"Include Private Universities In GETFund Allocations", Thursday, Nov, 19, 2011
Authorities of private universities in the country have called on the government to include their institutions in the allocations of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) in order to increase access to university education in the country.
“We are part owners of the Fund and it is only fair that it is opened to us to expand infrastructure and improve access to university education to the youth.”
The Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Private University of Ghana (CHPUG), Prof. James Hawkins Ephraim, made the call at the fourth congregation of the Wisconsin International University College, Ghana at Agbogba in Accra.
Prof. Ephraim noted that the contribution of private universities to the development of the country could not be underrated hence the need to support them to lubricate the development of human resource in the country and ultimately, the country’s growth.
In all, 804 students were awarded with first degrees in programmes including Computer Science, Management Computer Studies, Business Studies and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with 128 students being awarded First Class.
The occasion was used to award staff and students of the university who excelled in their various fields of endeavour.
Ms Dorcas Tandoh emerged the overall best student at the undergraduate level, while the prize for the overall best MBA student went to Mr Daniel Nii Okae Tagoe.
Other awards were those for best Marketing and Finance student going to Ms Priscilla Appiah Larbi, the Vice Chancelor’s award for Quantitative Methods (male), went to Mr Emmanuel Nwingwe Madzibugwe; Vice Chancelor’s award for Quantitative Methods (female), was taken by Ms Priscilla Vivien Frimpong, while the best worker award was received by Ms Ernestina Amokwandoh. Mr Emmanuel Acquah-Sam smiled home with the the best lecturer award.
Prof. Ephraim, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Catholic University College and the guest of honour for the occasion, noted with concern, that among the greatest challenges facing private universities was the lack of recognition and respect for private universities by the authorities even though they remained partners in development.
“It does not help if all stakeholders in private tertiary institutions are treated as ‘common criminals’,”he stated.
The CHPUG Chairman noted with concern the inadequate representation of private universities on both the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) and the National Accreditation Board (NAB) even though they outnumbered the public universities in the country.
He said it was regrettable that ”even though private universities produce students who are compelled by law to perform National Service, if a private university engages any National Service Personnel, the university pays the allowances of the students”.
He, therefore, suggested that the universities could improve quality norms, share best practices in tertiary education and also the comparison of prices with the objective of making tertiary education accessible to as many students as possible.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Kaku Sagary, said the university had created department to build students capacity and was providing services including job enhancement programmes with Atlas International in the oil and gas industry and certificate programmes in para-legal studies, forensic investigations and statistics.
In order to maintain a high level of training, he said the university had upgraded its technological infrastructure and expanded its physical facilities.
Two four-storey lecture halls, office, library and computer laboratory had been completed,while a second five-storey lecture hall had been initiated, bringing the estimated total cost of the facilities to GHC 12 million when completed.
He advised the students to make good use of the values they had learnt at the university, saying “education serves no purpose if it cannot be put to service, and that it’s not the class of degree that matters but the values learnt and how they can be used to shape mankind”.
He dismissed the notion that private universities admitted students who were considered not qualified by the Ministry of Education and the NCTE standards.
“We are urging appropriate bodies to make it possible for all qualified students to receive education. Combined efforts of government and private sector are necessary to satisfy the need for higher education more fully,” he said.
The Chancellor of the University, Rev Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, bemoaned the increasing waste of funds on social activities including weddings and funerals to the detriment of education.
“Education is the backbone of the development of every country. Let us spend wisely, and on things that will be of benefit”.
He, therefore, urged the youth to spend their spare resources on their education rather than frivolous things including expensive phones.
“We are part owners of the Fund and it is only fair that it is opened to us to expand infrastructure and improve access to university education to the youth.”
The Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Private University of Ghana (CHPUG), Prof. James Hawkins Ephraim, made the call at the fourth congregation of the Wisconsin International University College, Ghana at Agbogba in Accra.
Prof. Ephraim noted that the contribution of private universities to the development of the country could not be underrated hence the need to support them to lubricate the development of human resource in the country and ultimately, the country’s growth.
In all, 804 students were awarded with first degrees in programmes including Computer Science, Management Computer Studies, Business Studies and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with 128 students being awarded First Class.
The occasion was used to award staff and students of the university who excelled in their various fields of endeavour.
Ms Dorcas Tandoh emerged the overall best student at the undergraduate level, while the prize for the overall best MBA student went to Mr Daniel Nii Okae Tagoe.
Other awards were those for best Marketing and Finance student going to Ms Priscilla Appiah Larbi, the Vice Chancelor’s award for Quantitative Methods (male), went to Mr Emmanuel Nwingwe Madzibugwe; Vice Chancelor’s award for Quantitative Methods (female), was taken by Ms Priscilla Vivien Frimpong, while the best worker award was received by Ms Ernestina Amokwandoh. Mr Emmanuel Acquah-Sam smiled home with the the best lecturer award.
Prof. Ephraim, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Catholic University College and the guest of honour for the occasion, noted with concern, that among the greatest challenges facing private universities was the lack of recognition and respect for private universities by the authorities even though they remained partners in development.
“It does not help if all stakeholders in private tertiary institutions are treated as ‘common criminals’,”he stated.
The CHPUG Chairman noted with concern the inadequate representation of private universities on both the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) and the National Accreditation Board (NAB) even though they outnumbered the public universities in the country.
He said it was regrettable that ”even though private universities produce students who are compelled by law to perform National Service, if a private university engages any National Service Personnel, the university pays the allowances of the students”.
He, therefore, suggested that the universities could improve quality norms, share best practices in tertiary education and also the comparison of prices with the objective of making tertiary education accessible to as many students as possible.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Kaku Sagary, said the university had created department to build students capacity and was providing services including job enhancement programmes with Atlas International in the oil and gas industry and certificate programmes in para-legal studies, forensic investigations and statistics.
In order to maintain a high level of training, he said the university had upgraded its technological infrastructure and expanded its physical facilities.
Two four-storey lecture halls, office, library and computer laboratory had been completed,while a second five-storey lecture hall had been initiated, bringing the estimated total cost of the facilities to GHC 12 million when completed.
He advised the students to make good use of the values they had learnt at the university, saying “education serves no purpose if it cannot be put to service, and that it’s not the class of degree that matters but the values learnt and how they can be used to shape mankind”.
He dismissed the notion that private universities admitted students who were considered not qualified by the Ministry of Education and the NCTE standards.
“We are urging appropriate bodies to make it possible for all qualified students to receive education. Combined efforts of government and private sector are necessary to satisfy the need for higher education more fully,” he said.
The Chancellor of the University, Rev Dr Paul Kofi Fynn, bemoaned the increasing waste of funds on social activities including weddings and funerals to the detriment of education.
“Education is the backbone of the development of every country. Let us spend wisely, and on things that will be of benefit”.
He, therefore, urged the youth to spend their spare resources on their education rather than frivolous things including expensive phones.
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