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High Attrition Of Lecturers Sunyani Technical University Expresses Worry

The Sunyani Technical University (STU) has expressed concern about the high attrition rate of its faculty members in favour of the traditional universities after they have been sponsored to obtain PhDs through its limited internally generated funds.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah, who expressed this concern, said about five of its sponsored faculty members had left for some of the traditional universities over the past two years.

Speaking at the 13th Congregation of the university in Sunyani on Saturday, he said the only panacea to this canker was to create parity in the conditions of service of the technical university lecturers with that of the traditional universities.

“We are aware that the government is doing all it can to improve the conditions of service of the technical university staff.

“We urge the government to speed up the process and ensure there will be no differentials as far as salaries and allowances are concerned….” he stated.

Statistics

A total of 1,554 graduates were awarded degrees and certificates, including Bachelor of Technology (B-Tech), Higher National Diplomas in Engineering, Applied Science and technology, Applied Arts as well as Business and Management disciplines.

One hundred and sixty out of the total number of graduates had First Class honours, while 791 obtained Second Class Upper with 557 students having Second Class Lower and 47 obtained Pass.

Staff development

Prof Adinkrah-Appiah explained that after the conversion of the institution from polytechnic to technical university, and the subsequent staff audit by the National Council for Technical Education (NCTE), management was undertaking aggressive staff development through its IGF to upgrade the qualification of its faculty members.

“Our ultimate aim is to ensure that at least 50 per cent of all faculty members obtain a terminal degree in the medium term”, he said, explaining that currently a total of 45 faculty members were being sponsored to pursue PhD programmes in various universities in Ghana and abroad.

Free SHS students

On preparation towards admission of the first batch of the Free SHS students, he stated that the university had embarked on the construction of a new 1,000 capacity hostel facility on Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis to ease accommodation problems for the prospective freshers.

He said while the university had already renovated three existing hostels through its IGF to provide decent accommodation for students, some new classrooms had been completed in its ongoing Science Park Project under the auspices of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).

Technical universities mandate

In his address, the Chairman of the STU Council, Dr Kwame Boakye, drew attention to the fact that technical universities were established to use the application of science, technology, engineering and innovation to find practical solutions to the country’s development problems thus requiring of training of students to be practical-oriented.

Source: Daily Graphic

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