Overview

 Language can be defined as a system for encoding and decoding information. One of the most noticeable manifestations of spoken languages is English. Gradually, French is becoming a modern language spoken by millions of people and is learned for its usefulness as a tool of communication or lingua franca. Classical languages (also called "dead languages") such as Latin, Attic Greek, Sanskrit, and Classical Chinese are studied for their cultural or linguistic value.
It is for this course that it has become vital that every student in the university learns another language aside from the language for tuition; English. The Department of Modern Languages of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is therefore up to the daunting task of developing a rich language base of the country in both our local dialect and in the international languages to promote productive relations and self-image of the students.

The Department has two sections running two undergraduate programmes leading to Bachelor of Arts (French) and Bachelor of Arts (Akan) and graduate studies in French. The Department is actively engaged in the areas of teaching and research at both undergraduate and graduate levels. In consonance with the University's corporate strategic objective which is to maintain high academic standards in learning and research, the department, during the academic year under review has been exploiting the possibility of establishing an inter-university Ph.D programme in order to contribute to a better use of resources in higher institutions through the mobility of lecturers and researchers from partner institutions.

During the year under review, the shortfall in staff strength, as well as aging staff, continued to be experienced, hindering the expansion of programmes in the department. In addition, lack of adequate Ph.D. holders in the department has been the department's main concern, making teaching and supervision at the graduate level quite challenging. The department has therefore embarked on a vigorous recruitment drive from both corporate institutions and other universities.

Again the department has put in place other strategies for quick and effective completion of Ph.D. programmes.

However, both academic and administrative staff fulfilled quite adequately their main obligations with respect to administrative work, teaching and research and publications as well as service to the university community.

The department envisages a new approach to its programmes in the coming year to make the department a center of excellence in language teaching and learning as well as the dissemination of knowledge of language and culture.

Plans are underway to introduce another modern language and a translation bureau in the Department