University Of Cape Coast: A Growth Deficient Toddler At Age 55

The University of Cape Coast is a university in Ghana. The university was established in 1962 out of a dire need for highly qualified and skilled manpower in education and was affiliated to the University of Ghana. It was established to train graduate teachers for second cycle institutions such as teacher training colleges and technical institutions, a mission that the two existing universities were unequipped to fulfill. Since its establishment, the university has added to its functions the training of education planners, administrators, agriculturalists and health care professionals. In pursuance of its mission, the university restructured its degree program from BA, BSc and BEd in education to B.A/BSc with non-education content and a BEd, a professional qualification in Education.

The university now offers courses in BA,B.Com, BEd, BSc, LLB, MA, MBA, MCom, MEd,MSc, MPhil, MBChB, OD, and PhD.

The University of Ghana which is the premier and largest University was established in 1948 whereas the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology was established in 1952. These two universities are 14 and 10 years older than the University of Cape Coast respectively. Technology and a whole lot of factors affect change in this 21st century thus making it very difficult to differentiate between a teenager of 14 years and an adult of 24 since body growth in our times is not solely dependent on age but other social, biological and other factors: one could meet a 14 year old girl with bigger hips, breasts and a body comparable to that of a full grown adult whereas on the other side, one could meet an adult of 28 with smaller breasts, hips and a body comparable to that of a teen. My 11 year old cousin and I are a perfect example of such contrasting growth. This is to caution those who will be doing age comparisons between the above mentioned schools in relation to their respective development levels to have a deeper thought and know that age is just a number, the era where we used to say life begins at 40 is no more because even at 25, people have reached the last stage of the Abraham Maslow's growth pyramid. Your age is never an excuse as to why you remain stunted while others grow. Ashesi University, one of the private Universities leading in terms of infrastructure, academics and etc is a very young university yet has reached this height so instead of battling with age differences, let's treat the sick system and acknowledge that we have not been fair to time.

"Nothing in this school has changed in these long years except some few buildings here and there"

" Those at the administration get to sit under air conditions whereas the very students whose monies are used to run the school sit in this heat not to talk of the heat under which lecturers are forced to teach"

"Keep quiet and suffer, we were under this same conditions yet we survived. It is some of these conditions that make the University, a University of Choice"

"I will never allow any of my family members to attend this school after me except a very stubborn child of mine"

"If I had a second chance, I won't be in this school"

"If only my parents could afford, I would have left for another school"

These are some of the disturbing comments you hear from lecturers, students and alumni everyday. To some, things can never change and these difficult situations are what make the University distinct and a University of Choice no wonder some have nicknamed the University, "the University of Constant Confusion " and surprisingly most take pride in this nickname and even shamelessly debate out with colleagues in other schools how these tough conditions make the University better than others. When did discomfort start triumphing over comfort? When did bad become better than good? When did stunted growth start rubbing shoulders with a nourished being? But why am I not surprised? In the minds of most Africans, the tougher the situation, the higher you are likely to get to your destination no wonder a student was reported dead few years back for falling from the roof top of a four storey during prayer sessions with other people getting bitten by snakes and scorpions because they chose a "jungle" as a better place to pray to get heard. Did Jesus Christ, whom Christians follow even do these? This comes back to confirm my statement that most Africans think the tougher the situation, the higher you are likely to get to your destination. Why then are we still not grabbing all the awards and rankings but staring sadly as others in comfort grab? We need a repositioning of our minds on certain things to appreciate the fact that, discomfort can never be better than comfort same as darkness can never be better than light.

Several years have passed yet same structures stand in the University with few other structures joining in. Students always rant that they pay higher fees than colleagues in other public universities yet are placed in the worst conditions. In an era where other universities are building more lecture theatres to correspond with the growing number of students in the University, a contrasting view is seen in the University where students outnumber lecture theatres with people sitting on window edges during lecture halls and others standing. It wouldn't have been so bad if the lecture halls were properly ventilated: students sit under motionless fans with both lectures and students sweating profusely. How well can a student digest what she's being taught under such a condition and how well can a lecturer teach when he has to break intermittently to wipe his face till class ends? Imagine lecturing or sitting in such a large class with motionless fans.

As far back in primary, JHS and even SHS, we weren't so worried when lights went out because we had plants that could be powered to facilitate a good learning environment. It's a bit different in the University of Cape Coast where students have to move from one lecture room to another trying to find which of them has light to learn? Is this what a University environment is supposed to be? What we only see daily are people who come in shirts and ties to mark the attendance of lecturers to lectures yet fans still remain motionless even after they've been reported to be malfunctioning. What we see daily is an SRC who make promises during campaign to help prevent some of these situations including dawn quizzes and etc but come back to weep with students about how hard they have being trying to change the unchangeable. If leadership was about try and errors then the microphone tester would be the best leader. We see buildings being put up daily to serve as offices for departments and a new administration yet the very students whom the University should be much concerned about have little lecture halls. Who should be the utmost priority here?

Students who live far off the University due to the fact that there are few hostels in campus which are very expensive have to be forced to battle with thieves who rob them daily with some getting raped. They are then forced to sing the same chorus of some alumni,

"It has always being like this and will always be, Chinese conditions make it The University of Choice"

When did it become wrong to attend a University especially when other universities cannot accommodate everyone. The faces of the students shone with smiles when one of their own senior lecturers, Mrs. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang was appointed the Minister of Education under the Mahama led NDC administration. They thought their woes were over and that their cries have been heard yet their faces have dropped below its original position even after the tenure of her appointment. They only look on with hope that things will change but know that, HOPE NEVER BROUGHT CHANGE, ACTION DID.

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