KNUST Sunyani Campus To Be Nucleus In Establishment Of University Of Energy And Natural Resources

The government has cleared a major hurdle of establishing the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), with the management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) agreeing to release its Sunyani campus to serve as the nucleus of the new university.

Besides, the KNUST had agreed to release all other facilities on the campus, which used to be the Faculty of Forest Resource Management, for the UENR, and also mentor it to have a firm grounding as a fully-fledged university.

This followed the completion of negotiations between the management of the KNUST and government on the use of the campus as the nerve centre of the new university.

Prof William Otoo Ellis, the Vice Chancellor of KNUST, who disclosed this at the last of eight sessions of the 45th congregation of the university at the Great Hall last Saturday said a grand formal handing over ceremony was in line.

The congregation saw 537post graduate students passing out with masters and doctorate degrees. Among them was Daniel Owusu Ansah, a staff of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation who was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Historical Studies.

Prof Ellis touched on the new educational reform, which reverted the duration of the Senior High School (SHS) from four to three years and said to make sure that fresh graduates of the SHS got admission to Level 100 at the KNUST, management had deliberately readjusted its academic calendar by postponing the reopening date for freshers.

According to the VC, the arrangement would also ensure that the challenges the university would face in the 2013 academic year when two batches of SHS students would pass out were addressed.

The vice chancellor however indicated that the new arrangement would be contingent on the West Africa Examinations Council releasing the West African Secondary Schools Certificate Examinations by August this year.

He however stated that the academic calendar for continuing students would not change.

In an address, the Minister of Education, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, commended the management of KNUST for agreeing to government's request by releasing the Sunyani campus of the university for the UENR.

As a sign of gratitude, the minister said the government would consider the KNUST request for assistance to relocate the Sunyani Faculty of KNUST to the main campus in Kumasi.

Stressing the importance of higher education to national development, the minister re-emphasised the government's commitment to doing everything within its means to open up access.

In that regard, she said the government was ready to partner other stakeholders to promote quality education especially in science and technology.

Mrs Mould-Iddrisu, welcomed moves by the Vice Chancellors' Group to set up a Commission for higher Education and Research as well as proposals for the establishment of a foundation for research and development with the view to addressing issues on research for not only the universities but also other tertiary institutions.

The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who is the Chancellor of KNUST, disclosed that the KNUST was in the process of establishing the Accra campus as well as the Kumasi City campus as a way of opening its doors wider to the people.