Legon to run programmes in Engineering Sciences

Accra, March 13, GNA - The University of Ghana, Legon is to establish a Faculty of Engineering Sciences with effect from the next academic year.

Disciplines to be offered in the new Faculty are Computer Engineering, Food Process Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Material Science Engineering. Aeronautic and Space Engineering would also be added to the Faculty in the near future.

Professor Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere, Vice Chancellor of the University, announced this on Saturday at this year's congregation.

At the congregation, 605 students were presented with Certificate/Diploma, 2,764 had Bachelor's Degree out of which 329 had first class, 569 had Masters Degree and seven had Doctor of Philosophy Degree.

The University since its inception about 56 years ago had offered courses Liberal Arts, Humanities and Natural Sciences.

Prof. Asenso-Okyere gave the assurance that the new engineering programmes being offered would be practical and problem solving oriented, where adjunct lecturers would be appointed from practicing engineers to teach certain modules of the programme.

He said students would also be taken on practical lessons to engineering workshops and factories during two semesters of the year and on an attachment for job training during holidays as a third semester.

"We want our products to go out and be able to contribute to an accelerated development of the country so that the prosperity we are all yearning for can come sooner than later," The Vice Chancellor said. Prof. Asenso-Okyere said the School of Allied Health Sciences, under the College of Health Sciences had also taken off and its objectives would be to train experts in the various allied health sciences to complement clinical work at all the health facilities in Ghana.

He announced that the Department of Nursing is to be re-designated School of Nursing as from next academic year to offer a broad spectrum of programmes in health care delivery including Adult, Community, Maternal and Mental Health.

The Vice Chancellor said plans were also advanced for the establishment of a Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy. The Centre would coordinate the various studies on gender that take place in different units of the University and advocate for gender equity and gender mainstreaming in the development process in Ghana.

Prof Asenso-Okyere said plans were also far advanced for the establishment of a Centre for Distance Education at all levels of academic pursuit.

He said when finalized it would be possible for the University to carry its programmes to the doorsteps of persons who for various reasons might not be able to enrol full time on campus.

"This will reduce the frustration of over 10,000 qualified persons who are not able to get admission to the University because of some constraints" he said.

Prof Asenso-Okyere said the University intended to mount a course in Entrepreneurship Development that would be compulsory for all undergraduate students of the University.

He said the time when the Government was the major employer of university graduates was long gone adding that they must begin to see how they could help create employment for themselves.