Kumasi, June 26, GNA - The Council of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), on Saturday honoured Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, for his dedicated services to the University. The occasion was also to wish the Asantehene, who is Chancellor of the university, a happy 60th birthday anniversary. This was at the 44th congregation of the university in Kumasi, at which 420 students graduated from the School of Research and Graduate Studies. This brings to about 7,000 students, who graduated during the six-day congregation.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu was presented with a plaque and citation by Mr. Yebo Okrah, Registrar of the University, which read in part "the University Council, Management and Academic Board gracefully present to you this citation in recognition of your sterling leadership and dedicated cause to the KNUST.

"You have contributed immensely to building the university into one of the centre of excellence of learning and on the occasion of your 60th birthday, we deem it fit to honour you for your commitment." Otumfuo Osei Tutu said that the University, which was established to lead Ghana's industrialization, science and technological advancement, would not lose focus in the desire to achieve its mandate. He said that commemoration of the 60th anniversary of KNUST in November, next year, would be used to review the collegiate system adopted by the university six years ago.

The Asantehene said "Through such review, we would be able to determine whether or not the system as envisioned had lived up to expectation of the university's mandate within the changing dynamics in the 21st century higher and international education".

Otumfuo Osei Tutu noted that the collegiate provided the impetus and the needed platform for the proper harnessing, mobilization and utilization of available critical resources for cost-effective, efficient and purposeful science and technology education towards national development. He said university education the world over was an expensive enterprise both in terms of access and delivery and called on individuals and organisations to invest in higher education to improve on infrastructure and motivate staff to enhance teaching and learning. Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, out-going Vice-Chancellor, called on the graduates to work hard to bring their skills and knowledge to bear on the nation's development.