Volta Region becoming hub for formal education - Prof Yankah

Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, has observed that Volta Region was gradually becoming the hub for formal education.

He said the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) and the Ho Technical University were repositioning the Region, which had the highest number of Colleges of Education and among regions with a high number of Senior High Schools, "opening it up as access way to education in the country."

Prof Yankah made the observation at the second session of the fourth congregation of UHAS on Saturday in Ho.

He said UHAS, the only public university dedicated to the training of healthcare professionals in the country, has become the toast of students nationwide underscoring government's agenda of promoting national integration and stated government's commitment to restoring cross country access through good road network.

Prof Yankah commended UHAS for investing its internally generated fund in infrastructure due to slow inflow from the Ghana Education Trust Fund and said the University's progress was inspiring with an increasing number of students, propelling it into enviable heights.

He commended the graduates for enduring hard times in the face of infrastructure deficit assuring that critical projects would be completed in time for the 2020 academic year to absorb a high number of students who benefited from the Free Senior High School policy.

Prof Yankah, who toured some facilities of the University on Friday to ascertain its readiness to admit more students in the next academic year, said Government had released over six billion Ghana cedis as counterpart funding for the China aided second phase of the University's infrastructural projects.

He said the gesture indicates the Government's commitment to providing a conducive learning environment for students and called for support from all.

Prof John Owusu Gyapong, Vice-Chancellor of UHAS, said the University is ready to increase intake but needed the timely completion of work on its multipurpose laboratory- the biggest in West Africa, hostels, and other facilities in Ho and Hohoe.

He asked the graduates to be good ambassadors of the University and be guided by values of excellence, innovation and integrity.

Mr Divine Kporha, an alumnus of the University, who was the guest speaker, charged the graduates to change the world with the quality of training they received at the University.

A total of 438 students made up of 36 graduates and 402 undergraduates graduated with Irene Divine Dzirasa, a Bachelor of Public Health Nutrition (Sandwich) being the valedictorian.