The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) branch at the University of Energy and Natural Resources at Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, are worried about the state of infrastructure in the institution especially lecture halls, and are therefore urging government to have a second look at the University.
Since its establishment, it has not seen any expansion in the area of infrastructure.
The University continues to use facilities it inherited from the campus of Faculty of Forest Resources Technology of KNUST.
All GETFUND projects started have all stalled. With the increasing number of students, it is becoming extremely difficult to hold lectures.
According to the members of University Teachers Association of Ghana(UTAG) at UENR, successive governments have abandoned the school compared to the University of Health and Allied Sciences at Ho in the Volta Region.
Dr. Samuel Fosu Gyasi, the Secretary of UTAG at UENR in an interview with Citi News said the situation is affecting academic work and urged government to be proactive to improve infrastructure in the University.
Dr. Gyasi noted that though the University is young they have top notch lecturers who are doing their very best to produce quality human resource for the country, but the challenge has to do with infrastructure especially lecture halls.
“We were established in the same year with UHAS. The government was supposed to give us 10 million cedis as endowment fund to start the university, but that money has never come. We hear UHAS has been given extra 2 million cedis, UENR did not have any. How do you teach without infrastructure? The only leverage we have is that we are blessed with lecturers with good background. The earlier the government comes to our aid the better by building laboratories and lecture theatres,” Dr. Gyasi stated.
Dr. David Anaafo, a member of UTAG said the situation is putting excessive pressure on both lecturers and students daily as they begin lectures at 6a.m. and close around 7p.m.
“The Dormaa Campus of the university runs two programmes; School of Agriculture and Technology and School of Geo-sciences from a hotel facility given to the University by the chief, Oseadeeyo Agyeman Badu II,” Dr. Anaafo revealed.
Dr. Eric Ofosu Antwi also noted that with the increasing number of students the space at the University’s library can only accommodate 40 students at a time putting pressure on these students.
Dr. Antwi noted that it is becoming difficulty to teach because of the unavailability of space, and therefore urged government to ensure that all GETFUND projects that have stopped are completed.
The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) was established by an Act of Parliament, Act 830, 2011.
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By: Michael Sarpong Mfum/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
