UEW Faculty urges government support as overcrowding hampers practical training

The Faculty of Health, Allied Sciences, and Home Economics Education at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Cape Coast campus, has appealed to the government for urgent investment in infrastructure as student numbers far exceed available facilities.

Speaking at a recent exhibition, faculty members and student organisers lamented that laboratories designed for about 35 students are currently serving over 2,000 students, a situation they described as unsustainable.

“The laboratory meant for 35 students now serves more than 2,000. Lecturers are forced to split students into groups, which delays practical lessons and affects learning outcomes,” one student organiser said.

They revealed that some of the food samples displayed at the exhibition had to be sent to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi for testing due to inadequate resources on campus.

Faculty members warned that without immediate intervention, the quality of practical training in home economics could be compromised, stressing that well-equipped laboratories and modern teaching tools are essential to prepare graduates to compete in today’s job market.

UEW Vice Chancellor, Professor Stephen Jobson Mitchual, urged graduates to leverage the entrepreneurial skills gained during their studies rather than focusing solely on formal employment.

“Home economics equips students with valuable, marketable skills that can sustain livelihoods after graduation,” he said. “The notion that it is for academically weaker students is outdated and misleading. It is a discipline at the heart of entrepreneurship, job creation, and national development.”

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