More than seven thousand first and second year students of the University for Development Studies, UDS, have been deployed to rural communities to begin their Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP).
Over the next eight weeks, the students will undertake research in the communities in which they have been deployed, to identify development challenges and make recommendations for addressing the problems using local resources.
The students have been deployed to the Northern, Oti, Upper East, Upper West, North East and the Bono regions.
The TTFPP is unique to the UDS and aims at giving students the opportunity to live and experience rural life with the hope that this could make the students more receptive to accepting to living and working in such communities upon graduation.
According to the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Seidu Alhassan, as a development oriented university, the TTFPP also seeks to introduce students of the university to the developmental challenges confronting rural Ghana.
Addressing some of the students in Bimbilla before the final departure to their communities, Professor Seidu Alhassan, encouraged them to face their challenges with confidence and contribute towards building their adopted communities.
The Coordinator of the TTFPP, Professor Wese, on his part appealed to the students to be open minded and embrace the culture of their host communities.
Some of the students who spoke with GBC News, maintained that though they were anxious about the challenges ahead of them, they believe they will eventually get used to their new environments.
