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Successful educational reforms will
depend on training colleges - President
Cape Coast, Oct. 20, Ghanadot - The President, Mr John
Agyekum Kufuor, in an address read for him by Ms. Elizabeth
Ohene, a Minister of State at Ministry of Education, Science
and Sports, at the ‘second session’ of the 38th annual
congregation of the UCC, in Cape Coast on Saturday, tasks
UCC to ensure the successful implementation of the new
educational reforms to enhance quality education in the
country.
The address read by Ms. Ohene pointed out that tertiary
level education, depended on the quality of the preparation
at the pre-tertiary level, and that the UCC as the premier
teaching university, “must therefore, take keen interest in
what happens at the basic and secondary school levels.”
The President noted in the address that the educational
reforms, was the most important and far-reaching
intervention instituted by the government, in addition to
interventions like the capitation grant and school feeding
programmes and the upgrading of teacher training colleges.
He commended the UCC for the great strides it has made in
introducing programmes and courses geared towards addressing
the needs of the job market, but cautioned that this
enjoined the university to ensure quality to satisfy the
market.
“It is crucial that academic quality is not compromised by
the anxiety to fill the market”, he stressed, and expressed
happiness at the university’s efforts to perfect the
distance education and sandwich programmes designed to meet
the needs of teachers and other workers who cannot take time
off to study full time.
Touching on the UCC’s school of Medical Sciences, the
President was happy that the university had been granted
accreditation for the commencement of the School and pledged
the government’s support towards the project.
He urged it to draw on the experience the nation has had in
the establishment of Schools of Medicine, in order to ensure
that it is not “guided solely by enthusiasm”.
The President, exhorted the graduands to endeavour to apply
themselves to improve the society and to be responsible
citizens, since the nation had invested a lot in them.
The Vice-Chancellor, Reverend Professor Emmanuel Adow Obeng,
for his part, enumerated various programmes being
undertaking throughout the university to enhance all spheres
of academic work to enhance its contribution to national
development.
He said for instance, the Faculty of Social Sciences, had
set up an Economic Modelling Unit to provide in-service
training in policy modelling and techniques for the
technical staff of the National Development Planning
Commission (NDPC), the Ministry of Finance and Economic
Planning, Bank of Ghana and other government
agencies.
The unit, he said, also intends to collaborate with other
institutions to build an economic model for the country.
In his welcoming address, the Chancellor of the UCC, Sir Sam
Jonah, expressed hapiness that the UCC continues to evolve
strategies to meet the challenges of the job.
At the ceremony, students from Graduate Studies, School of
Business, and the Faculties of Education, Science and Social
Sciences, were presented with degrees, diplomas and
certificates.
A total of 6,235 students graduated this year, with Mr
Ernest Jackson-Kuofie, a computer science student, who had
First Class in Computer Science, emerging the overall best
graduating student, and Ms. Mavis Owusu-Mensah, a visually
impaired student, the best graduating blind student.
GNA
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