KNUST to encourage more females to study engineering
The College of Engineering of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is to review the entry requirement for prospective female students desiring to pursue courses in engineering because the female to male ratio keeps dropping.
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The college is partnering the Academic Board to improve on the situation since females are regarded to be more meticulous in the discharge of their duties.
The Provost of the college, Professor Mark Adom-Asamoah, said the percentage of female enrolment in relation to engineering courses was one of the lowest, compared to other academic programmes at the university.
He made this known at the “Fifth Students and Industrial Partners Awards” in Kumasi, where 230 engineering students with various innovative achievements were honoured.
Award categories
The main award categories were excellent students, best students, special students and most improved students’ categories.
The recipients of the awards included 29 industries for their immense contribution to engineering education.
Prizes presented to the award-winners included plaques, certificates and cash ranging from GH¢500 to GH¢5,000.
Prof. Adom-Asamoah said the situation was discouraging, as the country was striving to enhance development through science and technology.
He announced that as part of the measures to encourage females to study engineering, some award schemes were to be introduced for female students who excelled.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. Rev. Charles Ansah, for his part, said engineering had been the flagship programme of the university and all efforts should be made to maintain that.
Females in engineering
He said the objective to promote females in engineering was in tandem with the vision of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kwasi Obiri-Danso, to increase female enrolment at all levels of engineering.
The award scheme, which was started in 2012, is to recognise the hard work of both students and industrial partners of the college.
Two former deans of the KNUST School of Engineering — Prof. F.O. Kwami and Prof. K.A. Andam are to be honoured posthumously next year in a special convocation.
The two who were also past vice-chancellors of the university were instrumental in advancing the cause of engineering education and training at KNUST, having also led many research projects to help the country.
