities. She called on the graduands to form joint venture companies and take advantage of the several business startup interventions introduced by the government to support graduates to become entrepreneurs. She said having stayed together at hostels and in the classrooms, it should not be difficult coming together to begin a business venture adding, 'that unfortunate situation where everyone wants to go solo is the problem in being self-employed.' Dr Michael Agyekum Addo, CEO of Mikkado Holdings Ltd, cautioned the graduates not to join any unemployed graduates' group to waste their time idling around. 'There are so many opportunities around for you to take advantage of and become self-employed or do something profitable with the skills acquired at university other than giving excuses,' he said. The business mogul said despite the area of stu dy, agriculture was a viable venture which graduates should not overlook. He also advised them that there was no quick way of making money and urged them to use the knowledge they have acquired and enhance their skills and good attitude to create a sustainable livelihood for themselves. Source: Ghana News Agency

Pencils of Promise (PoP), an education-focused non-profit Organisation, and the Fidelity Bank Ghana, have commissioned a three-unit classroom block for the Fodome Kordzeto M/A Basic School to ensure quality education. It has an office and ancillary facilities. The two organizations also renovated a pavilion, KVIP, provided a new urinal, repainted an old school block built by Plan International Ghana, and drilled a mechanised borehole for the community and the school. Mr Freeman Gobah, the Country Director, Pencils of Promise, said the model of the building was the second of a kind to be built by the Organisation. He said the PoP had built 600 schools globally and the Fodome Kordzeto block was the 199th in Ghana. Its 200th block for Ghana would be commissioned in January 2024. Mr Gobah said PoP believed that education was not only classroom blocks but teachers, pupils and parents all had to play a role in the ecosystem. He said PoP had invested heavily in training and retraining ofmore than 2,500 teach ers, who in turn impacted more than 53,000 pupils and students in the Volta, Oti and Eastern regions. The Fodome Kordzeto M/A Basic School would also benefit from the PoP's training programmes from February 2024, to be preceded by the supply of educational and digital materials, he said. Mr Gobah called for an effective maintenance culture to ensure the longevity of the classroom blocks and commended all stakeholders for the support. He said he was looking forward to the next partnership to help elevate education and contribute their quota to building thehuman resource capacity of the country. Mr Atta Yeboah Gyan, the Deputy Managing Director, Fidelity Bank Ghana, in an address read on his behalf, said the project formed a key prong of the Bank's Orange Impact initiative. The initiative seeks to provide a medium to long-term suit of support packages to 15 marginalised schools across the country within a five-year period. Mr Gyan said their initial visit to the school painted a clear picture of the need to provide the children with a conducive environment to learn. It was an opportunity to effect real Orange Impact, he said. 'As a bank that is uniquely and proudly Ghanaian, we firmly believe that Ghana would be a better place if everyone had the opportunity and support to succeed,' he added. Mr Gyan advised the pupils to work hard to achieve their aims and urged the teachers, parents, guardians, and members of the Fodome community to support and nurture the dreams of the young generation. Ms Leticia Doe, the Headmistress of the School, said it was established on 25th September, 1973, under a tree, with six volunteer teachers and some community assistants. It now has professional teachers and service personnel. 'For the past four and a half decades the school had gonethrough challenges, which words cannot express,' she said. Ms Doe said in 2014, the Junior High School (JHS) obtained 100 per cent, and 84 per cent from 2015 to 2022 in the Basic Education Certificate Examination. She said the Kindergarte n One, Basic One and Two currently had inadequate trained teachers, while the JHS was using the Roman Catholic Church as classroom, which made it difficult for teaching and learning. She called for assistance to build a JHS block with a library and a computer laboratory for the students and expressed gratitude to the Pencils of Promise and Fidelity Bank Ghana for the assistance. Mr Francis Yaw Agbemadi, Volta Regional Education Director, said the commissioning emphasised the vital link between education and infrastructural development, showcasing the role it played in shaping the destiny of communities. It served as a beacon of progress, providing not only a conducive space for learning but also nurturing the minds of the next generation. He urged all stakeholders, both local and international, to continue to support educational initiatives and positively shape the future of the children. The donors also provided 60 dual desks, teachers and office tables and chairs, ceiling fans in the classrooms and tw o 10,000-litre capacity polytanks to help store water. Awards were given to some hardworking pupils and community members. Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister, has urged graduates to let the principles of integrity and ethics in their respective professions translate to a positive impact on society's holistic development. She, however, emphasised applying integrity and ethics as guiding principles also reflected a deep commitment to social and environmental responsibility. Madam Owusu-Banahene gave the advice when she was speaking at the eighth congregation of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), held at the University's Bank of Ghana-funded auditorium in Sunyani. The ceremony was on the theme, 'Fostering Future Leaders via Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Education'.? A total of 2,451 students graduated with 2,159 earning bachelor's degrees, 178 obtaining diplomas and 114 reaching the pinnacle of academic excellence by attaining postgraduate qualifications. Madam Owusu-Banahene stressed the importance of recognising that the impact of STEAM education exte nded far beyond individual accomplishments, emphasising that the educational approach nurtured a mindset that valued inquiry, embraced challenges, and appreciated the beauty of collaboration. She added STEAM equipped students not only with technical skills but also with the ability to think critically, solve problems creatively and communicate effectively to contribute to effective leadership. Madam Owusu-Banahene encouraged the graduates to approach their careers with a profound sense of responsibility, saying their life choices and innovations they would introduce as well as the policies they would advocate would shape the trajectory of their respective future. Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, the Vice-Chancellor of the UENR earlier in a welcoming address announced the university admitted more than 4,000 students during the 2022/2023 Academic Year, saying that remarkable achievement demonstrated the University's commitment to providing quality education and fostering academic growth. Prof. Asare-Bediako s aid the University had obtained accreditation for a wide range of new programmes spanning diplomas to Doctor of Philosophy (PhDs). He said the programmes encompassed diverse academic disciplines, including Information Technology, Computer Science, Geo-information Science, Accounting, Geo-environmental Science, Biochemistry, Food Technology, Sustainable Land Management and Sustainable Mining, saying, the expansion of academic offerings reflected the University's dedication to meeting the evolving needs of students and industries. Prof. Asare-Bediako announced the University was actively implementing some developmental projects which included the transformation of Syndicate Hall into a state-of-the-art Demonstration Room for the Hospitality Department, the construction of a cutting-edge Sports Complex (Phase 1), a four-storey multi-purpose office block, UENR Hospital Phase 1, completion of pavilion block 1A and the conversion of syndicate hall 1 into a modern computer laboratory. He encouraged the graduates to embark on a journey of research with unwavering passion and advised them to unlock doors to a future of hope and success to become beacons of light for their communities.? Source: Ghana News Agency

The Dzodze-Penyi Senior High School (Dzosec) in the Ketu North Municipality of the Volta Region has received infrastructure support from the school's Parent and Teachers Association (PTA). The support, worth thousands of cedis included 122 pieces of dual desks to enhance teaching and learning in the school. Mr Moses Azaglo, the PTA chairman during a short donation event at the school's premises, disclosed to the Ghana News Agency that the support was to alleviate some level of infrastructural deficit faced by the school. He said parents and guardians willingly supported the move through levies and dues that were paid to the Association. 'The PTA over the years championed the construction of a 14-unit classroom block for the school as well as other ongoing infrastructural projects,' he said. Mr Azaglo stated that the Association had however planned to tackle other challenges in the school gradually, which include insufficient teaching and learning materials. He urged parents to pay their dues frequently to bring the situation under control. Mr Benjamin Atsu, a representative from the Ghana Education Service (GES), who received the items on behalf of staff and the entire student body of the school, thanked the PTA for the kind gesture. 'I urged other associations in the various schools within the Municipality to emulate this to help improve and promote quality education.' Mr Freeman Adehe, the Assistant Headmaster, in charge of Administration, expressed appreciation for the support. He appealed to other benevolent corporate organisations and the Government to help solve other challenges facing the school. Mr Adehe also urged all teaching and non-teaching staff as well as the students to go the extra mile to achieve more success for the school. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ohawu Agricultural College (OAC) in the Ketu North Municipality has, in collaboration with the Tu Delft University, Netherlands, and Holland GreenTech, graduated 43 students who studied Horticulture and Entrepreneurship Development at the Collage. The students took courses in seed selection, nursery practices, transplanting and care of the plants, as well as plant nutrition and disease control under the Horticulture course. Under the Entrepreneurship programme, they studied product development, and how to develop ideas, and produce the idea for the market, among others. The Netherlands Government funded the training project, dubbed the OAC Archipelago Training Project' which was run under a pilot for the youth in the area. The training followed a similar successful Archipelago project rolled out at the Kwadaso Agricultural College (KAC) in Kumasi for the youth in that area and funded by the European Union and other partners. At the OAC graduation ceremony held near Abor in the Volta Region, Mr Samue l Darbah, National Coordinator of the Archipelago Project, Kwadaso Agriculture College, said earlier trainees who participated in the programme at KAC were already doing well, establishing themselves on the market and others also in the process of production. Mr Darbah said the three-month training was to provide enhanced skills in horticulture production, farm management, soil management and marketing. He urged the OAC trainees to put the knowledge acquired into good practice and make livelihoods from them. Madam Anne-Katrien Denissen, Private Sector Development Coach, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), said agriculture and horticulture production was very important for the government of The Netherlands just as it was for the government of Ghana, the reason they decided to train some youths so they could engage in the venture to also boost food production in the country and to make money as well. She said she was inspired by the entrepreneurship skills acquired under the project by the students, who ex hibited some of the products at an exhibition as part of the graduation ceremony, She expressed optimism that the project would be scaled up to other colleges after a thorough overview had been done, together with the TU Delft University and the Holland Greentech groups. Mr Ernest Abiew, Principal of OAC, said the institution would scale up the pilot programme so more people could benefit from it. 'We have to sustain it and look at the industry players and people who are related to Agric who may need such training,' he stated. He said the college already offered two main programmes, namely, a three-year diploma in General Agriculture and a two-year certificate in General Agric programme. He said in 2024, the college was planning to introduce another programme, a certificate in Animal Health and Production Services, which would also be a two-year course to train veterinary officers in the Southern sector especially. Currently, only one college in Tamale trains such officers in animal health. He said the horticulture and entrepreneurship programmes would be maintained as short courses. The OAC was established in 1965 as a Mechanisation centre attached to the then State Farms. It was later changed into a training institution training agricultural extension agents, formerly, agricultural extension officers. It presently trains more than 300 agricultural agents annually. Source: Ghana News Agency