Kufuor congratulates new Vice Chancellor

Accra, March 21, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor has congratulated Professor Clifford Nii Boye Tagoe on his appointment as Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Ghana, Legon, with effect from October 1 2006.

A press release issued and signed by Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Education and Sports Minister, in Accra on Tuesday also conveyed the President Kufuor's profound gratitude to the Chairman and Members of the University Council for the assiduous, transparent and professional process they used for the selection of the Vice Chancellor. The statement said President Kufuor had directed that a new Council should immediately be put in place to assist Professor Tagoe to restore the credibility of the University, one of the nation's renowned academic institutions.

The existing Council's mandate expired last May but the Members were asked to stay on by the Education and Sports Ministry to oversee the various disciplinary processes occasioned by the crisis of examination malpractice that hit the University.

The release assured international academic institutions that the Government was determined to ensure the maintenance of academic excellence.

It would, therefore, take steps to make sure that "the University of Ghana restores its hard earned reputation as a universally acknowledged institution of higher learning".

The release re-affirmed President Kufuor's full support for the University and indeed all other Universities in the country to deliver quality education to the youth.

Professor Tagoe, who is the Acting Vice-Chancellor, would become the substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana with effect from October 1, 2006.

He would succeed Professor Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere, whose term comes to an end in September 2006.

The University Council, at a special meeting on March 16, 2006, unanimously approved the appointment of Prof. Tagoe after studying the recommendations of a Search Party set up in October 2005 under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice, Mr Justice George Acquah. Nine applications were received either in response to the advertisement for the post or in response to invitation from the Search Party.

Out of these, four were short listed to be interviewed and of this number, three were recommended to the Council.