Review professional courses, Council urged

Accra, Sept 9, GNA - The Council of the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) Legon, was on Thursday inaugurated with a call on members to review courses being offered at the Institute to reflect modern business trends.

This would help to produce graduates who would play crucial roles in accelerating the economic growth of the country.

The Council was also charged to, in consultation with management of IPS, expose its students to the public service system as part of their training programme to widen their scope and understanding of the government machinery.

Mr Rashid Bawa, Minister of State in-charge of Education, Youth and Sports who swore-in the 18-member Council to run the affairs of the Institute for four years, asked members to be committed to issues and "go ahead to govern the Institute".

Mr Bawa asked the Council to strictly supervise funds being allocated to the Institute to ensure that money for all works were used for their purposes.

Mr Idris Egala, of the Egala Atiso and Associates, is the Chairman of the Council which has one person each representing the Institutes of Chartered Accountants, Ghana, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, and the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana.

Other representatives are from the Ghana Chamber of Commerce, National Council for Tertiary Education, the Institute of Professional Studies Alumni Association, the Teachers and Educational Workers Union and the IPS Students Representative Council.

Two representatives of the Senior Members of Staff of the IPS and two government nominees are also part of the Council with Mr William Dapaah, Acting Registrar- IPS as Secretary to the Council.

The Reverend Father John Martey, Director of IPS announced that the building of an academic complex embarked upon by the Institute was advancing with the Phase One (A), comprising eight classrooms and two unit lecture halls having been completed.

The keys to the completed building, which was sponsored from the GETFUND at a cost of four billion cedis would be handed over by September 28.

The IPS currently trains students who are awarded certificates by professional bodies.

Mr Egala in response thanked the management and the Ministry of Education for the confidence reposed in members of the Council, saying most of them served on the last Council with him when he was the chairman.

He said the main area of concern to the new Council would be how to ensure that structures at IPS were improved to meet the status of a tertiary institution, which was attained in just a few years back.