By: Nicholas Osei-Wusu
Parents and first year students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST, have commended Management of the University for instituting a special elaborate arrangement to offer fresh students’ stress-free reception on their arrival.
GBCNews’ visit to the KNUST Campus in Kumasi confirmed that, unlike previous years, newly admitted students have settled in with little or no stress or frustrations.
For the 3rd year running, newly admitted students from anywhere to the main KNUST Campus in Kumasi, whether as international or local student, have had to only get themselves ready at the major transport terminals in Accra or Kumasi Airport.
Management of the university has initiated and implemented a system to assist first year students get to the institution’s premises to, not only reduce the stress their predecessors endured, their level of vulnerability to swindlers who take advantage of them.
At the Tek Junction, where the students alight, well branded junior members of the University including GRASAG and SRC Executives, University Security personnel, Cadet and some police personnel were on hand to help the new students get on board university vehicles made readily available at the nearby taxi rank to send them directly to their respective Halls of residence.
Mahama Fauzi, the GRASAG KNUST Organizer, and his Deputy, Dieudonre Kayiba, who were also assisting the fresh students shared their experiences with GBCNews on the second day of the new students’ arrival.
“In the past when students got to Tek Junction, getting cars to Campus was a problem. Sometimes they lost their luggage. And when they go to the terminal here, they were charged exorbitant fares”, Fauzi explained.
“When the bus arrive, we just go through the exit then we ask for the 1st years. Th continuing students know their way around. For th 1st years, we talk to them and their parents and tell them what to go and do amd also direct them to the waiting cars to send them to campus”, Kayiba noted.
The Assembly Member-elect for the KNUST Electoral Area, Ralph Atampugre Kaba, was also there to support the arrangement.
GBCNews witnessed also scenarios where some of the arriving first year students had been driven directly to the KNUST Campus by the commercial buses from Accra.
At the Royal Parade Grounds too, a team and a fleet of cars were on standby to provide a helping hand to these new students.
Two of the students, Masters Prosper Mawuli from the Central Region, and Larry Lamptey from the Greater Accra region, shared their impressions with GBCNews regarding the reception accorded them on their arrival.
Mawuli responded “when coming I was really confused, how am I going to get to Campus. But seeing them but seeing these SRC people here, I’m really happy.”
A Parent, who had accompanied his ward from Accra, Randy Lamptey, also spoke to GBCNews.
“It’s very nice; I’m very happy. We won’t be turning here and there. A car has been provided to take us to our Hall. I’ll always be grateful to the management.”
At the Halls of residence, especially at the Queen Elizabeth and Republic Halls, Registration Teams were readily on hand to ensure the freshly arrived students received the best of registration service such that, even at the time of GBCNews’ visit, there was nobody in the registration process as all those who had arrived on Saturday and Sunday had all successfully gone through the process and comfortably lodged in their rooms.
Additionally, while the Junior Common Rooms, JCR had organized a form of entertainment to ease the stress the tension among the new year students, management of the Halls had also organized mini trade Shows within their respective premises to enable those arriving without some basic personal needs, readily buy such items to feel comfortable.
In an interview, the Deputy Registrar in charge of the University Relations Office, Dr. Daniel Norris Bekoe, explained to GBCNews that, this initiative which started three years ago, and also involves accommodation, aims to make the new students feel at home on arrival while assuring them of their safety and security away from their parents.
“Because of the vast nature of the university environment, usually when we’re welcoming fresh students, we’ve a few criminals trying to infiltrate into the university community trying to take advantage of the students, swindle them and so we’ve decided to this measure in place and we want to ensure that, all students who come in without any form of frustration”, the URO noted.
On accommodation, Dr. Below emphasized that almost all the 1st year students have secured rooms either on campus or in any of the 50 private hostels officially known to the university’s management.
Meanwhile, Management of the KNUST has advised parents to ensure that their wards offered admission report early this week to go through the various orientation programmes so that the children do not miss out when lectures officially begin on the 15th of January, 2024.
