The Sunyani Polytechnic (S-Poly) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to award Bachelor of Technology degrees in Building Technology (B-Tech).
Professor Thomas Kwadwo Djang-Fordjour, Rector of the institution who announced this at their 19th Matriculatioin ceremony on Friday in Sunyani said under the MoU signed on August 12, this year, the programme would commence from 2014/2015 academic year.
Prof. Djang-Fordjour indicated the B-Tech was one of the new programmes of study introduced by his outfit on assumption of duty to address the needs of Brong-Ahafo in the building industry and also to give prospective applicants many options to apply for admission.
He said guided by the vision of S-Poly, other new programmes introduced at the Higher National Diploma (HND) level were Dispensing Technology (DT), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Material Engineering, Fashion Design Technology, Textiles Technology and Ceramics Technology.
The Rector added that Diploma in Computerised Accounting (DCA) and Diploma in Banking Technology and Accounting (DBTA) were the other new programmes introduced by the institution.
He said currently the Polytechnic ran 26 full-time tertiary programmes, including two B-Techs, 20 HNDs and four Technician courses, adding that the institution also admitted students into six professional programmes at the tertiary level, seven Pre-HND access courses and 22 technicians, advanced and craft programmes at the non-tertiary levels.
Prof. Djan-Fordjour expressed satisfaction with enrollment increase in Departments under the School of Engineering, but decried the serious decline of enrollment in the tertiary and non-tertiary programmes in Departments under the School of Business and Management Studies.
He therefore called for a reversal of the trend for the sake of manpower resource production in those areas of study for the benefit of the region and the nation at large.
Meanwhile 1,496 students were admitted to pursue various programmes at both tertiary and non-tertiary levels, saying out of the number 1,245 constituted those for the tertiary programmes whilst 1,026 of them males and 432 females.
For the non-tertiary programmes, 251 students were offered admission, 77 of them males and 174 females.
