The Quality Assurance and Planning Unit of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, KNUST has organised a one-day workshop for some selected staff of the University. A one-day workshop was organised for senior staff of the University while senior members were schooled for a week.

The one-day workshop which is the first of its kind for senior staff of the University formed part of the second Summer School under the theme “Raising the Standards for 21st Century University Education”.

Professor William Otoo Ellis, the Vice-Chancellor, in his opening address stated that the need to maintain efficiency in the modern globalised world has resulted in almost every aspect of man’s life being characterised by the maintenance of quality and the need to build on existing standards.

He said KNUST as the only Science and Technology University in Ghana is obliged to train competent graduates with the requisite skills to help solve the numerous problems confronting industry in Ghana. To fulfill its vision of “advancing science and technology for sustainable development in Ghana and Africa”, management always resolves to improve teaching, learning, research and service delivery.

Prof. Ellis said it was the University’s recognition of the importance of raising standards and assuring quality that the Planning Unit was restructured to incorporate the culture of excellence and to continuously raise standards.

He said the restructuring brought about the Quality Assurance and Planning Unit (QAPU) with the goal of systematically designing programmes and mechanisms to improve quality in KNUST. He also used the occasion to appeal to stakeholders in education to take pragmatic steps to ensure quality in private universities in Ghana.

The head of the Quality Assurance and Planning Unit (QAPU), Professor Nii Odai, hoped that at the end of the Summer School, staff would have upgraded themselves for better output in the coming years. He said the programme which started last year with a few Senior Members of the University has been expanded to include other staff in line with the Vice-Chancellor’s vision of ensuring total quality management and output in the University.

Ms. Safoa Osei of the Ghana Standards Authority, the resource person for the event, took both senior members and senior staff through “Quality management systems and management and implementation in relation to the ISO9000 and ISO2008”.

At the end of the programme participants discussed certified standards in relation to their work and how they could effectively apply them to improve the quality of service. Participants came up with suggestions for the University management which is expected to be published in a communiqué to be issued at the end of the School.