Universities must produce analytical, innovative brains

Koforidua, Nov. 21, GNA - Mr Samuel Ofosu Asamoah, Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, on Friday urged universities to introduce courses that would produce brains with analytical, innovative and with entrepreneurial skills who will create jobs and wealth for the country. He said such programmes should be tailored toward addressing some of the developmental challenges of the country including the HIV/AIDS menace, malaria, malnutrition, sanitation and others. Mr Asamoah, who was speaking at the fourth and fifth convocation of the ALL Nations University College in Koforidua, said such courses would help the universities to contribute meaningfully to the achievement of middle income status by the year 2015. He reminded the graduands that the development of the country hinged on them and urged them to maintain high standards wherever they go.

Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, Vice-Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), told the students that the present economy conditions were favourable and therefore they must take the opportunities it was offering. "The way you handle these opportunities and challenges will depend on how innovative you are," he said. Professor Adarkwa said they must rise to also fight against diseases, illiteracy, poverty, hunger and corruption amongst others, which continued to pose a challenge to the nation in its socio-economic development efforts.

He reminded them that as members of the intellectual community, they have a national duty to educate the general public about the need for peace in next Month's general polls. Professor Adarkwa said for peace to continue in the country it required a strong viable and assertive commitment on the part of all stakeholders and entreated all to be peace ambassadors. Dr Samuel H. Donkor, President, ALL Nations University College, urged institutions of higher learning to develop leaders by a programme of training that imbibed total personality development and not just mere dispensing of knowledge.

He said an educated person of character was of more value to society than a corrupt morally bankrupt educated person.