The Simon Diedong Dombo University for Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) in Wa is expecting close to 4,000 young people in its first formal batch of students, which will report for the 2020/21 academic year. The students will be taking a broad range of courses.
The Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS) is a public, tertiary educational institution, established by an act of Parliament, the SDD-UBIDS Act 2019 (Act 1001).
In an interview with Asaase Radio’s Upper West regional correspondent, Muniru Ibrahim, the interim vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Duku Osei, said admissions in 2020 stood at 1,541 students.
This year, however, with free senior high school and the introduction of new courses, that number has increased astronomically.
Staff recruitment
The interim vice-chancellor said that the government has given the university financial clearance to recruit 50 people to serve as members of faculty and on the administration, augmenting the staff strength.
Professor Duku Osei said that recruitment is now complete and the personnel are at post.
Programmes and plans
Before the present university was established in 2019, the then Wa campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS) was running basically three schools. Since then, however, it has added four additional schools in response to the felt needs of the people.
Professor Duku Osei said the university intends to run more courses, but has launched with seven schools – business; law; education and lifelong learning; integrated development studies, planning and land management; a school of social sciences and arts; information communications technology; and public policy and governance.
The vice-chancellor hinted that the university will introduce a law faculty in September 2021. He also pledged that construction work on the school’s library, which has stalled for many years, will be completed. The library will be ready for use in the next few months, Professor Osei said.
Face the challenges
The vice-chancellor told the reporter for Asaase News that the university was established without an administration block.
He said he works from an office in his house, which is healthy, in the era of COVID-19 – yet he described this as improper practice.
Professor Osei appealed to the government to support the SDD-UBIDS to put up an administration block to house the university staff.
Get set for back to school
The vice-chancellor said the university is ready to receive students back on campus.
It has put in place structures to support all the COVID-19 protocols outlined by the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service.
The school clinic will act as the screening point for every student who steps on campus, he said.
Muniru Ibrahim
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