Varsity programmes should reflect national needs

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Abetifi
12/03/08

PRESIDENT John Agyekum Kufuor has tasked the universities in the country to design their programmes to reflect the general needs of society instead of producing graduates with narrow specialisation.
He added that university authorities, in conjunction with industries and other stakeholders should come out with adaptable courses to enable their products meet the needs of society.
President Kufuor made the call in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of State for Tertiary Education, Ms Elizabeth Ohene, at the maiden congregation of the Presbyterian University College (PUC) at Abetifi on Saturday.
In all, 54 students were awarded degrees in Business Administration and Information and Communication Technology, out of which four, including a female, Miss Ama Nyaakua, obtained first class.
According to President Kufuor, the changing realities of life demanded that the universities designed new courses that would be beneficial to the society, adding that with the discovery of commercial quantities of oil in Ghana, such institutions of higher learning should turn out graduates who would be able to adapt to the needs of the country’s technological advancement.
“I want our universities to design their programmes to reflect the general needs of society and move away from the present narrow specialisation of graduates. This you can do by consulting with industry and stakeholders to ensure that your products meet the needs of the society”, President Kufuor stated.
He also told the students that they were entering the job market at a time the micro- economic indicators were promising a higher prospect for successful economic growth and that the country needed the skills of ICT and Business Administrators to advance the cause of the nation.
President Kufuor, who stated that products of Presbyterian educational institutions had been imbued with the church’s discipline, expressed the hope that the new graduates would live up to expectation of becoming intellectually-inclined good and responsible citizens.
President Kufuor also commended the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) for playing a sigificant role in the provision of junior and senior high schools, vocational institutions, nurses and teacher training colleges, and of late, a university, which he said had complemented the government’s efforts to provide quality education for the people.
The Moderator of the PCG, Rt Reverend Frempong Manso, said the church had realised its cherished aim of establishing a university to produce high calibre personnel to serve society and asked the new graduates to be worthy good ambassadors of the church by accepting postings to deprived areas in the country.
The Principal of the university, Professor K. Sraku-Lartey, said 700 students had been enrolled and were offering various programmes on its three campuses at Abetifi, Akropong-Akuapem and Agogo.
He said to serve Abetifi and its surrounding communities, the university had established outreach centres that dealt in projects such as aqua-culture and piggery within the area.
Mr Sam Okudzeto, Chairman of the University Council, appealed to the government to support private universities with funds from the GETFund to enable them to come out with scientific and technological programmes which, according to him, were expensive.
He expressed his appreciation to the church and chiefs in the area for supporting the univesity.
The Omanhene of the Kwahu Traditional Area, Daasebre Akuamoa Boateng, gave the assurance that the traditional council would continue to support the university and appealed to the government to improve the road network to the university’s satellite stations.
He was hopeful that the university college would soon be upgraded to a full university status.