UMaT graduates 382 engineers, computer scientists, others
Some 382 people have graduated from the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) after undergoing programmes in mining engineering, mineral engineering, petroleum engineering, computer science, electrical and electronic engineering and mathematics.
Speaking at the fifth congregation of the university, Professor Jerry Kuma, the Vice Chancellor, said out of the 382 graduating students two were award doctor of philosophy degree.
He said 17 were awarded Master of Science while the remaining 363 received Bachelor of Science degrees in their respective engineering programmes with 85 of them in the first class division.
Mr Kuma said during the 2012-2013 academic year, the university witnessed great stride in its traditional functions of teaching, research and service to the nation and international communities.
According to the Vice Chancellor, in that same year, UMaT with the collaboration of Metso minerals and the Ghana Chamber of Mines organized the second biennial international conference on mining and mineral processing.
The conference, he said, brought together researchers, academia and mining professionals from all over the continent. They shared new ideas through on-going research in the area of mining, mineral processing and allied engineering discipline.
He said in their collective effort to produce qualified requisite skills, the university had made its programme a unique interface of academic and practical field work.
Prof Kuma said this year the university was able to arrange field trips to the mining and allied industries for all students to acquire practical knowledge.
The Vice Chancellor pointed out that as from the next academic year, the University would begin a new four-year degree programme in Environmental and Safety engineering.
He said the commencement of this course would solve the serious environmental challenges that the country is facing especially in the small scale mining sector.
He said the university had begun a compulsory course in French for all students so that they will become more versatile when they graduate.
Prof Kuma recalled that during the first congregation in 2009, the late President John Atta Mills pledged a special allocation of GH¢100 million to the UMaT to be sourced from the Mineral Development Fund to improve infrastructural and teaching facilities for five years.
He said the fund has been used for construction and refurbishment of infrastructural and other academic and residential facilities.
The Vice Chancellor said government through the fund had provided the University with petroleum engineering laboratory equipment worth GH¢1.35 million, adding that, the university also received GH¢2.3 million from the Ghana Education Trust Fund for ongoing development projects.
On the challenges facing the University, Prof Kuma said the lack of adequate funding to expand their facilities so as to admit more students was due to the slow pace at which funds are released to construct the academic facilities.
He said the university had so far received close to 3,000 applications from would-be students for the 2013-2014 academic year but they can only admit about 20 percent of qualified applicants.
The Vice Chancellor said in addressing this problem, Osagyfo Dr. Kwamena Enimil VI, the Omanhene of Wassa Fiase Traditional Area, has donated a 26 kilometer square land to the University to build a new site.
He expressed gratitude to government as well as the chief and the traditional council for their kind gesture.
He appealed to government to make a special yearly allocation of 75 million Ghana cedis to the University to enable it build the infrastructure at the new site.
In a welcome address, Professor Bruce Banoeng-Yakubu, Council Chairman of the University, praised the former Vice Chancellor Professor Daniel Meriku Gyimah for the successes chalked during his tenure.
He called on the new administration to emulate the example of Prof Gyimah to enable them attain excellence.
Prof. Banoeng-Yakubu asked the graduates to maintain professionalism in the discharge of their duty.
Miss Wolley Sakirat Jumoke, one of the graduates from the electrical and electronics engineering department received the vice chancellors award which was instituted this year to motivate students to work hard.
She received a plaque, set of books and GH¢1,000 as her award.
Source: GNA