STUDENTS URGED TO USE THEIT TIME WELL (PAGE 11)

THE President of the All Nations University College (ANUC) at Koforidua, Dr Samuel Donkor, has appealed to university students to make the best use of their time to acquire skills and knowledge that would make them useful to the nation.
He reminded them that the pursuit of higher education was one of adventure, choices and opportunities, and depending on which way one utilised his or her time,it could be a journey to success or failure.
Speaking at the third matriculation of the university at Koforidua, Dr Donkor said “University education is your finest moment to acquire the skills that will set you apart from your family, town, tribe, region and country”.
In all, 150 students who would be pursuing various disciplines were matriculated.
The President said the university, as an institution, had the responsibility to teach, guide and provide leadership and exemplary moulding of character of its students.
This, he said, would help to foster a brighter future and hope not only for them and their families but also for the country and the world at large.
Dr Donkor said it was in line with such a sense of responsibility that ANUC had provided a unique paradigm of study dubbed Total Personality Development (TPD) to assist both students and staff to achieve a balanced perspective of life.
“The TPD combines technical knowledge with spiritual, social, ethical and character building to equip each individual with the tools, skills and resources needed to make a wholesome contribution to society, both as a professional and as a person”, he explained.
The president, who urged the students to take full advantage of programme, however added “it is your responsibility to work with us to allow us to impart the knowledge you have come to seek and to allow us guide you into making choices that will be of benefit to yourselves and society”.
“It is also your responsibility to choose the right friends and companions, the right places to go, the right activities to participate in”, he added.
On academic programmes of the university, Dr Donkor said the institution was making efforts to maintain its leadership in higher education by introducing courses that were driven by national needs.
To this end, he indicated that the ANUC was working with the National Accreditation Board to establish a new programme in Oil and Gas Engineering.
“This programme is aimed at promoting capacity-building at the local level, to minimise dependence on the importation of human resources into our exploding oil and gas arena”, he explained.
For his part, the Chancellor of the University, Daasebre (Prof) Oti Boateng, noted that since knowledge in the pursuit of higher education was not sufficient, students must strive to buttress it with the acquisition of tolerance, perseverance, charity to enable them to make a difference in society.
“The acquisition of virtues such as charity, wisdom, neighbourly love should be your guiding principle to enable you to cut above the mainstream in the pursuit of academic excellence”, he emphasised.
He also admonished the students to eschew social vices that could tarnish the reputation of the university by abiding by the rules and regulations of the institution