Wa, Oct. 3, GNA - The University for Development Studies (UDS) has banned all tribal associations in its campuses with immediate effect, Professor John Kaburise, the Vice Chancellor, announced at Wa on Saturday.

He said the ban was in response to a request by the student leadership to the University authorities to prevent such associations from operating on the campuses in order to create a congenial atmosphere for academic work.

However, groupings formed on regional basis are exempted from the ban, he stated.

Prof Kaburise announced this at the 13th Matriculation of the University at the Wa campus, which is home to the Faculty of Integrated Development Studies (IDS). He said out of a total of 3,780 candidates who qualified for admission into the University, only 1,923 representing 50.9 percent were taken adding that there was an increase of 35.6 percent over last year's intake.

About 800 fresh students admitted for the IDS programme were initiated into the UDS at the ceremony. Prof Kaburise said the UDS had de-linked student's residential status from its admission procedures in order to give access to a greater number of students.

The fast growing number of non-residential students, especially in the Wa campus, should spur private estate developers to build residential facilities at the various campuses of the UDS to ease the accommodation problems facing the students, the Vice Chancellor stated. He announced that the University had sourced 200,000 dollars from the World Bank's Public sector support programme to support its third trimester programme.

Under the programme, which is a core component of the University's curriculum, students would spend six to eight weeks annually in rural communities where they live and help them to identify and find solutions to their problems.

He appealed to the Government, District assemblies Non- Governmental Organizations to help sustain the programme with funds to support the fieldwork.

Prof Kaburise said that the student numbers were outgrowing the infrastructure available in the UDS and appealed to the GETFund to give it special attention.

He observed that projects on the permanent campus at Wa were progressing at a less desirable pace because of a combination of limited funding and the attitude of some of the contractors. He commended the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Ambrose Dery, for showing keen interest in the development of the institution. Addressing the ceremony, Mr Dery advised the students to use the practical field training to fashion appropriate solutions to problems faced by the communities.

"Fashion out Ghanaian solutions for Ghanaian problems and take away the mindset of dependence through the training you are receiving".