Kumasi Poly develops self-reliant programmes
The Kumasi Polytechnic has developed programmes of study aimed at equipping students with the capability of establishing their own businesses after graduation.
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The new approach to courses are part of plans being executed by the polytechnic to enable it to function effectively as a technical university upon take off.
According to the Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. N.N.N. Nsowah-Nuamah, the programmes were carefully chosen to encourage students to come up with ways to mitigate problems that confront developing countries, especially in the area of unemployment.
Inauguration
He announced this at the inauguration of the school’s Centre for Efficient and Renewable Energy at Pease in the Bosomtwe District in the Ashanti Region. The centre was funded by the government through the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) under its Skills Development Programme.
Work on the centre, which began in 2014, comprises four laboratories, a mechanical workshop, a conference room, a classroom, a library, an office for staff and a visitors room.
The rector explained that “the essence of having the centre was to provide a long-term support for local and regional businesses that deliver products and services related to efficient renewable energy”.
He said an entrepreneurship village similar to that of Silicon Valley in Northern California in the United States of America was under construction and would house students undertaking their apprenticeship training.
The polytechnic
The student population of the polytechnic currently stands at 10,021. It runs both tertiary and non-tertiary programmes.
Professor Nsowah-Nuamah said the polytechnic had accreditation to run 11 Bachelor of Technology (B-Tech) programmes, 26 Higher National Diploma (HND) courses and 17 non-tertiary programmes.
He said the school’s staff strength stood at 684 and was made up of 270 teaching and 414 non-teaching staff.
It has one full-fledged professor, seven associate professors and 95 senior lecturers. Furthermore, the polytechnic has 50 doctorate Degree holders (PhD) and about 80 other staff members undertaking PhD programmes in various disciplines.
And out of 1,447 universities and institutions of higher learning in Africa, the Kumasi Polytechnic was ranked 199th in the continent and 67th in West Africa. This followed research publications and citations by the polytechnic over the last five years. And in Ghana, the polytechnic was ranked 6th out of 137 tertiary institutions.
Strategic plans
Prof. Nsowah-Nuamah said the school had developed a five-year strategic plan that would enable it to transit from a polytechnic into a technical university.
It had also developed 27 four-year Bachelor of Technology programmes which were now going through accreditation processes.
He expressed appreciation to President John Mahama for approving the release of a 314 KVA transformer and accessories from the Ministry of Power to support operations at the Centre for Efficient and Renewable Energy of the polytechnic.
