The University for Development Studies (UDS) has rolled out an initiative to help integrate Ghanaian students who returned from Ukraine into the university to enable them to continue their health professional education.
Dubbed: “Special Education Project”, the initiative will also create opportunities for all Africa Health Professional Students, who were displaced as a result of the Ukraine-Russia war, to continue their studies at the UDS School of Medicine.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, about 400 Ghanaian students were displaced as a result of the crisis in Ukraine.
The Vice-Chancellor of UDS, Prof. Gabriel Ayum Teye, who announced this, indicated that the university, together with its partners, would in the coming months roll out details on the enrolment and implementation of the support to the affected students.
He said the initiative was aimed at providing continuity for interrupted health professional education for the students, adding that adequate measures had been put in place to ensure their successful enrolment.
Graduation
He announced this at a special congregation held in Tamale last Saturday where about 425 postgraduate and undergraduate students graduated.
Out of the number, 14 graduated with PhDs in various disciplines, 131 graduated with master’s degrees and postgraduate diploma in various fields.
A total of 280 undergraduates sandwich Nursing and Midwifery also graduated.
Cohorts
To increase the enrolment of graduate education, Prof. Teye indicated that the university had rolled out two cohorts of admission- April and November to provide opportunities for applicants to choose the most convenient period.
He advised the graduands to put the knowledge acquired to good use to enable them to contribute to national development.
Endowment fund
As part of efforts to improve on infrastructural development and research, the university launched an Endowment Fund to mobilise funds to support its operations.
It is expected to provide additional funds to complement the government’s efforts to ensure that the university delivers on its mandate.
The Chairman of the University Governing Council, Prof. Wayo Seini, who launched the fund, said the university was targeting to mobilise about GH¢100 million in the next four years.
“Even though each year, UDS continues to receive a large number of qualified applicants for its programmes, it is unable to admit a good number due to the insufficient academic facilities,” he said.
He, therefore, called on corporate institutions, individuals and past students to generously contribute to the fund.
Commendation
For his part, a Deputy Minister of Education, Rev.John Ntim Fordjour, lauded the university for living up to its mandate by producing a number of graduates who were contributing significantly in various capacities towards the development of the nation.
He reiterated the government’s resolve to continue to provide the needed support to the university to enhance its operations, saying the government was embarking on a massive infrastructural development across the various universities to ensure the completion of all abandoned projects and the construction of new ones.