The Bolgatanga Technical University in the Upper East Region has inaugurated an eight-member strategic development planning committee to develop a 10-year long-term strategic framework and policy document for the University.
The Polytechnic, before its conversion into a Technical University in 2020, suffered a lot of challenges in terms of students enrolling due to its polytechnic status. Most students from the Upper East Region had to abandon the school for Tamale Technical University as well other universities.
However, speaking to the Vice Chancellor of the Bolgatanga Technical University during the inauguration of an eight member planning committee in the University’s campus in Sumbrunu, Prof Sauel Erasmus Alnaa said enrollment in the school has increased after it’s conversions in 2020
“ Last year, we enrolled about 574 students and this year 2021, we have enrolled about 757 students; so it means we have gone up about 200 students more even though this has been our first enrollment after the conversion. I want to believe that the message has not trickled down for people to be aware that we are now Technical University” he noted.
The eight member committee chaired by Professor Theophilus Azungah, Dean of School of Business and Management Studies, Professor Daniel Oppong Sekyere, Dean of School of Applied Sciences and Arts member, Dr Edward Naabil, Dean of School of Engineering member ,Bosco Azigwe, Acting Director, Quality Assurance also a member.
The rest of the committee are Mr Richard A. Atia, Deputy Registrar, Mr Sebastian Ayaaba, Director of Information and Communication Technology, Mr Clement Onmeba, Assistant Registrar and Mr Tom Mboya Asigri, Acting Director of Works and Physical Planning.
The committee has been task to provide guidance and direction to the University for creative interventions to be implemented towards achieving a vision of meeting international standard and producing problems solving oriented graduates.
The strategic plan would act as a transformational working document of the University, which would seek to identify the challenges of the institution and chat innovative and practical ways to address them for accelerated growth that meets the needs of societal problems of the school to speed up or break the development gap for the Bolgatanga Technical University to catch up with its colleges and universities.
“We do not want to be looked down again as a young institution, at least, after 10 years, we want to be meeting international standards of best practices and rubbing shoulders with some of the international institutions and so the growth must be very fast and the policy document would give us a sense of direction, Here(In Bolgatanga Technical University)we are giving hands-on training to be able to meet industrial needs and so we are envisaging that in the nearest future, our graduates would be the preferred choice in the field of work and also be a University where graduates from the traditional universities will come for practical training,” Prof Samuel Erasmus Alnaa added.
Professor Alnaa also indicated that the Committee would work to identify and propose transformation measures to address the infrastructure, human resource development, finance as well as quality research and ,tuition challenges confronting the university that would propel accelerated development.
Speaking to Word news, Professor Azungah, who was the Chairperson of the same Committee 5-years, on behalf of his colleague members expressed gratitude to the board and management of the University for the confidence imposed in them and indicated their commitment to producing a quality plan for the fast growth of the University on to meet their taget
Gaspard Ayuureneeya/mywordfmonline.com