The Ghana Institution of Surveyors has presented 25 laptops to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology (KNUST). 

The computers, at a cost of about ¢100,000 are to support brilliant but needy students of the university who cannot afford the cost of computers.

It followed an appeal by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, to the Ghana Institution of Surveyors after she assumed office last year.

President of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors, John Amaglo, said the Institution was touched by the plight of students who could not access online resources, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It followed a promise by the Institution on September 15, 2020, when a delegation from the women’s wing of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors paid a courtesy call on the Vice-Chancellor who had just resumed office.

“I am here with my delegation to redeem a pledge we made to you on the 15th of September 2020 when a delegation of the women’s wing of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors paid a courtesy call on you. The visit was to congratulate you on your elevation to the higher office of the Vice-Chancellor of this university. As you may be aware the majority of our membership are alumni of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology,” he said.

“During that interaction, you shared some of your visions with the delegation. One of your visions is a project dubbed the ‘SONSOL PROJECT,’ which is ‘Support One Needy Student with One Laptop.’ You elaborated vividly how many students were handicapped because they could not access their online resources when the university went entirely virtual because of the covid-19 pandemic,” Dr. Amaglo added.

Dr. Amaglo is promising more support from the Institution in the provision of hands-on skills training to students of KNUST.

“Today I am here with my delegation to present twenty-five (25) laptops to you as our contribution towards the SONSOL Project. I want to assure you that we shall continue collaborating with the university in other areas whenever needed.

I want to also assure you that we already have an existing MOU(Memoranda of Understanding) with KNUST and as part of that MOU, we usually allocate some of the student's places in some of the institutions that come for industrial attachment. Once the MOU is already there, we are ready to support you.”

The needy student computer project

The KNUST, through the ‘Support One Needy Student with One Laptop’ Project (SONSOL) hopes to reach the majority of the over 50,000 brilliant but needy students with laptops as the university implements virtual academic works in the next four years.

Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson is the Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST.

“When Covid-19 out of the blue just hit all of us, quickly we organized ourselves; we have to move a number of our teaching online. And then it came clear that indeed, you have these brilliant students: they do not have the tools; what it takes to be able to access the online teaching that you are doing. That informed management’s decision that as part of the vision to run the university for the next 4-years, we needed to come up with this initiative ‘Support One Needy Student with One Laptop’, The SONSOL Project.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson who received the computers on behalf of the KNUST was grateful to the Institution.

“We are very much happy and super excited that you have been able to listen to our call. Your kindness and generosity this afternoon for us is overwhelming,” she explained.

Professor Dickson underscored the need for collaboration between the leading science university and other key stakeholders in the training of graduates with employable skills.

KNUST mandate to train holistic students who will employ themselves

“We have always believed in an all-inclusive education. What we try to do in looking after the future which is in our hands, which are  our students is that we ensure that nobody is left behind.

Our focus is to train that holistic graduate. We don’t ever want to train graduates who will finish school and then go and join that association I don’t want to mention its name.

We don’t want to train people who will just be employed. We want to train graduates who will be able to also employ themselves and employ others.”

This she said, can be done through the provision of hands-on but practical industrial training for students of KNUST to gain the requisite experience.

“So how do we achieve that? Internship placement for our students.; practical exposure for our students. Hands-on experience for our students  And one thing that I want to lay emphasis on, in this mandate that we have as the university to train the future manpower of this great country and beyond,  we can’t do it all by ourselves so we cherish our constructive partnerships, friendships; our collaborations.”

The delegation from the  Ghana Institute of Surveyors comprised Surveyors Dr. Mrs Victoria Aboah, Coordinator, Women in Surveying, Dr. Matilda Fiadzigbey-First female president of the Institution, and Christiana Nyarko, Ashanti Regional Coordinator of Women in Surveying.

Others are Surveyors Juliana Opoku Nyarko, Head of Estate Organisation, KNUST; Reverend Professor Aryer, Professor E.M Osei Jnr and Eric Afari Asare.