Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) has developed a five-year Corporate Strategic Plan to catapult the University’s progress to enviable heights.
Among the themes of the Strategic Plan are excellent teaching and learning in Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET), entrepreneurship innovative and demand-driven research, staff development and welfare, gender equity, social inclusiveness and diversity and partnerships and sustainable resource mobilisation.
Prof. Frederick K. Sarfo, Vice Chancellor of the University, disclosed these at the maiden alumina congress of AAMUSTED, under the theme, “Realising the Mission and Vision of AAMUSTED-The Role of The Alumini”.
To support TVET transformational agenda of the government and to contribute to employability for all, he mentioned the University’s mandates to:
provide higher education in technical, vocational and entrepreneurial training to develop skilled manpower for job creation and economic development,
train and provide teachers with the relevant competence for teaching in technical and vocational education and training institutions; train and provide teachers with the relevant competence for teaching entrepreneurial development; and develop strong linkages between the University and industry, or the community, to ensure the holistic training of teachers.
He indicated that the mandates were challenging, considering the fact that the “minds of Ghanaians are not disabused of the wrong perception that TVET is an area for the unintelligent”.
However, he said “we have taken the mandate head-on, determined to excel and improve the unemployment situation in our country ultimately”.
According to the Vice Chancellor, the University required more hands to discharge its mandate adequately, stressing that management was in touch with the government for clearance to recruit more people to beef up the staff strength, soon.
With the about 100 programmes on offer, the University currently boasts of a student population of 27,804 for its regular, sandwich, evening, and weekend programme modes.
He told the congregation that enrolment numbers had been increasing impressively, and that in the 2019/2020 academic year, 3,600 students were enrolled.
The number increased to 4,700 in the 2020/2021 academic year and jumped again to a whopping 6,800 during the 2021/2022 year, he said adding “the projection is that the next academic year could also witness a significant improvement in the enrollment numbers”.
Realising that some universities were very strong, visible, and top-ranking simply because they have very strong alumni, the Vice Chancellor urged them: “please, try as much as possible to be united, strong, relevant, and work together.
“Alumni must help to bring in the necessary revenue for the development of the university. AAMUSTED counts on you to play your part. You can help to provide teaching internship and mentoring opportunities to our students,” he added.
The guest of honour, Dr. George Ayisi Boateng, a former Ambassador to South Africa, also touched on TVET and thanked the government for providing the needed infrastructure and equipment to the University toward the cause.
As an alumni himself, Dr Boateng pledged to do all possible to contribute his quota to the enhancement of the University as he called on others to pool resources together to support government in helping “our AAMUSTED fulfill its mandates.”
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI
