Cattle, Pigs Compete With Students for Space

It's not a kraal, not a pen nor a pigsty. Yet cattle, goats and pigs feed there around the clock disrupting every human activity.

This is the Navrongo Campus of the University of Development Studies (UDS) where students and lecturers are contending with a large number of domestic animals.

"The animals are a big problem. Sometimes it is so difficult to study because of these animals. Look, look, look at the pigs there," Yarig E. Sobe, a first year student said as he pointed at a head of pigs heading towards an open sewer at the female hostel.

Set up a decade ago, UDS is made up of three campuses spread in the three northern regions. The other two are in Tamale in the Northern Region and Wa in the Upper West Region. A fourth campus is planned for Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The Navrongo Campus was established in 1994. It is occupying the premises of a former agricultural research station. The campus is without a parameter fence.

"There is no money to construct a fence around the campus. We need money to furnish our laboratory and put up new structures to improve academic work," Dr. Walter M. Kpikpi, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAS) told Agenda.

At the weekend, President John Kufuor challenged private university operators to turn out versatile graduates.This is not only to guarantee the reputation of these universities as centers of excellence but also to ensure that their graduates can compete with the best anywhere.

Presently, there are about 10 private universities. Most were established by religious organisations but the universities are offering courses such as business administration, computer science and marketing aside theology.

There are five public universities. But government's own commitment to turning out outstanding graduates from public universities has been questioned. Official subvention to public universities is simply inadequate - they have declined in real terms in recent years. Worst still, the funds are hardly released on time.

Residential and lecture halls, libraries and other shared facilities are simply insufficient. Generally, facilities essential for the production of top-notch graduates on public university campuses have deteriorated and the few left standing are crashing under the weight of overcrowding.

Ishmael Yamson, Chairman of Unilever and the Chairman of University of Ghana, a few years ago raised doubts about the quality of graduates public universities are churning out. He said public universities were not adequately preparing graduates for challenges outside the confines of a university campus.

Of the five public universities, UDS is the newest and the first to be located in the deprived northern sector of the country.

UDS is also the most ill-equipped public university and yet with a programme distinctly tailored to tackle the multi-faceted problems of the country, especially the northern half.

It is a community-based university and its programmes are run within the communities. "Our roots are in the communities," Dr. Kpikpi said.

Predictably, education stood out as one of two issues in the blistering campaigns of the major political parties in the run-up to the March 25th Navrongo Central by-election.

That Navrongo, capital of the Kassena-Nankana District is host to the Upper East campus of UDS was cited by the political parties to drive home their messages.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) argued that they brought a university to the north and a campus in Navrongo. While the New Patriotic Party (NPP) claimed it was committed to making teaching and learning at UDS comparable to any in the country. The People's National Convention (PNC) said it could make UDS the first choice of every potential university student.

Since the commencement of academic work at the Navrongo campus in 1994, two buildings have been added: a hostel and an administration block. A lecture theatre is being put up.

But life in the new hostel, used by the males, is a death trap. In some rooms there are up to 10 students. Using makeshift sockets, they cook in their rooms. And so what happens when a student decides to cook dead in the night when the others are asleep? Well, if you can't stand the heat or the aroma of the cooking, just get out to hang out with the cattle and pigs!

Despite its relatively small student population of 450, the campus is very crowded. Students and lecturers compete daily with livestock - from cattle, pigs to poultry - for space on the patchy and dusty campus.

In the afternoons when it's cooler outside, students find it nearly impossible to study under the many sprawling savannah trees as the animals also take cover from the hot sun. The animals turn off students with their droppings.

Until this academic year, the Faculty of Integrated Studies (FIDS) was at Navrongo but this has been moved to the Upper West capital of Wa.

But the second, third and fourth year FIDS students will complete their courses at the Navrongo.

The Navrongo campus has since been designated as the host of the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FAS). There are four departments under the Faculty of Applied Sciences and these are Mathematics and Computer Science; Applied Biology; applied Chemistry and Applied Physics.

FIDS has five departments: social, political and historical studies; economics and entrepreneurial development; African and general studies; environmental and resource studies; planning, land economy and rural development.

"It has been difficult transforming the place," the FAS dean, Dr. Kpikpi said, complaining about the difficulties in creating a conducive teaching and learning environment for any serious academic on the campus. Dr. Kpikpi shares his small office with his deputy.

Unlike the other four universities - University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Cape Coast University and the Winneba University College of Education - community-based UDS runs a trimester system.

Students at all levels undertake eight weeks of practical research in their chosen communities during the last trimester of every academic year.

Dr. Kpikpi points to this practical training on the field as the hallmark distinguishing UDS from the other four universities.

During the field work, students interact with the communities, study the problem in question, gather from the local people how they deal with the problem and they (the students) try with the input of the communities to find more durable solutions to whatever problems.

A lecturer at the African and General Studies Department, Salifu N. Alhassan said that many of UDS students get jobs before graduating Alhassan attributed this to the practical nature of their training.

"This university cannot be treated like the other universities," the dean of FAS said about the lack of facilities.

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) estimates that within the next five to 10 years more than half of public university lecturers will go on retirement. Lecturing is unattractive to young graduates and this is because of the sorry conditions of service.

UDS depends on part-time lecturers. But with its under-developed infrastructure, mini library and lack of internet access, teaching and learning couldn't be any harder for the students and thin staff.

So how do students cool off? They share off the boredom at two drinking spots opposite the main entrance of the campus.

Christened "UDS. Com" (UDS dot Com), it is the most patronised of the two spots. UDS.Com offers all sorts of beverages - a true break from the frustrations on campus?

"Yes," said Zakaria Hadii, Femi Aderohunmu, and Yarig Sobe all first year Applied Science students who sounded upbeat about their chances of getting good quality university education.

Like their authorities, the students are not totally discouraged by the daunting problems facing UDS.