Kumasi, Sept 2, GNA-The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) has allocated a total of 2.5 billion cedis for a period of one year in support of the start of doctorate degree programme at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

Mr Fosuaba A. Mensah Banahene, Administrator of the GETFund, who announced this, said the amount was part of the GETFund's allocation for research activities in 2004 and training of graduates as lecturers. He said this at the inauguration of a scheme initiated by the KNUST with assistance from the GETFund for Phd. programmes at the university.

About 60 students were initiated at a ceremony to commence a three-year doctorate study programmes in science and technology. Mr Banahene said apart from that programme, the GETFund had also allocated 50.44 billion cedis to KNUST including the School of Medical Sciences and the University School of Mines in support of their various programmes and projects.

He said it was the objective of the Board of Trustees of the fund to help upgrade the facilities at KNUST so that students, faculty members, administrators and all sections of the university would feel comfortable with their official duties.

He gave the assurance that from next year, the GETFund board would increase funding to the scholarship secretariat through the National Council for Tertiary Education in support of post-graduate studies. Professor Kwesi Andam, Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, said with the assistance from GETFund, the university had put in place all the necessary measures to pursue the Phd. programme.

Professor Andam said after the award of the doctorate degrees, the students would be required to serve the university for two years in place of retired lecturers.

The Vice-Chancellor said: "this innovative scheme by KNUST will simultaneously arrest the brain drain problem and also provide capacity for our programmes on campus".

Professor Andam made it clear that the Phd. programme had been designed to tackle problems of industry and to improve upon the living standards of Ghanaians.

The GETFund Administrator later presented a cheque for 162 million cedis for the upkeep of the students for the next three months. Each student would receive 1.5 million cedis monthly.