HTU undergoing revolution - Council Chairman

The Ho Technical University is undergoing revolution and experiencing a rebuilding process, Professor Emmanuel James Flolu, Council Chairman of the University, has said.

"I wish to assure the Government and the public that our minds are now certain about the future and we are no longer considering ourselves as being in transition...the University is being positioned for excellence," he added.

Prof. Flolu said this at the 20th congregation of the University on Saturday in Ho, where more than 1,000 students graduated with Degrees and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs).

He said the University was asserting itself with its national and international reputation rising rapidly and being recognised as the beacon of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) education in Ghana.

Prof. Flolu, therefore, charged the graduands to be self-insured and confident that they were trained and well equipped by one of the best technical universities in Ghana and Africa. He asked them to take advantage of technology to change the world around them and be recognized globally.

Prof. Ben Q. Honyenuga, the Vice Chancellor of the University, asked the graduands to use the knowledge and skills acquired to transform society and be worthy ambassadors of the University.

He announced that it would soon introduce the study of French and Chinese to help students overcome language barriers and excel the world over.

Prof. Honyenuga appealed to Government to complete infrastructure projects in time to enable it to accommodate the expected large number of free Senior High School leavers. The Vice-Chancellor enumerated some achievements in recent times, especially in academics, and said more were yet to come.

Prof. Etienne E. Ehile, Secretary General of the Association of African Universities (AAU), who was the Guest of Honour, urged universities in Africa to incorporate the teaching of soft skills like teamwork, innovation, creativity and fast thinking ability into their curriculum to make graduates highly employable.

This is because a good academic career was not always sufficient guarantee for employability of graduates, he said.

Prof. Ehile challenged technical universities to ensure that students went through competency-based training with emphasis on skills acquisition for creation and innovation so they could be self-employable.

Ms Florence Kwadade of the Department of Logistics and Supply Chain Management emerged the Overall Best Graduating Student and received a couple of prizes and awards.