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11.10.2013 Education

University of Energy introduces new courses

By Daily Graphic
University of Energy introduces new courses
11.10.2013 LISTEN

The newly established University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo regional capital, has added new programmes to its curriculum this academic year.

They are the School of Engineering, where the students would undertake B.Sc Electrical and Electronic Engineering, B.Sc Mechanical Engineering, B.Sc Renewable Energy Engineering and B.Sc Environmental Engineering.

The new School of Science will run two programmes in the areas of B.Sc Mathematics and B.Sc Computer Science, while in the case of the School of Natural Resources, the programmes involved are B.Sc Forest Resource Management, B.Sc Wildlife and Range Management, B.Sc Wood Science, B.Sc Ecotourism and  B.Sc Land Reclamation and Restoration.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor of UENR,  Prof. Daniel Obeng-Ofori, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Sunyani, indicated that students who were admitted last year undertook only three programmes, namely, Renewable Energy, Forest Resource Management and Wildlife Management.

New programmes
He gave the assurance that some other new programmes would be introduced next academic year in the areas of Computer Engineering, Information Technology (IT), Actuarial Science, Petro-chemical Engineering, Statistics and Agriculture disciplines.

For the agriculture programmes, the Pro Vice-Chancellor explained that they would be run at the Dormaa Campus of the UENR,  where some structures had been identified for the start of those programmes before actual infrastructural development would take place.

One significant innovation for this year's programme, according to the Pro Vice-Chancellor, was the introduction of French into the school's curriculum, a compulsory course for all students to be studied from level 100 through to the third year.

He explained that the move was to make products from the university more competitive in the job market, and said in future, the authorities would introduce Bachelor of Arts (BA) in French.

He said registration and orientation processes were completed on September 25, 2013 which paved way for lectures to begin on October 2, 2013.

The UENR, a public institution, was established by an Act of Parliament, Act 830 in December,  2011 to provide training in leadership and management of energy and natural resources.

Two projects
Prof. Obeng-Ofori explained that the contract had been awarded for the construction of two projects,  namely, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) laboratory and a library complex, as well as lecture halls and laboratories which would enable the authorities to offer admission to more students next year.

He, further, indicated that for the last academic year and the current intake, all the students who wanted residential accommodation on campus had no problem, while those who were not interested had the option to stay at their preferred choices to attend lectures.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor advised parents and guardians, especially those in the Brong Ahafo Region, to encourage their children and wards to apply for admission into the UENR and not to wait until the last minute before rushing to seek admission.

He used the occasion to appeal to the contractors working on their respective projects on the campus to expedite action and execute the work according to the terms of the contract to enable the university admit more students in future.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor also urged all well-meaning Ghanaians to offer their support, in whatever small way, to the effective running of the new university to ensure its sustainability and progress, saying that the government alone could not bear the brunt, especially with regard to the seeming precarious economic challenges that is confronting the country.

By Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah/Daily Graphic/Ghana

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