Government Cuts Subvention to Varsities

The monthly Government subvention to the country's universities has been reduced drastically this year. As a result, the University of Ghana (UG) suffered a reduction from three hundred and forty-five million a month to eighty-five million cedis.

About ninety per cent of the monthly subvention goes into salaries of staff of the university, and this sizable downward cut took effect from February this year.

The Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Edward Ofori-Sarpong disclosed this in a lecture marking the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Konongo-Odumasi Secondary School (Great KOSS) at Konongo-Odumasi at the weekend.

Speaking on the topic: "Improving the quality of basic education in Ghana," he said the amount released falls far short of UG's budgetary expectation and hinted that four billion cedis has been spent for Chemicals alone for research purposes.

He suggested that all students pursuing degree courses should be bonded and this should be within four to five years as a measure to prevent them from leaving the country.

Professor Ofori-Sarpong, who is also an old boy (Anuanum) of Great KOSS, said, considering the fact that government alone cannot bear the cost, the University should be allowed to gradually increase the fees on a yearly basis to sustain them.

He said "running decent schools is not a mystery," and that it can be achieved when all teachers are properly trained, supported and paid, with every classroom having enough text books, desks and learning materials, within a conducive environment.

He explained that when schools are starved of resources, quality suffers and so does the capacity of the system to use resources effectively, "insufficiencies generate inefficiencies," he said.

The UG Pro-VC frowned on short-sighted approaches that drive down unit costs at the "expense of quality such as the use of volunteer teachers or double-shifting.

On the subject of high bank charges on campus by some commercial banks, he disclosed that, UG had granted permission to Abokobi Rural Bank in Accra to build and establish a branch at Legon campus so that "we can get rid of those banks."

Professor Ofori-Sarpong said, to ensure adequate facilities on campus, individuals and corporate bodies are welcome at Legon for an allocation of land at fifty million, where they can build and rent out to students.

The amount is non-refundable with the land reverting to its former status should they fail to develop it within three months.

A former director-general of the Ghana Education Service, Mr. Solomon K. Obeng chaired the function, which was attended by the Konongohene, Nana Batafo Akyampong Nti II, Dr. Gyamfi-Fenteng, DCE for Asante Akim South, old boys and girls and students of the school. The regional coordinating director Mr. E. Y. Kwarteng represented the regional minister.

To climax the occasion, there was a procession by students, old products and staff of Great KOSS through some principal streets of Odumasi and Konongo, ending with a huge bon-fire lighted at the school's campus.