The Vice-Chancellor of Kumasi Technical University, Prof. Osei-Wusu Achaw, is worried that inadequate staff is negatively affecting quality of education. 

He is imploring the government to lift the ban on employment in the public sector to allow the University employ more staff.

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), has standardised the average staff-to-student ratio at the university as 1:18. 

Speaking at the 19th congregation of Kumasi Technical University (KsTU), Prof. Osei-Wusu Achaw revealed that, the ratio at the University however stands at 1:41.

Whilst calling on the government to reconsider the decision to freeze employment, Prof. Achaw appealed to private investors to support the growth of public universities. 

“The challenge we face is insufficient staff to run the University. The average staff: student ratio of the University now stands at 1:41 across all faculties against the GTEC norm of 1:18 in some programs such as engineering. 

“The result is that the effectiveness of staff/students interactions is adversely affected which can, in turn, affect the quality of graduates churned out by the University. I am aware that the government has put a freeze on employment for the year 2023. However, we implore the government to grant us the leave to recruit to replace retired and separated staff of the University.  

“In view of the reduced government support to public universities, increasingly, we would have to rely on private investments to meet some of our infrastructure needs, especially in areas of provision of students’ hall accommodation and other commercial projects,” he said.

The Vice-Chancellor was also worried about the non-release of GetFund allocations to the University, which has hampered its ability to expand infrastructure to meet the growing student population of the University.

The 19th congregation saw the graduation of 2,014.

Despite the challenges, the University has chalked many successes, including WIFI infrastructure of the University which will provide staff and student with internet is about 85% complete. 

KsTU has introduced eleven new programmes, including Building Services Engineering, Architectural Engineering, BTech Communication Design, BTech Banking Technology and Finance, BTech Interior Design, BTech Artificial Intelligence, and BSc. Mechatronics, and MSc Accounting Information Systems.