President John Agyekum Kufuor on Saturday said government through the National Accreditation Board (NAB) would ensure that high academic standards were maintained by the newly established private universities and those who intended to establish universities.
He said this would ensure that the universities took great care of the contents of their curricula and make them very relevant to the needs of the society in the modern world.
President Kufuor was speaking at the first congregation of the Central University College (CUC) of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) in Accra.
The first batch of 334 students graduated from the University that was established on November 9, 1998 with an initial intake of 507.
The University admitted 662 students during this academic year to pursue undergraduate degree programmes at the School of Theology and Missions (STM) and the School of Business Management and Administration (SBMA).
President Kufuor said government would encourage close interaction between the private universities, businesses and industry as well as professional bodies and associations.
"Sandwich programmes where students have the opportunity to do practical internship as required components of degree courses would be the much-preferred option. This will immediately expose them to conditions in the work places and also ignite innovative thinking in them," he said.
He appealed to the University authorities to pay particular attention to the quality of their faculties because when they had well-qualified and confident faculties, they could develop first class students who could compete in the global market.
President Kufuor said, "in all cases intellectual and moral integrity of faculty and students should be such that examination malpractices could be avoided and the quality and integrity of their examinations and certificates would be respected not only in Ghana but also internationally."
President Kufuor said private tertiary institutions should be mindful of the necessity to prepare the human resource through the courses they offer so that their graduates would be placed at the competitive edge of the market.
He said with the study of French being made compulsory in the university, it would enhance the placement of its graduates on the international job market especially within the ECOWAS Sub-Region.
President Kufuor urged the graduates to use the strong moral and academic foundation they had gained not only as the first step to launch them into society for a greater tomorrow but also a better life for themselves and society.
"Today, you are educated to take your destiny into your own hands so that with God's help and wisdom in applying the knowledge that you have acquired, you create and fashion a career for yourself as you perceive there is no job waiting for you outside, you have to create one for yourself," he said.
Pastor Dr Mensa Anamuah Otabil, Chancellor and Chairman of the Board of Regents of the University said it was established because society was in dire need of a new breed of leaders who were morally upright and who could resist pressure and temptation and stand firm for what they believed in.
He said it was no longer enough for the country's universities to produce graduates knowledgeable in the sciences and the arts because the future of the nation depended on its ability to develop effective and transformational leaders who apply the principles of value-centred leadership to the challenges and demands of modern times.
