College holds matriculation ceremony

Sunyani Oct 23, GNA- The College of Renewal Natural Resources, Sunyani, affiliated with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi on Saturday held it sixth matriculation ceremony in Sunyani.

Forty-six students, including six females representing 29 percent of a total number of applicants were offered admission into the school. Mr. Lawrence Botwe Antwi Principal of the school stated that 161 applicants applied for admission for the academic year of which 69 were short-listed for interview and 46 satisfied the entry requirements of the college.

He expressed concern about the small number of females who qualified for admission, adding that the number is less than that of the previous year's intake in which 29 percent of females gained admission. The Renewal Natural Resource sector started training females as far back as 1971 and over 300 females have been trained under the previous certificate programme for the forest sector.

He said 21 females out of 108 graduates have passed out under the present Diploma programme, started in 1999.

He hoped that equal numbers of males and females would be admitted into the college in future and appealed to parents to encourage their female children to consider the Renewal Natural Resource Management as a profession.

He urged the students to study hard and to abide by the college regulations to come out at the end of the three year programme as experience graduates, adding that the curriculum of the college seeks to address the need for interdisciplinary skills in Natural Resource Management to enable the students to meet challenges of the sector.

Mr. Antwi announced that forestry has recently been introduced in the curriculum of senior secondary school to enable graduates from the college to teach the course in the SSS and gave assurance that employment opportunities are available for graduates from the college who have the requisite skills.

He said plans are far advance to make the college a third campus of KNUST by the end of the year and a new degree programme in Renewable Natural Resource Management is being developed to run along side with the diploma programme to offer students opportunity to pursue their degree in the institution.

He mentioned funds to upgrade the college to benefit its present status, maintenance of exiting facilities and inadequate staff as the major challenges facing the institution.

Mr. Kwadwo Adjei Darko, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development urged the students to take their studies seriously and to make the right choices, which would not make them, regret, but that they have made a better choice for the future.

Nana Bamfi-Adomako, Deputy Registrar Academics, KNUST ushered the student into the college by assisting them to swear the matriculation oath. OCT. 23 04