The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah has indicated that University is making adequate preparations to increase enrolment for the 2020/2021 academic year in anticipation of the expected high numbers of products from Senior High Schools (SHS) as a result of the implementation of the Free SHS Policy.
Prof. Ampiah however, noted that the University would urgently need government’s financial support to complete three out of the 11 uncompleted projects on campus being funded by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) in order to fully achieve this objective. The projects are the School of Medical Sciences Lecture Theatres at the Amonoo-Kuofi Medical Village, School of Business Complex and the Science Annex Complex.
The Vice-Chancellor made these statements when the Minister of State in-charge of Tertiary Education, Prof. Kwesi Yankah, paid a working visit to learn at first-hand efforts the University was making to receive the pioneer graduates of the FSHS policy.
Briefing the Minister, the Vice-Chancellor said the University through its Internally Generated Fund (IGF) has almost completed the construction of a 23-number lecture theatre complex with capacity for 4,600 and another 25 number lecture complex which can take 5,000 students. He said the University was working towards completing lecture hall facilities of the College of Distance Education (CoDE) in Ashanti, Greater Accra, Upper East, and Upper West Regions to meet the needs of students who would enrol through the distance mode.
“We plan to use the CoDE facilities in Accra to run regular programmes in addition to distance so we are going to create a library and provide other facilities to ease the pressure on our main campus in Cape Coast,” he added. Prof. Ampiah appealed to the Minister to help address accommodation challenges since the halls of residence on campus could only accommodate 8,000 out of about 25, 000 regular students.
In his response, Prof. Yankah commended UCC for utilising its IGF to complete some projects on campus to offset the huge infrastructure deficit. “This initiative represents vision with extraordinary expectation and I cherish such initiatives which are independent of government’s plans,” he added. He was confident that UCC would be able to meet the expected high enrolment numbers from the Senior High Schools.
Prof. Yankah assured that the government would support the University for work to begin on the three key projects before the commencement of the next academic year to ease pressure on the limited lecture halls on campus.
The Vice-Chancellor and members of Management of the University accompanied the Minister to inspect ongoing and stalled projects on campus.
Present at the meeting were the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh; Registrar, Mr. John K. Nyan; Provost, College of Distance Education, Prof. Isaac K. A. Galyuon; Provost, College of Health and Allied Sciences, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong; Provost College of Education Studies, Prof. Ernest K. Davis; Provost, College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Prof. Francis E. Amuquandoh and Provost, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Prof. Moses Jojo Eghan. Others were the Director of Academic Affairs, Mr. Jeff Onyame; Director, Directorate of Physical Development and Estate Management, Mr. Philip Ntim and Ag. Director of Public Affairs, Major Kofi Baah Bentum (Retd).