Sunyani (B/A), Sept. 28, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday expressed satisfaction about the way both private and public tertiary institutions were springing up all over the country. He noted that this was a direct result of proper planning and managerial competence through the use of quality resources based on special expertise, good governance and the creation of an enabling environment for growth and development.

This was contained in an address read for him at the formal handing over of the College of Renewable Natural Resources in Sunyani to the Faculty of Forest Resources Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). The ceremony coincided with the matriculation of 237 students to pursue four-year courses in natural resources, post harvest technology and forest resources technology.

Other courses are diploma in natural resources management and agriculture, with options in animal science, horticulture, crop and soil sciences, agriculture, economics, agric extension and mechanisation. President Kufuor noted with regret that despite government efforts to ensure rapid development of the country, "our detractors would always want to play the role of an ostrich and persistently use frivolous excuses to create pandemonium just to detract us from the path of good governance and managerial competence that we are threading". He said the opening of the faculty would provide a golden opportunity for aspiring students to capitalise on to equip themselves with higher education, which in turn would enhance their capacities for gainful employment.

President Kufuor urged the youth not to relent, but to strive to equip themselves with better education through the numerous facilities that the government continued to provide.

Professor Kwesi Andam, Vice Chancellor of KNUST, said the matriculation ceremony was the second since the University was restructured into six colleges. They are the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Architecture and Planning, College of Art and Social Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Health Sciences and College of Science.

The Vice Chancellor said the Faculty of Forest Resources Technology was under the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He announced that the total student population of the University was 21,000 and that 7,972 out of the 18,166 candidates who applied for admission this year were successful.

Prof. Andam announced that plans were underway for the University to extend the School of Medical Sciences to the Sunyani campus and the University had considered assisting the Brong-Ahafo Regional Hospital to gain the status of a teaching hospital to facilitate the course of training doctors. He cautioned the students against examination malpractices and urged them to be disciplined and help nurture the new faculty.

Professor Dominic Fobih, Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines in a speech read for him explained that human resource development was vital to the government since it helped the nation to manage its resources. He said the forestry sector still remained a pivot for the growth of the economy and expressed the hope that it would help develop entrepreneurs who would avail themselves of the opportunities to set up their own businesses.Prof. Fobih noted that the vision of the faculty in terms of development of entrepreneurship was very consistent with the government's policy of encouraging self-employment in all sectors of the economy, "instead of young graduates with fertile minds chasing non-existent jobs".

In a welcoming address, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, disclosed that a 16 billion cedi hostel was being constructed for the school. He said the project would provide accommodation for 400 students. Mr Baffour-Awuah noted that while the Catholic University had been established at Fiapre, near Sunyani, the Methodist University had proposed to establish its agriculture faculty at Wenchi and the University of Development Studies a campus at Kintampo. He expressed the hope that the existence of all these faculties and campuses would considerably improve education in general and provide opportunities for students, especially in Brong Ahafo to have access to tertiary education.