Accra, Dec. 11, GNA - Professor Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw, Vice-Chancellor, University of Education, Winneba (UEW) on Tuesday said the university's laboratories and workshops lacked the state-of-art equipment to facilitate research work, teaching and learning. He said the authorities were however, making efforts through the GETFUND to equip laboratories on the various campuses. Prof. Asabere-Ameyaw, who was speaking at the third Media encounter in Accra to highlight some of the challenges facing the university, said all the machines were over 50 years old and stressed the need for public and private partnership to resource the laboratories. The University was established in 1992 as a University College of Education to train teachers at all levels and gained its autonomy from the Cape coast University in 2004.

Its vision was to become a pre-eminent teacher education university in Ghana, one of the best in Africa, and a higher institution of learning, recognised worldwide.

UEW currently had a student population of over 23,000 and with about 33 programmes across its five campuses - Mampong, Kumasi and the three at Winneba, in addition to 13 studies centres throughout the country.

Prof. Asabere-Ameyaw mentioned low staff student ratios, inadequate funding, residential accommodation, and cumbersome budgetary and procurement processes, linkages with collaborators as some of the challenges facing the institution.

He said currently only 23 per cent of students were resident on campus, a situation which, he said, was hampering effective learning and called on stakeholders to support the university to realize its vision.

The Vice-Chancellor announced that a number of physical developments were ongoing at the various campuses to improve on its infrastructure.

Prof. Asabere-Ameyaw said the university was initiating innovative programmes such as Sandwich programmes in Pre-School Education, Counselling, Education Administration and Management for non-professional teachers.

Other programmes include IT infrastructure networking and installation of detection system at Osagyefo Library at Winneba and Internet Cafes at all the three campuses.

He said the university had introduced new part-time and sandwich programmes, the production and sale of university souvenirs and paraphernalia as well as an Endowment Fund to generate more funds internally to ensure financial self-sufficiency.

He said the university had resolved to initiate external and internal staff capacity building programmes and target the recruitment of academic and professional staff, improved funding, budgetary and procurement processes as a way forward to improve conditions.

Mr Christopher Y. Akwaa-Mensah, the Registrar, said the university believed in innovation and as a result the Faculty of Science and the Hall of Technology at the Kumasi campus had conducted a research on the use of the Royal Palm Lumber for furniture and flower vast. He said the project was ongoing and urged well-spirited Ghanaians to support the research work to help produce the items in large quantities to enhance the country's revenue opportunities.