- Female enrollment in KNUST’s Physics Department has significantly increased
- 23 female students received scholarships in the 2024/2025 academic year
- Award programme started with just one recipient 28 years ago
The Physics Department at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has recorded a notable increase in female enrollment, largely attributed to the introduction of an annual Physics awards scheme under the Dr. K.C. Whittaker Endowment Fund.
Before the awards initiative began 28 years ago, female representation in the department was minimal. However, the scholarship programme has since played a vital role in encouraging more women to pursue studies in Physics at the university.
During the 2024/2025 edition of the awards, 23 female students received financial support to aid their academic journey.
Professor Leonard Kofi Amekudzi, Provost of the College of Science and Atmospheric Physics, credited the increase in female participation to the impact of the awards.
He recalled that in the 1960s, during the tenure of Dr. K.C. Whittaker as Dean, there were no female students in the Physics department. The current award scheme, established by the K.C. Whittaker Foundation, was created specifically to change that narrative.
Prof. Amekudzi noted that while the award initially supported just one student in its first year, it now benefits over 20 female students annually — a testament to its growing impact.
