Government to set up National Research Fund
Plans are far advanced to set up the National Research Fund early next year to solve the problem of inadequate funding of research in the country, the Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, has said.
He explained that the government would invite proposals early in the New Year, for limited funding for research from the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE).
The Vice-President made this known at the 15th graduation ceremony of the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Wa last Saturday.
"The government is committed to solving the problem of inadequate funding of research in the country," he said.
In all 3,896 graduates were awarded various certificates in postgraduate and bachelor's degrees, as well as diplomas, after completing different academic programmes.
Six graduates including three females who passed with Second Class Upper received special awards, including cash for their meritorious achievements.
They are Mr Paul Acheampong, Paul Boniface Akaabre and Emmanuel Kwaku Yeboah, while the females are Ms Millicent Akrofi, Ms Salamatu Jibrial and Ms Janet Eyram Damalie. In all, there was no First Class.
Vice-President Amissah-Arthur outlined the government's three-pronged approach in ensuring quality and equitable access to tertiary education in the country.
These are the framework and governance structure for the establishment of a university in the Eastern Region, a draft bill and guidelines for the conversion of polytechnics to technical universities and the migration of colleges of education to full tertiary status.
The uniqueness of UDS to alleviate poverty
He explained that the government was proud for the progression of the UDS in its ability to blend academic work and cultural practices of the three northern regions to address the causes of poverty, illiteracy and ignorance in the area.
He said so far the university had achieved its mandate as a people-centred institution and is addressing the conditions and structural causes of poverty, particularly in the northern part of the country.
"The UDS was established with the mandate to blend the academic world with that of the community in order to provide constructive interaction between the two for the total development of the Northern Region in particular and the country as a whole," he added.
Importance of the Fufulso-Sawla road
The Chairman of the UDS Council, Dr A.B. Salifu, was grateful to the government for the renovation of the 100-kilometre-road between Fufulso and Sawla in the Northern Region which has now opened up the three northern regions.
Dr Salifu said with the renovation of that stretch of road, it had made activities easier and facilitated education process for the UDS which has campuses in the three regions.
The Vice Chancellor of UDS, Wa Campus, Professor Haruna Yakubu, said the University's promise to establish an institute for the Study of Ethics would be fulfilled next academic year. That, he said, was to tackle the issue of moral and social responsiveness.
