Don’t politicise, tribalise Vice-Chancellors, universities – Agyinasare

The Presiding Bishop of Perez Chapel International, Bishop Charles Agyinasare, has warned against politicizing and tribalising Ghana’s universities and tertiary institutions.

Certain communities in some parts of Ghana have, reportedly been pushing for natives of those areas to be appointed as Vice-Chancellors in tertiary institutions such as the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), University of Development Studies (UDS) and the University of Energy and Sustainable Development (UESD) amongst many.

However, in his virtual sermon on Sunday, 28 June 2020, Bishop Agyinasare said education, being one of the seven pillars that hold any society together, must be insulated from political and tribal tendencies.

“Studying or education is very important”, Bishop Agyinasare, who is popularly known as the Nations’ Pastor, said.

Bishop Agyinasare, who is also the Chancellor of Perez University College, admonished: “We don’t have to play the politics of tribalism with, especially our tertiary education in government universities as certain communities are beginning to demand”.

“We must not have Vice-Chancellors because they come from a particular place where the institution is but because they can get the job done”, he asserted, adding: “We are one country and should be able to serve the nation in any vicinity”.

According to Bishop Agyinasare, “Some of the greatest V-Cs who have made impact, did not come from the community where they served or are serving”.

Citing an example to drive home his point, Bishop Agyinasare said Prof Jerry Samuel Yaw Kuma, a professor of geological engineering, who was inducted into office as the second Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), is an Ewe from the Volta Region and not from Wassa in the Western Region, but has “headed this great university helping to raise world-class engineers and the people so love him”.

Also, Bishop Agyinasare noted that Professor John Owusu Gyapong, a professor of Epidemiology, who is currently the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Volta Region, “is not an Ewe but is also making sure solid doctors and health professionals are raised”.

Using the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to cement his point, he said although the university is in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, most of its Vice-Chancellors have been non-Asantes such as Prof Obiri-Danso (Eastern Region), Prof Otoo-Ellis (Central Region), Prof Adarkwa (Eastern Region), Prof Andam (Central Region), Prof Ayim (Eastern Region), Prof Tuah (Bono Region), Prof Amonoo-Neizer (Central Region), Prof Kwami (Volta Region), Prof Bamfo-Kwakye (Eastern Region), Prof Evans-Anfom (Greater Accra) and Prof RP Baffour (Central Region).