Public universities should be named by location or subject, not names of people – Kwaku Azar

US-based Ghanaian lawyer and scholar, Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare, has said that the naming of public universities in Ghana after people is not the best.

According to him, public universities should be named according to the major subjects, they offer, or their geographical location and not the names of prominent people.

In a post shared on Facebook, on Monday, August 14, 2023, the academic added that facilities in public universities in the country can rather be named after people.

He cited the example of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) being named by its location; the University of Development Studies (UDS) being named by its subject and the Balme Library, a facility in the University of Ghana, being named after the first Principal of university, David Mowbray Balme.

“Public universities should be named by geography (e.g., UCC) or by subject (e.g., UDS). Facilities can be named after individuals (e.g., Balme),” he wrote.

Kwaku Azar's remarks come after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo suggested that the University of Ghana might one day be named after one of the ‘Big Six’ Joseph Boakye Danquah (JB Danquah).

In his address at an event to mark the 75th Anniversary of the University of Ghana, President Akufo-Addo highlighted how JB Danquah's commitment to ensuring Ghana had its own university led to the founding of the University of Ghana.

He noted that his visionary work extended to challenging the British recommendation for a single university in West Africa, which was intended for Nigeria. Instead, he rallied Ghanaians to support the establishment of their own university.

President Akufo-Addo further remarked that the legacy of Joseph Boakye Danquah might even warrant consideration for naming the University of Ghana after him, given the historical significance of his contributions.

He mentioned, "Indeed, in many other jurisdictions where there is less heat in their politics and more attachment to the fact of historical record, it would not have been out of place to have this university named after him. Who knows, one day it may well happen."

View the posts below:



BAI/WA

Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.