Minister appeals for quota students from deprived schools

Wa, Jan 21, GNA - Mr Ambrose Dery, Upper West Regional Minister, on Saturday appealed to vice-chancellors of public universities to widen the quota system for students from deprived schools. Mr Dery said this when vice-chancellors of the public universities called on him at his office as part of their three-day retreat in the Upper West Region.

They were made up of Prof Kwesi Andam of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and chairman of the group, Prof Joseph Anamoah-Mensah of University of Education, Winneba, Prof D. Mireku-Gyimah of University of Mines and Technology at Tarkwa, Prof Clifford N.B. Tagoe of the University of Ghana, Legon and Prof J.B.K Kaburise of the University for Development Studies Tamale. Mr Dery said most of the students in the rural areas were lagging behind not because they were not clever but because they had no encouragement and exposure to harness their talents. He said some of the areas were so deprived that the bringing in of television sets in line with Presidential Special Initiative on Distance Learning could be of no use because of lack of electricity and reception is in poor in some part of the country, particularly in the Upper West Region.

Prof Kwesi Andam said their meeting was to give them the opportunity to share common problems they face in their various universities and find lasting solutions to them. He said such meetings would also help them to improve on their performance and to map out strategies that would make both teaching and learning easier.

Prof Andam gave the assurance the universities would continue to offer opportunities for students from deprived in the public universities. 21 Jan 06