Fresh students from Tamale, Wa and Bolgatanga which make up the Northern Sector of KNUST’s Institute of Distance Learning (IDL) were formally admitted into Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) through a matriculation ceremony held on 2nd November 2013 at the Ghana Institute of Linguistic Literacy and Bible Translation (GILLBT) in Tamale. This short but impressive ceremony marked their formal acceptance as bonafide students of KNUST and as junior members in statu pupillari.
Speaking at the ceremony, Professor William Otoo Ellis, the Vice Chancellor of KNUST, congratulated the students for gaining admission to KNUST though the admission exercise was hectic and highly competitive due to the large number of applications received. He mentioned that the total number of matriculants were one hundred and ninety–two (192) out of which sixty (60) were undergraduate students and one hundred and thirty-two (132) were postgraduates students.
He noted that KNUST was admitting candidates into the KNUST-Zoomlion Institute of Sanitation and Waste Management (KISWAM), an affiliate campus at the Zoomlion premises at Adjiriganom near East Legon. Beside the KISWAM programme, top-up programmes in 12 undergraduate disciplines as well as five postgraduate programmes via the distance learning mode is currently on-going.
He was delighted that the E-Learning Centre was currently running four postgraduate programmes on the E-Learning online platform with facilitated face-to-face sessions to ensure effective learning. He added that it was envisaged that an additional Video Conferencing facility which was being put up would be completed soon to ensure the smooth running of online lectures.
The VC explained that as part of this year’s package for admissions, certain initiatives were put in place to provide a stress-free environment for candidates. For instance, payments for parallel programmes and hall accommodation were done online to help eliminate impersonation and late registration. Biometric registrations as well as uploading of courses were done online to ensure a smooth registration process. In addition, SMS and Special voice bundle services were initiated this academic year to offer interactive and real time communication among students and staff.
In a word of advice, the Vice Chancellor reminded students of their responsibilities. He explained that their actions and inactions could either promote the institution positively or negatively and encouraged them to stay focused on their studies and to manage their time effectively. He urged the students to make judicious use of the structures that had been made available to them on campus which would help to improve their academic, spiritual and social life. He also advised them to keep abreast of issues on campus by frequently visiting the University’s Website. In addition students were also advised to be guided by the core values of the university which are Leadership in Innovation and Technology, a Culture of Excellence, Diversity and Equal Opportunity for all, and Integrity and Stewardship of Resources.
Finally, he said the Institute had acquired a parcel of land to commence a project in Tamale and added that IDL hoped to establish a learning centre and an administrative office in each of the regional capitals to ensure efficient and satisfactory services to their cherished students.
