CSUC to benefit from Korean IT expertise

The Christian Service University College, in Kumasi, has welcomed a team of Korean IT volunteers into the country, to help in the training of students and faculty members in mobile application development and other IT related programmes.

The visit of the Korean IT volunteers, who will be in the country for eight weeks, was facilitated by the Ghana Internet Safety Foundation (GISF) in partnership with CSUC through the World Friends IT Volunteers (KIV) program organized and operated by the National Information Society Agency (NIA), Republic of Korea.

KIV provides the recipient countries and organizations with IT learning courses and other IT-related volunteering activities to meet the demand in sharing their IT knowledge and skills.  KIV also participate in IT projects such as maintenance or development of IT systems or applications, while conducting co-projects with students and faculties of various universities.

At a meeting with the newly appointed President of CSUC, Prof. Sam Afrane, to formally welcome the 8-member team and receive a full brief on their visit, he noted that academic exchange programmes is a major feature of modern academic system.

He said such programmes affords ‘lecturers and staff move to other universities and colleges to promote academic exchange and more importantly to promote international understanding.’

He said doing these enriches the cultural view of the world while also enhancing cultural understanding and tolerance globally.

He expressed his delight with the visit of the Korean IT volunteers particularly to the Christian Service University College given the huge impact their coming would bring to the Computer Science Department of the School.

He noted that the visit also offers an avenue for the School to begin high level discussions in how to collaborate more in the area of staff development, research and other areas of cultural exchange.

He said although much of their time would be spent in the Afigya Kwabre District, also to offer ICT training to some basic teachers among others, CSUC sees itself privileged to have contributed to offer the opportunity for the basic school teachers and students to also benefit from the visit of the team.

“As an academic institution, we are not only supposed to promote teaching and learning, but also supposed to make direct contribution to society,” he stated.

Head of GISF, Dr. Yeboah, added that the coming of the volunteers, from Korea Tech University in Gumi and Kumoh Institute of Technology also in Cheon-An, all in South Korea, would not only be of benefit to students of CSUC but also students of other IT colleges and universities in the country.

In a related development, a joint delegation led by the Christian Service University College (CSUC), paid a courtesy call on the Korean Ambassador to Ghana, Woon-Ki Lyeo in Accra.

The delegation led by the Vice President of CSUC, Prof. Stephen E. Owusu, went to officially introduce the 8-member team from the World Friends IT Volunteers from Korea who are partnering the Department of Computer Science of CSUC to undertake the IT-related community impact projects.

The Korean IT volunteers comprising of two teams, HotSpot and Nda Gukunda, will also train students and faculty of CSUC and other interested persons in IT to improve their knowledge and skills.

Specific area of focus will include the development of android mobile applications that relates to internet safety.

At the visit, various issues of common interests were also discussed. Prof. Owusu called for support for CSUC’s ongoing ICT/Library complex project, as well as investment in the ICT infrastructure of the University College.

Both sides further discussed ways and means to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas such as cultural relations, ICT training and institutional development.

The Korean Ambassador Lyeo, welcoming the delegation, said “the visit provides a platform for CSUC to discuss the potential areas of collaboration with the Government of Korea and other academic and research-based institutions in Korea.”

He expressed delight at the visit and thanked the authorities of CSUC for initiating such bilateral partnership between the institution and Korea.

Ambassador Lyeo also expressed the hope that the visit by the Korean IT volunteers would be useful and contributes significantly towards the development of the country, particularly in the area of ICT.