The Students Representative Council (SRC) of the Ghana School of Survey and Mapping (GSSM) on Thursday marked the 5th SRC week celebration on the theme: ‘The Relevance of a Surveyor in National Development.”

Mr Mike Hammah, Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, in a speech read on his behalf noted that surveyors play paramount roles in the developmental agenda of every nation to enhance socio-economic development.

“The service of professional land surveyors is required at all stages in the life cycle of development projects,” he stressed.

Mr Hammah said surveyors assist the law courts by carrying out boundary surveys of individual claims for the preparation of composite plans and also help to interpret these plans for the proper resolution of land disputes by giving evidence.

He said the land administration project which was launched in 2003, to introduce reforms in the land administration in Ghana, collaborated with the Survey and Mapping Division of the Lands Commission to establish the Geodetic Reference Network to enable Ghana harness the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) as a suitable alternative framework for the War Office and CLARK 1880.

Mr Hammah notes that, government under the Shared Growth Development Agenda was committed to developing an environment to accelerate the development of the private sector as a vehicle to provide employment and reduce poverty levels nationwide.

He said the vision calls for the surveying profession to effectively equip and position itself to support and facilitate the implementation of the agenda.

“ It is critical for this school to rise up to the challenge by providing an enabling environment to train the right calibre of surveyors to assist in the implementation of this agenda.”

Mr Hammah announce that, his sector ministry has approved GH? 100,000 for Information Communication Technology and computerisation of essential training equipment to the school in line with modern surveying and mapping.

Mr Mohammed Baidoo, Principal of the GSSM said the colonial administration established the Ghana Survey School and the Cartographic Training School, that has emerged to form the GSSM for the training of middle level manpower for the survey and mapping industry.

He said the school, was training staff for the land sector agencies, Ghana Armed Forces, Cocoa Board, Ghana Police Service, National Disaster Management Organisation and the private sector.

Mr Baidoo said the school was accredited by the National Accreditation Board to run a three year Higher National Diploma programme in surveying and mapping and is affiliated to the National Board for Professional and Technician Examination and recognised by the Ghana Institute of surveyors as Survey and Mapping Training Institute.

He said the exposure of current trainees to certain relevant courses as Global Positioning System Photogrametry and remote sensing , ICT, Hydro Surveying and Technical Management and Entrepreneurship was what makes the schools graduate’s excel favourably on the job market.

The President of the SRC Mr Abraham Amoah said, the council was faced with countless problems and challenges because of lack of resources.

He noted that discipline, transparency, teamwork, perseverance and hard work; and love for Ghana was some of the traits members had brought on board.

Mr Amoah appealed to his fellow students to say no to any wrong doing before, during and after the coming December Elections. **