Bring your academic gowns to town - Veep tells UDS Grandaunts

Vice President Kwesi Amissah Arthur has called on grandaunts from the University of Development Studies (UDS) to share the success of their academic strategy with more of the public, serving as example of bringing their academic gowns to town.

Vice President Amissah Arthur who was accompanied by his wife, Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur, was speaking at the 15th Congregation of the University for Development Studies (UDS) at the Wa Campus, in the Upper West Region on Saturday 6th December 2014.

He said such efforts will confirm the role of the UDS as a people centered institution with the mandate to address the conditions of structural causes of poverty, particularly in the Northern parts of Ghana.

Mr. Kwesi Amissah Arthur further stated that their unique structure of serving the three northern regions is a source of great strength and this makes the UDS not only unique, but also much focused, so we therefore need to guard this character.

Vice President Kwesi Amissah Arthur , said the Ministry of Education is in the process of reviewing a submission from the National Council for Tertiary Education on differentiation and diversification of tertiary education, so when completed institutions would be held strictly accountable for their mandates, something that is intended to improve the efficiency and accountability in the system.

He praised the UDS for taking up the challenge of increasing access to higher education for the increasing number of qualified applicants, recalling how the university started with an intake of 40 students in 1993 and today the student population is in excess of 19,000,a remarkable achievement, given the challenges that the university faces.

Vice President Kwesi Amissah Arthur announced that government is committed to improving quality education and equitable access to tertiary education in the country, so government has started work on three initiatives.

He said the first is the completion of the framework and governance structure of the establishment of a University in the Eastern Region, awaiting parliamentary approval for the establishment of that university,

Secondly the draft bill and guidelines for the convention of polytechnics to Technical Universities are also ready, with the aim of rebranding Technical and Vocational Education and to ensure a closer link between the works of training of personnel with technical skills.

Thirdly, quality teacher education program has been a priority of government; therefore they are conducting a review of the teacher education program.

At the same time the migration of colleges of education to full tertiary status is almost complete with the passage of the enabling act and harmonized status, so the fair wages and salaries commission is working with the NCTE to complete all aspects of the migration.

The Day also marked the 2nd National Sanitation Day, so he took the opportunity to salute Ghanaians for taking part in the campaign and called on Ghanaians to embrace the day scheduled for the first Saturday of every month, calling on us as a people to help keep our environment clean, so as to avoid diseases like malaria and filth associated diseases like cholera and diarrhea.

The Wa Campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS) formally awarded 3000 grandaunts

Those who graduated were from the Integrated Development Studies, Planning and Land Management and others pursued programmes at the School of Business and Law.

Professor Haruna Yakubu, Vice Chancellor of the University, said the decision to decentralize congregation ceremonies of the university was carefully thought out this year to reduce the pressure on students and management as a result of the growing number of students graduating annually.

He said next week, congregation ceremonies would be organized for another set of 3000 in Tamale for graduates from the Tamale, Navrongo and Nyankpala campuses.

Vice President joined the NDC women’s wing at the WA Secondary Technical School where they were holding their national election for the positions of National women’s organizer and their deputies

He urged the women to keep up the spirit of the party high since they were the future of the party and urged them to accept any of the contestants who win since they are all good candidates that he knows very well.