Insufficient subvention hampering higher education - Asantehene

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has advocated a review of the law that mandates universities to remit 34 per cent of their internally-generated funds to government.

“I would wish that Parliament reconsiders and reviews that law for the sake of the future of our universities,” he said. He pointed out that the nation should brainstorm to find a more sustainable funding regime for the universities.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu, who is also Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), expressed concern at how the majority of universities were finding it difficult to properly execute their core business given the limited allocation of funds.

He was addressing the 10th session of the 51st congregation of the University, Kumasi, on Saturday, and a total of 922 students graduated from the KNUST School of Graduate Studies.

Thirty nine out of the number graduated with PHDs, and this brings to nine, the 160 the overall number of students who graduated from the six colleges of the University this year.

The 2016/2017 academic year saw a total of 83 doctors graduating.

KNUST, the premier science and Technology University in the country, has since 1964 when it started awarding degrees, worked assiduously to produce the critical human resource to spearhead development of the nation in varied fields of endeavour.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu, highlighting on the KNUST Teaching Hospital project, said work on the facility had delayed unduly, and appealed to the government to initiate moves for its successful completion.

The facility, expected to augment medical research and education in general, had stalled for the last decade, a situation which had compelled medical students to rely on facilities at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for their practical work.

The Asantehene appealed to the government to consider as a matter of urgency the request of the University to allow for the recruitment of additional staff to enhance academic work.

He described as inadequate the high student-teacher ratio, following the government’s directive to state-owned universities not to recruit new staff until further notice.

“We should prevent a situation where improperly trained graduates would be produced for the job market to the detriment of the society,” he advised.

Dr Mathew Opoku-Prempeh, Minister of Education, in a speech read on his behalf, lauded the University for living up to its core mandate in addressing the science and technology needs of the nation.

Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso, Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST, announced that female enrolment for the 2016/2017 academic year increased by 26 per cent.

This was in consonance with their decision to encourage more females to pursue higher education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.