Make technical universities more relevant – Prof. Kuupole
A former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Professor Domwini D. Kuupole, Wednesday, called on government to invest in technical related disciplines to make technical universities more relevant to the demands of the 21st Century.
He pointed out that technical education was an essential driver of economic and social development for Ghana, and that required a strong research-base not only for the country’s economic strategy but also to determine its capacity to attain the Sustainable Development Goals.
Professor Kuupole was speaking at the Third Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Lectures of the Ho Technical University on Wednesday.
The lecture was on the theme: Implications of the Triplex Model for Technical Universities in Ghana: Fulfilling the University’s Third Mission.
The Triple Helix Model is an interaction of university, industry and government, which generates an innovation system format that highlights the key new sources of novelty and the dynamics of their interaction.
Professor Kuupole who was the guest speaker said that the country’s technical universities needed professional and well-trained teaching staff and innovative curricula for the successful provision of socially responsive education.
A fellow of the Association Des Palmes Academiques- France, Professor Kuupole noted that the existing technical universities lacked adequate facilities and equipment for training the students.
Furthermore, he said that both the academic and non-academic staffs in the technical universities were not enough while the majority of them had shortfalls in professional and practical experience.
According to him, some of them have not had any emersion in industry to enrich their skills and, therefore, finding it difficult to deliver or make the necessary impact as far as acquisition of practical skills is concerned”.
Above all, the guest speaker noted that there was apathy on the campuses because staff members were not sufficiently remunerated for work done outside their normal schedules.
He expressed concern over ineffective training structures in the technical universities and stated that there were inadequate large-scale industries and businesses readily available in Ghana, yet too many students were released for internship against the few businesses.
Worse still, Professor Kuupole noted that the time for industrial attachment for students (June – July) was relatively too short and the interns hardly benefitted from any guidance and counselling of any preceptors during attachment in industry.
He insisted that what technical universities needed to strive for was to refocus on their mandate to seek excellence in their mandate and seek excellence in skills development.
“This means that technical universities have to think differently, be strategic, promote innovation, know the system and promote high-level learning and culture”, Professor Kuupole explained.
Earlier, Professor Ben Q. Honyenuga, Vice Chancellor of HTU entreated the students to avoid acrimonious partisan political activities on the campus ad rather study diligently towards a bright future.
FROM ALBERTO MARIO NORETTI, HO