The University for Development Studies (UDS) is to introduce new graduate and postgraduate courses to create more opportunities for students to build their capacities to help accelerate the socio-economic development of the north in particular and the country as a whole. It also intends to offer short-term income-generating programmes, including courses on disaster and conflict management in line with the university's vision to help address the development challenges of its catchment areas. The new courses include Actuarial Science and Financial Mathematics while the postgraduate courses would be Bio-technology, Biometry Mathematics and Community Development Management Strategies. It is already running a postgraduate sandwich course in Development Studies. The acting Vice Chancellor of the UDS, Professor Kaku Sagary Nokoe, who announced this in Tamale on Monday, said some of the new courses would commence in the next acad¬emic year. He was speaking during a courtesy call on him by the Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim Awal. The MD was accompanied by Messrs K Baah-Adade and Albert Sam, General Manager in charge of Finance and Public Affairs Manager respectively of the company. According to the Vice Chancellor, the university had improved tremendously in its pursuit of academic excellence coupled with its unique third trimester programme, under which continuing students are made to live in deprived communities for several weeks to appreciate the problems the people encounter and recommend solutions. "The student population has also increased significantly from 900 in 2002 to about 8,000," he said. The university runs programmes in Health and Applied Sciences, Integrated Development Studies and Agriculture at its three campuses in Tamale in the Northern Region, Navrongo and Wa in the Upper East and Upper West regions, respectively. Professor Nokoe commended the GCGL for supporting the development of the university over the years through reports on the university. Mr Awal explained that the visit had afforded him the opportunity to fruitfully interact with authorities of the UDS to see "how we can complement each other's efforts in achieving excellence in our respective outfits." He said the company was currently investing heavily in its printing machines to improve the quality, con¬tent, packaging and delivery of its newspapers. The managing director expressed appreciation to the authorities of the UDS for living up to the university's mandate to undertake training, research and extension programmes in an integrated and functional manner. "This would not only go a long way to meet the needs and aspirations of the people of northern Ghana but the entire nation as well," he observed. Source: Daily Graphic