Kumasi, Feb. 7, GNA- The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Council has authorised the review of the University Statutes to allow for the restructuring of the academic units of the University into six colleges.

This followed the proposals by Professor Kwesi Andam, the Vice-Chancellor for the qualitative improvement of the management of the University and its programmes.

This was announced by Emeritus Professor F.A. Kufuor, Chairman of the Council at the 37th Congregation of the University in Kumasi on Saturday.

A total of 2,432 graduates were honoured with degrees and diplomas with 95 of them obtaining first class.

The Colleges to be headed by Provosts who will be assisted by Deans are the College of Engineering, Health Services, Science, Architecture and Planning, Art and Social Sciences, Agriculture and Natural Resources. Professor Kufuor said the restructuring was to merge the academic units into compact colleges to enhance efficiency in the management of those units through effective supervision and the judicious sharing of resources.

The Chairman of the KNUST Council said there was in addition, a corresponding restructuring of the administrative machinery of the University to enable the various units in the University administration to cope with the challenges that would be posed by the creation of the new colleges.

He said the Council was optimistic that the restructuring would be completed by the end of this academic year to enable the new statutes to be promulgated to give legal effect to the new changes envisaged in August this year when the 2004/2005 academic year begins.

Professor Kufuor appealed to government to address the problem of inadequate staffing of academic and administrative units due to the inability of the Universities in Ghana to attract and retain staff. He expressed appreciation to government for the efforts in the recent salary negotiations with the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) but urged government to continue to help make jobs at the universities attractive to professionals and experts in the various disciplines.

"This is one of the surest ways in overcoming the shortage and the ageing profile of the university lecturers and non-teaching professionals in the various sectors of the university administration in the country", he said.

Professor Kwesi Andam Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST said a new Faculty of Law approved by the University Council last year would be opened on March 3, this year. He said 45 students from the Senior Secondary School (SSS) and 12 students for the first-degree holders would be admitted during the 2003/2004 academic year, adding " the establishment of the Faculty is to enrich life in the university".