As part of her ongoing efforts to gain firsthand insights into happenings and the status of the University’s Regional Learning Centres, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, visited the Wa Learning Centre on Friday, 16thAugust, 2024, accompanied by some senior officials.
Dr. Marshal Kala, the Co-ordinator of the Wa Learning Centre, warmly welcomed the Vice-Chancellor and her team. After brief self-introductions, Dr. Kala provided an update on the Centre’s activities and highlighted key challenges, including the need for timely release of students’ results, the need to erect a wall around the Centre to secure its land and prevent encroachment as well as procurement-related concerns.
Addressing the issue of timely release of students' results, the Vice-Chancellor urged Professor Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, Provost of the College of Education (COE), to work closely with the Dean of the School of Continuing and Distance Education and other relevant officials to set clear timelines for results dissemination. She emphasised that students should be able to lodge complaints if their results are delayed beyond a specified date, with the expectation of receiving feedback promptly. The Vice-Chancellor also emphasised the importance of monitoring lecturers and taking action against those who fail to comply with the timelines, stressing the need to maintain the University’s image and ensure a positive student experience.
Vice-Chancellor and her team inspecting facilities at the Learning Centre
Furthermore, the Vice-Chancellor reiterated the importance of adhering to the University of Ghana’s entry requirements, as set by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), emphasising that these standards are non-negotiable and must be strictly followed to preserve the University’s integrity.
Speaking on procurement challenges, Prof. Amfo highlighted the need for proper orientation on procurement procedures for all Regional Learning Centres. She underscored the need for the College’s Materials Officer and College Finance Officer to provide the necessary guidance to ensure compliance with procurement requirements, thereby preventing breaches. The Vice-Chancellor tasked the Provost to ensure the organisation of an orientation to ensure that all staff, particularly those in Regional Learning Centres, are well-informed about the processes.
She further advised that key officials, such as the Dean of the School of Continuing and Distance Education, the College Registrar, the College Finance Officer and the College Materials Officer should streamline the procurement of goods and services needed by the Regional Learning Centres while adhering to procurement guidelines. The Vice-Chancellor emphasised that the geographical distance of these Centres from the main campus should not impede their operations and called for timelines to be established for processing requests from the Centres.
Commending the Wa Learning Centre for its aesthetically pleasing environment, the Vice-Chancellor noted the well-maintained trees, flowers and potted plants, as well as the strategically placed “love benches” that encourage student interactions. She urged the Centre to fully utilise the computers in their lab by developing IT-related programmes to boost Internally Generated Funds (IGF). She also encouraged the Centre to collaborate with the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) to run some of its programmes and emphasised the need for Regional Learning Centres to expand into offering graduate programmes.
The Provost of the College of Education, Professor Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, shared information about the maiden Pen Ceremony organised by the College, which has now been institutionalised, and announced the upcoming staff awards and dinner night scheduled for 23rd August, 2024 at the Great Hall. He explained that this event aims to motivate and appreciate the work done by all categories of staff within the College, in line with Priority 3 of the University’s newly launched Strategic Plan, which is commitment to faculty and staff. He added that this initiative has also been extended to the affiliated Colleges of Education.
Commenting on the Strategic Plan, Mrs. Emelia Agyei-Mensah, Registrar of the University of Ghana, indicated that this Plan would guide the University’s work for the next five years. She noted that the Strategic Plan is simple and easy to understand, and every staff member has a role to play to achieve the University’s mission and vision. She tasked the Centre Co-ordinator to work with the staff to identify their contributions to the new vision, which will ultimately improve work at the Centre.
Registrar, Mrs. Emelia Agyei-Mensah, addressing staff and faculty of the Learning Centre
The visit also provided an opportunity for the staff to interact with the Vice-Chancellor and voice their challenges. Some of the issues mentioned included matters relating to promotion and the need for additional security uniforms.
The Provost reiterated the team’s satisfaction with the Centre’s well-functioning computer lab and urged the staff to leverage this resource to make the Centre sustainable. He thanked the Vice-Chancellor for sparing part of her time to visit the Centre, which demonstrates how passionate she is about the work at the Regional Learning Centres. He also assured the staff that all the issues raised were well noted and would be addressed.
The Centre Co-ordinator also expressed gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor for honouring them with her visit, noting that she was the first Vice-Chancellor to visit the Wa Learning Centre witness their issues for redress.
Accompanying the Vice-Chancellor were: Mrs. Emelia Agyei-Mensah, Registrar; Professor Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe, Provost of the College of Education; Mr. Joseph Oduro Nkansah, College Registrar, COE; Mr. Michael Owusu Ansah, College Finance Officer, COE; Mrs. Joycelyn Boateng, College Human Resource Officer, COE; Ms. Matilda Appiah, College Academic Officer, COE; Mrs. Mavis Osafo-Adu, Assistant Registrar/Protocol Officer, Public Affairs Directorate; Mr. Frederick Yuorkuu, Head, Examinations Unit; Mr. Mawufemor Kwadzo, College Facilities Officer, COE; Ms. Agnes Baidoo, College Public Affairs Officer; Ms. Audrey Djarbeng, Senior Administrative Assistant, COE and Mr. Frank Hope Tachie, Administrative Assistant, COE.