Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is a public university located in Kumasi, Ashanti region, Ghana. The university focuses on science and technology. It is the second public university established in the country, as well as the largest university in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
KNUST has its roots in the plans of Otumfuo Agyeman Prempeh I, a ruler of the Ashanti Kingdom, to establish a university in Kumasi as part of his drive towards modernization of his Ashanti kingdom. This plan never came to fruition due to the clash between British empire expansion and the desire of Otumfuo Agyeman Prempeh I to preserve his Ashanti kingdom's independence. However, his younger brother and successor, Otumfuo Osei Tutu Agyeman Prempeh II, upon ascending to the Golden Stool in the year 1935, continued with this vision. Events in the Gold Coast in the 1940s played into his hands. First, there was the establishment of the University College of the Gold Coast. Secondly, there were the 1948 Accra riots and the consequent Watson Commission report, which recommended that a university of sciences be established in Kumasi. Thus, in 1949, the dream of the Prempehs became a reality when building started on what was to be called the Kumasi College of Technology.
The Kumasi College of Technology offered admission to its first students to the engineering faculty in 1951 (however, those students started academic work in 1952), and an Act of Parliament gave the university its legal basis as the Kumasi College of Technology in 1952. The nucleus of the college was formed from 200 teacher training students transferred from Achimota College in the Greater Accra Region. The college was affiliated to the University of London. In 1961, the college was granted full university status.
The university covers a total land area of . The main campus which is about seven square miles in area, is about to the east of Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.
History
Early history
The Kumasi College of Technology opened officially on 22 January 1952 with 200 teacher training students transferred from Achimota, to form the nucleus of the new college. In October 1952, the School of Engineering and the Department of Commerce were established and the first students were admitted. A Pharmacy Department was established in January 1953, with the transfer of the former School of Pharmacy from Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, to the college. The department ran a two-year comprehensive course in Pharmacy leading to the award of the Pharmacy Board Certificate. A Department of Agriculture was opened in the same year to provide ad hoc courses of varying duration, from a few terms to three years, for the Ministry of Agriculture. A Department of General Studies was instituted to prepare students for the Higher School Certificate Examinations in Science and Arts subjects and to give instruction in subjects as requested by the other departments.
From 1952 to 1955, the School of Engineering prepared students for professional qualifications only. In 1955, the school embarked on courses leading to the University of London Bachelor of Engineering External Degree Examinations.
In 1957, the School of Architecture, Town Planning and Building was inaugurated. Its first students were admitted in January 1958, for professional course.
As the college expanded, it was decided to make the Kumasi College of Technology a purely science and technology institution. In pursuit of this policy, the Teacher Training College, with the exception of the Art School, was transferred in January 1958, to the Winneba Training College; in 1959 the Commerce Department was transferred to Achimota to form the nucleus of the present School of Administration of the University of Ghana, Legon.
In December 1960, the Government of Ghana appointed a University Commission to advise it on the development of university education, in connection with the proposal to transform the University College of Ghana and the Kumasi College of Technology into an independent University of Ghana. Following the report of the commission which came out early 1961, the government decided to establish two independent universities in Kumasi and Legon, Accra. The Kumasi College of Technology was thus transformed, under the supervision of R. P. Baffour, into a full-fledged university, and named Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology by an Act of Parliament on 22 August 1961. The name honours Kwame Nkrumah, the first prime minister and later president of Ghana.
The name was changed to University of Science and Technology after the coup of 24 February 1966. The University of Science and Technology was officially inaugurated on Wednesday, 20 November 1961. However, another act of Parliament (Act 559 of 1998) changed the name back to its original version, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
Campuses
Kumasi Campus The Kumasi campus is the main campus of the university. It is about seven square miles in area and about to the east of Kumasi. It houses the Central Administration and other important facilities.
Obuasi Campus The Obuasi campus was officially commissioned on 4 November 2020 despite its inception in the year 2019. It runs 15 undergraduate programmes, which include seven Engineering programmes, four Business Administration programmes, three Allied Health Sciences programmes and one Science programme.
Organization and administration
Principal officers
The principal officers of the university are the chancellor, chairman of the University Council and vice-chancellor. As of 2018, the position of chancellor was held by the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Governing body Governance is carried out by the University Council, primarily through the Academic Board, which is responsible for: formulating and carrying out the academic policy of the university devising and regulating the courses of instruction and study, and supervising research regulating the conduct of examinations and the award of degrees, diplomas and certificates advising the University Council on the admission of students and the award of scholarships reporting on such matters as may be referred to it by the University Council
Student participation in university administration Students through the KNUST Students' Representative Council (KNUST SRC) participate in the administration of the university through their representatives serving on the University Council, Academic Board, the Welfare Services Board, Faculty and Departmental Boards, Residence Committee, Library Committee and on the Hall Councils.
The council operates with a budget that is primarily dispensed to student organizations, but it also funds social events and student initiatives. As the sole representative student government, the KNUST SRC provides student services like most student unions and also performs advocacy on behalf of the student body.
Collegiate system
KNUST has, since January 2005, transformed from its previous centralized system of administration into a decentralized collegiate university. Under this system, the faculties have been condensed into six colleges.
The university had been administered on the faculty-based system. This led to administrative difficulties as new faculties and institutes were created to meet the ever-growing academic pursuits of students. To solve this problem, a collegiate system was officially adopted on 29 November 2004. On 5 April 2005, the pioneering provosts were inducted and invested into office at the Great Hall of the KNUST.
The colleges are semi-autonomous, which means that they are given the power to largely run on their own without much dependence on the central administration for financial support. A college registrar, finance officer and librarian assist the provosts. Under them are the faculties, centres and institutes, headed by deans and directors. As heads of the colleges, the provosts provide academic and administrative leadership for the colleges and oversee their overall running..
Housing and accommodation There are numerous KNUST approved hostels, mostly in close proximity to the main campus. Students of all financial backgrounds have their accommodation needs catered for. There are six halls of residence at the Kumasi campus, each administered by a hall council consisting of senior and junior members. There are a few hostels on campus like the GUSSS hostels, Brunei, and Tek credit hostel. The executive head is the hall master, who is assisted by a senior tutor. There is a hall bursar and other supporting staff.
Halls of residence
University Hall (Katanga) Unity Hall (Conti) Independence Hall Queens Hall Republic Hall Africa Hall
Hostels About 60% of the student population is non-resident. There are private hostels around the campus and in Kumasi for students who, as a result of the limited facilities/rooms, could not be admitted as resident students. Apart from these private-owned hostels, the university management have also made some efforts to solve this accommodation issue. In response to that, some hostels have also been built right on campus. These are:
The Impact Building: This was funded by the Mastercard foundation and serves as a secretariat for Mastercard scholars on campus. Some of the rooms are occupied by these scholars whereas some of the rooms are used for temporary leasing on a daily basis earning income for its management. The GUSSS Hostels: These hostels are popularly referred to as Brunei on campus. They have five buildings in total. These are Old and New Brunei, Complex, Baby Brunei and Hall 7. The Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Hostel: Also referred to as SRC Hostel on campus. This was also built through the efforts of the school's SRC.
There are facilities on campus where non-resident students can rest between lectures and study before they leave for their homes and hostels.
In January 2014, the top floor of the Crystal Rose Hostel caught fire while most students were on vacation. The cause of the fire is still not known.
International students There is a large multinational community at KNUST, largely due to the high standards of education. There is an international student association that looks after the interests of foreign students, including accommodation, orientation, and campus tours.
Academics
Since the 2010/11 academic year, some of the colleges operate a two-tier system, while others maintain their three-tier system.
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources CANR Faculty of Agriculture Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension Department of Animal Sciences Department of Crop and Soil Sciences Department of Horticulture Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources Department of Agroforestry Department of Fisheries and Watershed Management Department of Silviculture and Forest Management Department of Wildlife and Range Management Department of Wood Science and Technology Faculty of Forest Resources Technology Department of Ecotourism and Forest Recreation Department of Land Reclamation and Rehabilitation Department of Social Forestry Department of Wood Processing and Marketing
College of Health Sciences Faculty of Allied Health Sciences Department of Medical Diagnostics Department of Medical Imaging Department of Physiotherapy and Sports Science Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department of Pharmacology Department of Pharmacognosy Department of Pharmacy Practice Department of Pharmaceutics Department of Herbal Medicine School of Dentistry School of Medical Sciences School of Veterinary Medicine School of Nursing and Midwifery
College of Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty of Law Faculty of Social Sciences Department of Economics Department of English Department of Geography and Rural Development