The government has released GH¢3 million for the expansion of tertiary education in the country.
The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, said the funds were for the establishment of two public universities — the University of Health and Allied Sciences and the University of Energy and Natural Resources.
In a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Education, Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, at the launch of the 10th anniversary of the Wisconsin International University College on the theme, “Making higher education accessible to diverse people”, Mr Mahama indicated that a task force was working hard on the modalities for the establishment of the two universities.
He said the level of knowledge and entrepreneurial skills acquired by the youth would play a key role in the country’s economic development and, therefore, called on tertiary institutions to offer programmes that would make the youth acquire skills that could easily make them self-employed.
He said the government was determined to make education the cornerstone of the country’s development agenda, with emphasis on skills acquisition.
“It is through tertiary education that the nation can train the needed manpower to accelerate its socio-economic development,” he stressed.
Mr Mahama said the government was aware of the challenges private tertiary institutions and students faced and pointed out that in spite of budgetary constraints, “we will continue to adopt policies and programmes that will promote a conducive environment for tertiary education”.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof Naana Opoku-Agyeman, said higher education played an important role in a country’s development, adding that it was the driving force of a country’s social, economic and cultural sectors.
“Making higher education accessible to all should not just be an end but a means for the government to integrate it into the nation’s budget,” she said.
She expressed concern over what she termed “the influx of remedial classes in the country” and called for the strengthening of the country’s educational system to ensure quality tuition that would prepare students for the job market.
The Principal of the Wisconsin International University College, Dr John A. Sackey, said it was affiliated to the UCC after its establishment in 2000 and received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board (NAB).
He said the university offered both graduate and undergraduate programmes that sharpened the skills of students and prepared them well for the job market.
Awards were presented to the founding fathers of the university and long-serving members of staff.
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