Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has indicated that it came as a shock to him when the Auditor-General’s report revealed that some universities in Ghana are running unaccredited programmes.
He said the prestige of the country’s university system, the credibility and recognition of the certificates issued rest substantially on the time honoured and generally acknowledged quality assurance system.
The Vice President said it is therefore critical for the protection of the country’s higher education system.
He said this at the Fifth Investiture ceremony of the New Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies, Professor Seidu Alhassan in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital.
Dr. Bawumia said the country must have a zero tolerance for such lapses.
“As a country, we must have zero tolerance for such development. That is why I applauded the efforts of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Ministry of Education (MoE) to ensure that there is strict adherence to the regulatory requirements of the education regulatory body’s Act 2020, Act 1023,” he said.
He charged all Vice Chancellor’s in Ghana to ensure they get all their courses accredited.
“So may I suggest to you Mr. Vice Chancellor that one of your immediate tasks should be to take inventory of your programs and make all ongoing and new ones accredited before you enroll students into them,” Dr. Bawumia said.
The Vice President also charged the leadership of the University for Development Studies (UDS) to realign their programs and research activities with the government priority agenda for creating a critical mass of impactful human capital.
He said as the Vice Chancellor assumes office, he expects the University to stay the cause it has carved a niche in and reinvent itself as a university that takes pride in its relevance.
He said the dual task for tertiary institutions is to achieve a gross tertiary enrollment ratio of forty percent overall and the proportion enrollment of science and technology programs relative to humanity ratio of 60:40 to 40 by the end of the year 2030.
“It is the expectation of government that the UDS will prioritise the role of programs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines while re-accessing the relevance of others,” he noted.
Dr. Bawumia said the Ministry of Education is working to create a pipeline of well prepared students to feed into the tertiary system.
“The Free Senior High School policy, curriculum reforms, rolling out of specialised STEM senior High Schools and Technical Colleges are only but a few of these pipeline interventions,” he added.
He gave the assurance that government would continue to invest in the provision of appropriate infrastructure and the core personnel required for effective and efficient operations of the universities and other tertiary institutions.
“I am informed that the GETFUND has put together a plan to complete all ongoing infrastructure projects in tertiary institutions within 18 to 24 months,” he said.
He said investment in infrastructure through the educational system has been one of the very tangible interventions of the Nana Addo government and they intend to continue in spite of the current economic challenges.
The Vice Chancellor for UDS, Professor Seidu Alhassan said his aim is to provide effective leadership and a cordial environment that would further develop the University into a practical-oriented institution that is internationally recognised for academic excellence.
He said an excellent academic foundation has been laid already, hence the need to build on it.
Prof Seidu said the University’s academic planning must tap into the frontiers of knowledge that cut across, academic excellence and community service, especially in areas they have a comparative advantage.
He added that the overall goal is to strengthen existing programs and introduce innovative ones in line with current realities.
He said academic infrastructure will be enhanced, adding that the UDS strategic research plan will be actualised to guide research excellence.
In a speech read on behalf of the Overlord of Dagbon Yana Abukari by the Zangbalun Lana Naa, Dr. Jacob Mahama, said the UDS was created to address certain needs of the area and urged the new VC to be guided by the objective for which it was created.
He urged the University’s authorities to blend its academic work with the community in order to provide a constructive interaction between the two for the total development of Northern Ghana and Ghana as a whole.
The Yana said the role of the UDS in the development of the area is enormous, therefore he is ready to offer all the support they need to bring development to the area.
He thanked the VC and government for their assurance to transform the Yendi Campus of the UDS
