Regional News of Saturday, 13 July 2013

Source: GNA

Ghana Technology University enters Volta Region

The Ghana Technology University College (GTUC) has become the third and latest university to come to the Volta Region in a space of five years.

The University led by its President, Dr Osei Darkwa, organised an Open House at its Vodafone Regional Office campus between the Ho Municipal Hospital and Ghana Post last Thursday to announce its presence and interact with the public.

The GTUC will from September 2013 join the Evangelical Presbyterian University College (EPUC) (private) 2008, University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) (public) 2012 to bring university education nearer to the people of the Volta Region.

This brings to four the number of tertiary institutions in the region, the first being the Ho Polytechnic in 1993.

The people of the Volta Region had longed for universities to be established in the region to enable many of its young people to access higher education in the region.

Dr Darkwa observed that “Ho is an emerging and fast growing city and our projection is that the city and the region will continue to see marked development and expansion in all areas”.

He added that they must also benefit from “programmes that are relevant and strategic to the needs of an emerging city. The Volta Region must not be left out of the ICT revolution”.

The GTUC’s undergraduate degree programmes include Informatics, Telecom Engineering and Information Technology Business with top up options in all undergraduate programmes for Polytechnic students and Diploma holders.

The College also runs industry relevant Masters programmes in Engineering and Project Management, Engineering and Management, Supply Chain Management, Oil and Gas Management, Management Information System, Aviation Management.

The rest are Telematics, Telecom Engineering, Information Technology, Telecom Management, Finance and International Trade.

Its PHD programmes include Information Communication Technology Management, Information Technology, Telecom Engineering and Business Administration.

The GTUC also “runs two months accelerated certificate programmes in Information Technology (IT) Multimedia and Engineering for Junior High School and Senior High School students as well as self starters.”

Dr Darkwa said the GTUC operated an open admission system and conducted face-to face lectures and online lectures to enable many people to access university education.

He said there was also a scholarship scheme available to continuing students whose performances marked them out as potential first class students.

“Graduates of GTUC have theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience that equip them for successful career in the telecommunications, business and ICT industries,” Dr Darkwa said.

The GTUC is affiliated to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and is in partnership with the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Korea Institute of Technology (KAIST), Coventry University, U.K, Aalborg University Denmark, University of Hertfordshire, UK, Wildau University, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Germany among others.

Dr Darkwa explained that though the GTUC’s Masters programmes were limited to those who attained first class, second class upper and second lower, there was a bridging programme for those with third class to be able to pursue Masters programmes.