The 13th Congregation Ceremony of the Bolgatanga Technical University saw the university graduate 676 students.
Out of the figure, 389 are males, while 287 are females, with 291 being Bachelor of Technology graduates, 319 being Higher National Diploma graduates, 59 being Diploma graduates, and 7 being CBT graduates. In all, 113 obtained 1st Class, out of which 37 are females.
This comes at a time when the authorities of the university remain worried about the challenge of low enrollment, which suggests low internally generated funds.
To introduce new programs including Master of Technology programme in Hospitality Management, MSc in Management Studies, MSc in Marketing and Communication Studies MSc in Accounting, MSc in Financial Engineering, as well as PhD Programmes within the School of Agriculture, the leadership of the university says there is the need to recruit more personnel to meet the growing needs of the institution as they appeal for clearance to employ.
In his progress report, the Vice Chancellor of the Bolgatanga Technical University, Prof. Samuel Erasmus Alnaa, appealed for financial clearance to improve the staff strength and for support to embark on a drive to improve infrastructure in the university.
” While management is doing everything possible within their capacity to improvise for students to have lectures comfortably, we also urge the government to quickly move in to construct lecture halls for the university. This request has been on the drawing board since 2017, and still, this very important project is yet to see the light of day.
Unfortunately, this project has still not been given any financial allocation to get it constructed. We plead with the government to come to the aid of Bolgatanga Technical University, as the lecture hall situation is very disturbing.”
He also made a case for more investment in TVET education since that has the potential to help in the country’s industrialization agenda.
“If we want the TVET sector, particularly the Technical Universities, to be the pathfinders of Ghana’s industrialization drive, then the government should, as a matter of deliberate agenda, provide the needed equipment, infrastructure, and financing for the TVET sector. This will enable the sector to put its actions together and provide the skills development for our youth to be more functional in this modern and complex technological world we find ourselves in.”
Prof. Alnaa urged graduands to persevere and remain resilient and strive for excellence, as he expressed gratitude to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) and the Ghana Tertiary Education Council (GTEC) for their support in the past.
“My dear graduands, I extend to you my heartfelt felicitations, once again for your perseverance during your academic journey at BTU. This is the university that trains you to become self-reliant and ready to face the challenging world head-on. I am extremely happy that you have been able to weather the storm to the end of our collective journey, for which you are being decorated with academic awards today. As you go out into the world of work, I challenge you to persevere and remain resilient. Use your entrepreneurial skills and training to face your difficulties head-on.” He admonished.
Taking his turn to address the gathering, the Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugri Atanga, lauded the University for its Contribution to the development of the region.
