The Chief of Staff, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei-Opare last Wednesday inaugurated a number of educational projects at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) to increase access to tertiary education.

The projects, funded from internally generated funds (IGF), were six 500 seater lecture theatres, food court for staff and students, two-storey lecture theatre, a university mace and a two-storey ultra-modern student centre block which will house offices of the Dean of Student Affairs, Student Representative Council (SRC) and the Graduate Students Association of Ghana( GRASAG), campus television and radio station, among others.

                                                                       The new student centre block

Projects named after personalities

Also, management of the university unveiled some buildings and facilities named after some eminent personalities for their immeasurable contributions and efforts towards the transformation of the university since its establishment 29 years ago.

The school of creative arts block located at the central campus has been named after former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

The university’s new administration block has been named after Prof. Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw, the second Vice-Chancellor of the university who initiated the project.

The registrar’s block at the north campus has also been named after Prof. Emmanuel Kwesi Ampene, who served as the first Chairman of the university’s Governing Council from 1993-1998 when the institution was a university college of education of Winneba. He also served as the first Acting Principal of the university up to September 30, 1993.

Additionally, one of the newly constructed 500 seater capacity lecture theatres has been named after Dr Joseph Ebow Bannerman, who was a member of the first Governing Council of the University College of Education of Winneba who later became an acting Chairman of the Council.

Furthermore, another lecture theatre at the north campus has been named after the late Mr Kwadwo Baah Wiredu, who was a former Minister of Local Government, Education, and Finance.

Solemn pledge

Speaking at the ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rev. Fr Anthony Afful-Broni, said the new projects were in fulfillment of a solemn pledge during his investiture as the fourth Vice-Chancellor to lay a solid foundation for the in-take of the anticipated large numbers of the first batch of the free SHS graduates.

He noted that 10 modern 500 seater lecture theatres had been constructed with eight out of the 10 fully completed to increase access and provide a congenial learning environment to students to enhance teaching and learning.

Rev. Fr Afful-Broni further called for the careful handling of the facilities and the institution of a proper maintenance culture in order to ensure that the projects served their utmost purpose to benefit future generations.

Internally generated funds

Mrs Osei-Opare, commended the Vice-Chancellor for his vision to aggressively add on to the infrastructure of the university to place it in a position to admit more qualified students.

She indicated that if all institutions made good use of their IGF as had been done by UEW, it would obviously take some burden off government in its quest to improve infrastructure, particularly in educational institutions.