Over 265 SHS students benefit from UPSA’s free remedial classes

More than 265 senior high students are benefitting from the ongoing University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) free remedial classes targeted at high school graduates living in Madina.

The three-month-long classes which began on July 3, is earmarked for pre-SHS, SHS and remedial students selected from within the La-Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality.

Professor Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey, Vice-Chancellor, UPSA, said the initiative, which was his brainchild, under the University’s community action initiative, was to assist students who needed help in core subjects especially English, Mathematics and Integrated Science.

Prof Amartey disclosed this in his report at the first day of a three-day graduation ceremony of the UPSA's 11th Congregation.

During the event, 1,360 students graduated with diploma and degree certificates from the Faculty of Accounting and Finance.

Out of the 1,360 graduands, 36 obtained first class, 356 had second class upper, 356 got second class lower, 269 third class and 105 passes. Eleven of the diploma graduates got distinction, while 161 got credit and 64 obtained passes.

The Vice-Chancellor noted that the beginning of the 2018/2019 academic year witnessed the first batch of students enrolling onto the PhD in Marketing, Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Finance, Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Real Estate management and Finance, Bsc in Business Economics and BSC in Accounting and Finance programmes.

He added that the University had also received accreditation for the introduction of Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation programme, which UPSA would run in partnership with Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuorein Milan.

Others are Master of Arts in Peace, Security and Intelligence, and Master of Arts in Branding and Communication for the 2019/2020 academic year.

Touching on new construction projects the school will be embarking, Prof Amartey said the Ministry of Finance had just grated approval for the University to start the new projects, which would be equally funded from its IGF.

He said they would construct a two 10-storey multipurpose block, with one block serving as lecture halls, lecturer’s offices, meeting and reading rooms, multipurpose rooms and ancillary facilities.

Whilst block two would comprise of offices for both institutional and commercial use, including commercial areas and penthouses.

Also, two new hostel blocks would be constructed, with the first hostel being a 19-storey student’s hostel facility to be developed on the land adjoining the existing student’s hostel.

The second hostel would be developed on a land acquired behind the Ideal College, which would also be a 10-storey facility.

Professor Amartey added that the University is in its final process of finalising payments for the purchase of 12 plots of land behind Ideal College.

He said the construction of these projects would soon commence as the final stage of the contract execution with their partner, Access bank was underway.

Mr Daniel Mckorley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mcdan Group, who was the guest speaker at the occasion, said one of the biggest banes of our society was not investing in research; stating that "when we turn to research, our problems would be 50 per cent solved".

"Research will properly define our problems, contextualize them and give us a fair idea of the amount of work required to fix these problems, to create livelihood and wealth to better our society.”

He said it was interesting to note that, 82 per cent of the products in Ghana's supermarkets were imported, which was a staggering statistic.

Mr Mckorley said the present generation was blessed to have social media - instagram, twitter and facebook, saying that, "I am sure that many are surprised to hear me say that. Well, while some see it as a platform for creating unreal pictures of ourselves to the public and the world at large, others see it as a platinum mine and are relating to it as such," he said.

“Remember that may of the big businesses of yesterday which are still and firmly on their feet did not have that luxury. So instead of using social media to create controversy, promote nudity, and pornography, prostitution, internet fraud, money rituals and other vices, open your eyes and see the untapped precious mineral you are playing with.”