By Peter Agengre
The University for Development Studies (UDS) has organized an orientation programme for more than 6,000 students ahead of their deployment to communities across the country under its flagship Third Trimester Field Practical Programme and Community-Based Education and Service initiative.
The event, held at St. John Bosco College of Education, brought together university management, students, regional officials, development partners and education stakeholders.
This year, the University is deploying a total of 11,498 students to 1,150 rural communities across selected parts of Ghana.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Seidu Alhassan, 6,139 Level 100 students will serve in 25 districts within the Upper East and Upper West Regions, while 5,359 Level 200 students will be posted to 11 districts in the Bono East and Bono Regions.
The programme, which is a compulsory academic requirement carrying six credit hours, is designed to combine classroom learning with practical community engagement. Students are expected to live in communities, identify development challenges and help propose sustainable solutions.
In a welcome address, Donatus Akamugri Atanga commended the University for sustaining a practical model of higher education that links academic work to the needs of communities. He assured the students and management of the support of the Regional Coordinating Council and residents of the Upper East Region during the exercise.
Representatives from UNICEF, the OR Foundation and the Ghana Education Service also stressed the importance of discipline, community service, child protection and social responsibility.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. Seidu Alhassan described the TTFPP as the unique flagship programme that distinguishes UDS from other universities, adding that students’ field reports have become valuable data sources for district assemblies in preparing development plans across Ghana.
“This is the kind of education Ghana needs now; education that inspires and mobilises people to solve problems,” the Vice-Chancellor stated, adding that UDS is a development-oriented university whose programmes are designed to help solve real problems and contribute to national development.
