Kumasi, Dec. 08, GNA - College of Technology Education of the University of Education (UEW) Winneba, (Kumasi Campus) is to introduce a four-year Business Education in Vocational and Technical Education and Masters of Philosophy in Technology Education next academic year. In addition, arrangements are far advanced for UEW in collaboration with Lulea University of Sweden to begin Master of Science in Commerce and Marketing Programme.

Professor Jophus Anamoah-Mensah, Vice-Chancellor of UEW announced this at the second congregation of the Kumasi Campus in Kumasi on Friday.

In all 979 graduands made up of 526 in Business Education and 453 in Certificate of Education received their certificates. He said the College would continue to expand its academic programmes to produce quality manpower needs for the socio-economic development of the country.

Professor Anamoah-Mensah said this year, the University introduced an Open and Distance Learning segments into its programmes with a two year post Diploma Business Education Programme in Technical Education through Distance Learning.

He said since the inception of the University in 1996, a total of 7,365 degree, diploma and certificate teachers had graduated and teaching in various pre-tertiary institutions in the country. The Vice-Chancellor noted that the College had great potential to bring innovations into business and industries with ideas and designs to promote accelerated development but lack of funding had been a major constraint in its research findings.

He therefore; called on stakeholders including public and private industries and businesses to support the University with financial resources for research.

Professor Anamoah-Mensah noted that a major challenge facing the University was dwindling funding and increasing student enrolment and appealed to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) to provide more funding for the College of Technology Education and College of Agriculture Education.

He congratulated the graduands and asked them to accept postings to rural areas to help bring revolutionary and transformation into teaching in schools.

Dr Steve Sobotie, Principal of Kumasi Campus of UEW announced that Ashanti Regional Survey Department had identified all illegal structures on the university lands and Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly(KMA) had given the encroachers 21 days to quit or face demolition. He commended Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for his intervention to resolve land disputes in the area and was optimistic it would enable the university to acquire enough land for expansion and development programmes. Dr Mrs Margaret Elizabeth Nkrumah, an Educationist and Principal of SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College in Accra was awarded an honorary degree by UEW for her immense contributions towards the development of education in Ghana. She was presented with a Certificate and a Citation.