Tertiary institutions are tasked by the leaders to come up with workable solutions to problems.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has given tertiary institutions across the country the task of coming up with an innovative and effective way to work with businesses and industry to find practical solutions to urgent problems. He proclaimed that the government was committed to bolstering existing systems and structures to ensure that universities fulfilled their duty to produce graduates who may speed up the nation's and global development. At Legon in Accra yesterday to commemorate the University of Ghana's 75th anniversary, President Akufo-Addo stated that the government "fully supports and shares in your perception to become a research-intensive school, and we will do everything in our power to help you understand it."
According to President Akufo-Addo, 75 years in an institution's existence is no small accomplishment, and the University College of Gold Coast has grown from its humble beginnings in 1948, when it was housed on the grounds of Achimota College, to one of the top colleges in Africa. He continued, "The university continues to be a proud pacesetter in mentoring and nurturing higher institutions and think tanks in the country," adding that there is now widespread recognition of the university's faculties and students' excellent performance as well as the professional successes chalked up by her alumni, both domestically and abroad.
The school, according to the president, has consistently met its goal of creating top-notch human resources and capabilities to meet national and international development needs. The Vice-Chancellor then appointed a 22-member council to oversee the year-long occasion, which kicked off on August 30, 2022. In addition to public lectures, enjoyment games, sports, and community services, this led to the creation of a company competition that included tree planting and blood donation activities. To commemorate the celebration, both Muslims and Christians took part in today's prayers and thanksgiving services. A special congregation was also held to bestow honorary degrees on a few notable people.
When President Akufo-Addo said that the anniversary undoubtedly brought back memories, but for him, the invaluable function of Dr. J., he made reference to the history of the nation's best university. The public was successfully persuaded to desire the construction of the university by B. Danquah. He claimed that the "inspired creative leadership of this great scholar and nationalist" was responsible for the university's foundation. According to the President, Dr. Danquah persuaded the British East African government to approve a separate university for the country, which would have been located in Ibadan, Nigeria, based on his minority recommendation after making several fervent interventions in the then-legislative council.
How fortunate that choice was, and how much it aided Ghana's current development. It would be entirely appropriate— if not improbable— to describe J. B. On the 75th anniversary of the university's founding, Danquah as its founder may be vividly remembered by all who have been and are benefited from his work, he emphasized, emphasizing. Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, vice chancellor of the University of Ghana, thanked everyone for their ongoing support, including the school neighborhood, partners, and the celebration planning committee. She urged everyone to keep making contributions to the university's achievement and expressed the hope that more would be accomplished in the following 75 years.
As part of the anniversary party, Prof. Amfo requested funding for the development of a legacy project that would include meeting rooms, an incubation center, and leadership training facilities. She also urged school stakeholders, including alumni, lecturers, and students, to celebrate the university's opening on October 11 by wearing its colors and posting a photo on social media. The university was founded on August 11.
Why don't the universities talk about it?
It is disturbing that the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, GTEC, revealed last week that the persons behind the advertisements inviting mature students to register for classes to prepare them for the entrance examinations to the main universities in the country are scam artists. The GTEC therefore recommended that these advertisements should not be patronised by the general public, especially for adults who are interested in higher education. The advertisers invite adults 25 years and above to register for tertiary education at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), University of Education, Winneba (UEW), or University of Ghana (UG), Legon. According to these advertisements, prospective candidates must be 25 years old or older and have not taken a West African School Certificate exam of the WASCE to qualify.
Nevertheless, those allegations were rejected by the GTEC and they issued a warning to the general public, particularly adults, not to take up these advertisements which are described as scams. The GTEC says there is nothing like being admitted as a mature student without any certificate, specifying that indeed, a potential student needs to have some form of certificate. The Deputy Director-General of GTEC, Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, explained that for GTEC admission requirements for mature students, the prospective candidate needed to have a credit in English and Mathematics and also pass an entrance examination depending on the way the particular university wanted it. A student must have relevant work experience, as it is possible to gain access to higher education while meeting a minimum requirement if he or she does not fulfill one of those requirements on account of the requisite working experience.
It is obvious that English and mathematics are the core of our current educational system, but there can be no student admitted without some basic requirement other than age. The Daily Graphic finds it strange that these advertisements have persisted over the years if, indeed, those behind these notices are scammers. If that's the case, then a whole lot of people would surely have been affected by their activities. It is even more remarkable that Professor Jinapor has confirmed his company's contacts with the intended beneficiary institutions on this issue, and denied their appointment of any agent to carry out those examinations for them. It's surprising, 'cause the people who put these ads on are not anonymous. The numbers of their contacts are boldly and publicly shown on the notice. The Brytgh wonders why the colleges listed in these advertisements didn't react to this, but let some individuals and groups of people scam their way around unsuspecting adults wishing to pursue higher education. Is it known to these universities that their image and reputation are negatively affected by such activities?
The BrytGh wonders whether the universities that have been proclaimed beneficiaries of this program truly know what's happening behind these advertisements. We've been persuaded that certain officials of these universities are in charge of the courses and this is why they dare to call them "Universities" without thinking about being asked questions. The academic authorities of these universities should open an investigation into such activities, identify the real faces involved in those advertising campaigns, and ascertain whether certain staff are exploiting their university names to make illicit profits. It is expected that the management of universities which are often mentioned in these advertisements will publicly distance themselves from them. Unfortunately, the GTEC, the regulator in the tertiary education space, looks on helplessly because its mandate does not cover activities outside the vicinity of the tertiary space. To that end, GTEC could just as well educate potential students about the dangers of this activity and show them how to be careful.
