Establishment of non science-focused varsities to be restricted — Ablakwa
The National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) has initiated moves to restrict the establishment of private universities that are not science-focused, a Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed.
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He said the NCTE had developed new guidelines and a framework that such universities had to meet.
Mr Ablakwa was interacting with students of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) on Tuesday as part of the ministry’s campus connect programme. It was on the theme: “Where good governance meets an empowered youth”.
Campus connect is a non-partisan vehicle through which the government and the management of institutions engage with students for them to have a greater understanding of national issues.
Restriction
Mr Ablakwa said the NCTE was also developing reforms that would guide the establishment of universities in the country by foreigners, adding: “We have done a lot of reforms to protect our territorial integrity.”
He said Ghana was becoming the hub of education in the sub-region, with more than 10,000 international students studying in tertiary institutions across the country
The deputy minister said despite the challenges, Ghana’s education had attained huge recognition worldwide.
“Our universities still remain the preferred institutions,” he stressed.
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On the conversion of polytechnic to technical universities, he said the technical universities “will not mimic the traditional universities and will remain skills-oriented”.
He said since the upgrading of teacher training colleges to tertiary institutions, enrolment had increased by 63.8 per cent, putting the teacher-trainee population currently at 47,000.
Utilities
Answering questions on the payment of utilities by students, Mr Ablakwa said Cabinet ‘s directive on that had not changed.
“We have set up a working committee to develop a sustainable blueprint. But let’s sincerely look at it whether or not this is sustainable,” he said.
For his part, the Minister of Transport, Mr Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, stated that the country’s development hinged on the positive contributions by all, saying: “Let’s put premium on what values must become our integral part, without which we fail as a nation.”
He said building the country remained a personal responsibility, adding that “this erroneous belief that somebody must do it will not help”.
The Central Regional Minister, Mr Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, said measures were being put in place to ensure adequate security on the university campuses and in the halls of residence in the face of the global terrorism threat.