The Sunyani Technical University (STU) has admitted 2,104 fresh students to pursue various diploma and degree courses in the 2021/2022 academic year.
Out of the enrolment, 1,409 of them representing 67 percent are males, whilst the 695 females represented 33 percent, with 1,609, students enrolled into science, technology, engineering and TVET programmes as against 495 for humanities.
Speaking at the 26th matriculation ceremony, held at its campus in Sunyani, Professor Engineer Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah, the Vice Chancellor said enrolment for this year had seen a decrease of 21 percent compared to the last academic calendar.
“The drastic fall in the student enrolment at the University this year, despite the introduction of more new academic programmes, gives a course for concern”, he said.
Prof Eng. Adinkrah-Appiah therefore called for an urgent strategy by the University to intensify its efforts in advertising the newly introduced Science, Engineering and TVET programmes to improve patronage.
“When patronage of such industry-driven programmes is improved, it would help produce skilled graduates who can readily find employment or set up their own businesses to help accelerate the socio-economic development of Ghana”.
“This will further obviate other institutions having the opportunity to produce too many graduates in already chocked sectors of the national economy which only exacerbates the existing high spate of unemployment in the country”, he said.
He explained one M-Tech programme in Electrical and Electronics Engineering was at an advanced stage to receive accreditation for introduction, saying the university was currently running 16 four-year B-Tech programmes.
Prof Eng Adinkrah-Appiah said 12 other 4-Year BTech programmes were also at different stages of accreditation, while the university run its 10 Top-Up BTech and 19 HND programmes.
He therefore advised all prospective students, both within and outside the country to take advantage to enrol “on these industry-driven programmes to acquire the requisite knowledge,
technical and professional skills.
“This will make them readily employable to avoid the temptation of joining the so-called
‘Unemployed Graduates Association’ in future”, he said.
The VC advised the fresh students to exhibit high sense of purpose and diligence in pursuing their academic career so that they could achieve the required skills and
competence that would make them successful.
“You are the future leaders of this country, as some of you here are going to become lecturers, Engineers, Businessmen, Parliamentarians and even President of the
country”, he said.
Prof Eng Adinkrah-Appiah therefore admonished the students to remain serious with their studies to enable them climb the academic ladder successfully, in order to achieve their future goals.
Skynewsroom
