KNUST Unity Hall Members Affirm Commitment To Encouraging Entrepreneurship

Unity Hall President, Param Gozey

President of the Unity Hall at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Param Gozey, has bemoaned the theoretical nature of teaching and learning at tertiary institutions in the country.

He notes the situation is a contributing factor to the huge challenge of graduate unemployment Ghana is facing. “There are many challenges, particularly in terms of the practicals, you would realize that it is full of theory here, but the real world deals with the practicalities,” he said.

Param Gozey made the observation while speaking at the 44th week celebration of the Unity Hall on the campus of KNUST. The celebration was under the theme; Entrepreneurship - the solution to graduate unemployment. Param Gozey is thus encouraging students to equip themselves with practical skills, to empower them to be better positioned to face the world of work.

“There would be the need for us to bring some of these challenges under the microscope, diagnose these problems and deal with them appropriately. There is the need for us to equip ourselves so that we gain practicals skills to face the world. That is why there would be the need for us students to take some courses in entrepreneurship to equip ourselves,” he said.

Param Gozey noted the theme for the celebration which focuses on entrepreneurship is more appropriate today than ever, as a tool to solving the growing unemployment situation in the country.

Employment consultant and Business Development Manageress of Human Resource Development firm, Blue Chip Business Consult, Madam Adoma Appiah in a speech at the official launch of the celebration expressed concern about what she says is the enormous number of workers who are being forced to stay in jobs they are not happy with, because of lack of adequate jobs. She expressed worry that such situations do not bring out the best in the employees and prevent them from delivering their utmost best.

The students of the Unity Hall popularly called continentals as part of the 44th Unity Hall week celebrations held a very colourful ceremony which saw the holding of military parade and the display of karate skills to officially launch the weeklong celebration at the forecourt of the hall on the campus of KNUST.

Various dignitaries including the Dean of Students at KNUST Dr. Kofi Owusu Daaku and several former students of the hall graced the occasion. Dignitaries commended student leaders at the Unity Hall for their efforts at fostering unity with their colleagues at the University Hall (Katanga Hall), through various outreach programmes.

Students at both halls have been at the throat of each other over the years, engaging in various violent activities which have in the past seen clashes, stone throwing, attacks on each other and the destruction of property running into thousands of cedis and injuring of scores of people.

As part of the hall week celebration, leaders organized a seminar on entrepreneurship for hall affiliates and other KNUST students to equip them with the needed entrepreneurship skills that would position them to be able to create their own employment opportunities instead of chasing after non - existent ones.

With a population of more than 2000 students, the Unity Hall is the most populated students' hall at the KNUST, and the Unity Hall President Param Gozey assured that leaders of the hall are ready to lead the way in bettering academic standards at the KNUST, and painting a good image for the school both home and abroad.