The Member of Parliament for Krachi Nchumuru, Solomon Kuyon, has handed over a newly refurbished office complex and a consignment of computers to the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon.
The intervention seeks to address critical infrastructural deficits, enhance research capabilities for faculty, and improve teaching and learning outcomes for students within the department.
Speaking to journalists after the presentation, Kuyon dismissed assertions that the discipline of archaeology is uniquely marginalized or overlooked within the university ecosystem. He explained that infrastructural and logistical deficits are systemic challenges cutting across various academic disciplines.
”I don’t think that archaeology is overlooked in the university. It’s a challenge in all the schools, all the departments. Every department in the university has some deficits when it comes to infrastructure and all other things that they need to aid teaching and learning. And so, archaeology is one of those departments,” Kuyon stated.
Detailing his motivation for the gesture, the lawmaker revealed that his relationship with the department spans several years, predating his admission as a student at the University of Ghana. He noted that despite not majoring in archaeology during his undergraduate studies, he actively participated in the department’s nationwide ethnographic field research.
”That bond has been there from the time before even I came to Legon till today. We are like a family, become one family. And so, if archaeology is facing challenges, I think, and I’m in a position to help, I should not hesitate to do that. It’s one of the reasons why I have decided to execute this project for them,” he noted.
Kuyon emphasized the indispensability of information technology in contemporary tertiary education, stating that the donated computers would provide students and faculty with the required tools to optimize academic output. He added that the newly partitioned, private office spaces would give lecturers the quietude needed to conduct rigorous research for academic progression.
”It is to help you privately sit down and be able to research and come out with articles and come out with maybe research resource that can help promote you. It shouldn’t be satisfied at where you are. And so, this is going to help the teachers, the lecturers as well… to expedite on their research and come out with articles that will lead to their promotions,” the MP remarked.
Dean Applauds Gesture, Rallies Alumni Support
The Dean of the School of Arts, Professor Wazi Apoh, expressed gratitude for the intervention, disclosing that the department had long grappled with severe congestion, with up to three senior faculty members sharing a single office space.
Apoh indicated that the project has successfully resolved these constraints for the vast majority of the faculty.
”Today, we are happy that about 80 percent of faculty in the department have their own personal space. Compared to other departments on campus, they don’t have this luxury. So as I said in my speech, we expect that we use these spaces productively to research in peace and also use a space to be able to interact with graduate students and their mentees,” Apo explained.
The Dean noted that the newly created spaces align with the school’s strategic pillar of improving the overall student experience by allowing graduate students and mentees to interact privately and open up more freely with their advisors.
Apo described Kuyon as an associate member of the department who has consistently maintained close ties with faculty. He revealed that the MP has also pledged to institute a scholarship scheme for students, using the opportunity to appeal to other alumni of the School of Arts—encompassing the departments of History, Philosophy and Classics, and the Study of Religions—to support their alma mater.
”Please come to our aid. You are once here, we train you and you are in good positions now. It’s time to give back. We are training young ones, your children, your nieces, your cousins, they are with us. And we can do it better when we have sound facility, we have sound research grants, we have scholarship for them,” Apo urged, pointing out that economic hardships frequently prevent brilliant but needy students from funding their education.
The Dean made a specific appeal to the Deputy Minister of Education, Clement Apaak, who is a former student, national service person, and lecturer at the department.
Apoh recounted their shared history as co-founders of the Legon Archaeology Students Association (LASA) and called on him to leverage his state portfolio to assist the department, particularly in funding advanced postgraduate studies.
Highlighting the department’s long-term needs, the Dean concluded by noting that the student population across various levels has surged to approximately 4,000, rendering the current library facility inadequate and making the expansion of the departmental library an urgent priority.
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
