[ 2014-09-17 ]

KNUST inaugurates Accra City Campus
Accra, Sep 16, GNA - The Kwame Nkrumah University
of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Monday
inaugurated its GH¢ 10.5 million Accra City
Campus and Institute of Distance Learning (IDL)
Centre at Pokuase near Accra.

The complex, which is six-storey with basement,
has nine to 150 seater lecture halls, 120-seater
computer and server rooms with several offices and
two bed sitters.

Professor William Otoo Ellis, KNUST Vice
Chancellor, said in its quest to expand as a
science and technology university it had been
implementing programmes in its attempt to offer a
lot more opportunities to prospective students.

He said it was in respect of this that the IDL was
restructured in 2005 to reposition it to offer a
complementary platform to the normal conventional
lecture room sessions which is delivered on the
main campus of KNUST in Kumasi.

He said in tandem with the Institute’s vision of
increasing access to relevant and flexible
tertiary and continuing education and training
anytime, anywhere through the Distance Learning
Mode using multimedia.

The Vice Chancellor said the IDL runs 17
undergraduate programmes from the various
departments of the University in addition to 13
postgraduate programmes.

He said the IDL had a student population of
slightly more than 10,000 in 13 different centres
all over Ghana and two off-shore pilot virtual
campuses; one in the United Arab Emirates and a
recent one in Nigeria.

He said major challenges affecting the growth and
expansion of their distance and continuing
education programmes especially in the Accra City
Centre has been the availability of suitable
facilitation rooms and the concomitant high rental
charges paid for the use of such facilities.

“This results continually in the change of
venues, thus creating an inconvenience to most of
our students.

“In addition to the above and looking at the
trend of increase in our student population, it
became imperative for us to acquire our own
facilities in some regional capitals to make our
service more client-friendly for our students,”
the Vice Chancellor said.

Prof Ellis said processes were underway with the
selection of a contractor for their Nothern Sector
Campus in Tamale, whiles negotiations were also
being concluded on a parcel of land in Takoradi
for the Western Campus.

He said all these were aimed at fulfilling their
avowed goal to make science and technology
education accessible to the citizenry of the
nation in tandem with government’s policy on
tertiary education and education technology
innovations that provides the policy framework for
Ghanaian universities to increase access to
tertiary education.

He said with the completion of the complex, their
office accommodation and lecture hall problems at
the Accra Centre would be a thing of the past.

He commended the tireless efforts of some groups
and individuals who have contributed in diverse
ways to ensure that the Accra City Campus came to
fruition.

Mr Kwame Saarah-Mensah, Acting KNUST Council
Chairman said the Accra City Campus would enable
workers pursue further studies.

He urged stakeholders such as the government,
universities and cooperate entities to help
address the graduate unemployment situation in the
country.

Mr Sam Atukwei Quaye, Ga West Municipal Chief
Executive said the road leading to the Accra City
Campus would be fixed next year.

He also assured students and staff of their
security.

Source - GNA

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