Management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in collaboration with its partners has distributed some 593 brand new laptop computers valued at GH¢ 2.965 million to brilliant but needy students in the university.
The package is in fulfilment of the Vice Chancellor’s vision to support one needy student with one laptop, dubbed ‘SONSOL’ Project, the maiden presentation of which was done at the Great Hall on 25th February 2021.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson in her address stated that the technological evolution of the higher education ecosystems has been hastened by the pandemic, resulting in the increased use of diverse information technology (IT) tools in tertiary education.
Therefore, the University is mindful of not only focusing on offering excellent online teaching and learning to students, but also imbibing 21st Century skills, to make them employable and employers.
Professor (Mrs.) Dickson on behalf of management thanked the donors for coming to the aid of the students despite the economic challenges that COVID-19 has brought.
She however, announced that after competitively screening the applicants, 4,375 qualified to receive the support with only 593 laptops available.
Professor Dickson revealed that the distribution of the 593 laptops is thus the initial support and that Management hopes to receive more laptops from other organizations who have expressed their willingness to support the initiative.
She called on more organizations and benevolent individuals to come to the aid of the brilliant students of the university.
Professor (Mrs) Dickson assured all stakeholders that the Management of the University is fully committed to ensuring a win-win partnership and looks forward to better ways of leveraging on the collective efforts towards a better KNUST and its respective partners.
The donors of the laptops include Vodafone Ghana Foundation, Stanbic Bank, Absa Bank, SIC Insurance PLC, Jospong Group of Companies (Zoomlion), Tobinco Pharmaceuticals, Consolidated Bank Ghana, Standard Chartered Bank, Ing. Nana Poku Agyeman, Director of Urban Roads, Kumasi, and Lawyer Agyei Baffour, Andysarp Furniture and Multinec Enterprise.
Representatives from some of the donor organization took turns to recounted how touched they felt after listening to the humbling stories of the beneficiaries and promised to increase their support to other needy students on the list.
They also appealed to other organizations to join them to support the brilliant students to achieve their dreams.
A representative of the beneficiaries, Miss Henrietta Agyei-Yeboah thanked the donors and the Management of the University for making their dreams come true. Other beneficiaries recounted how economic hardships had affected their performance and asked for God’s blessings for the partners who have supported them.
Meanwhile, the President of KNUST Students’ Representative Council (SRC), Samuel Sesah expressed gratitude to Professor Dickson for conceptualizing the SONSOL Project; and the donors for the laptops given to the students.
He promised on behalf of the students to keep the computers in good shape and utilize them for its intended purpose, pledging on behalf of the SRC leadership to support the initiative with 50 laptops.
