Day: November 27, 2023

Central University (CU) has held her 22nd graduation ceremony with a call on government to make and implement a national Human Capital Policy framework to guide and sustain quality human capital development.

The convocation, which presented another excellence story of the CU within the private tertiary education space, was used to graduate 900 students from various disciplines.

In a speech, Professor Bill Buenar Puplampu, Vice Chancellor of CU, reiterated his call for a Human Capital Policy framework to harness and develop Ghana’s human resources.

He asked the Government to improve the lot of teachers since they played a key role in national development.

Professor Puplampu urged the Government to refocus primary and secondary education in terms of content, structure, standardized quality, and resourcing.

‘In this regard, I find it rather upsetting when a school in the public system is euphemistically described as ‘less-endowed,’ he added.

Prof. Puplampu advised that government has to improve on existin
g educational structures and programmes had rather than chasing new ideas and building new structures.

‘Half the resources spent on new ventures could more than provide international standard of improvements to existing primary and secondary school institutions.’

‘Stop the mission creep and the unbridled expansion of the Public Sector space and the creation of new universities. We cannot afford it and there are at least 8 credible chartered private universities which can fill the gap and enable us attain the desired 40% Gross Enrolment Ratio by 2030,’ the Professor said.

He advised members of the graduating class to visualise their career aspirations and put a visual image and a symbolic reference to it, whilst they ‘work hard, diligently and demonstrate their expertise.’

Ms. Daniella Kosiwa Anani, who gave the valedictorian speech, asked her mates to dare to dream and thrive for excellence to realize their dreams.

Quoting the words of Brian Tracy, a renowned author in the field of self-development, she
said, ‘All successful people are big dreamers, dreams are the beginning of a life well lived and the drive for excellence is the fuel that will take those dreams to accomplishment.

They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or that purpose.’

The Central University has grown from a small proportion of a few hundred students to about 6000 students and nine Schools which are made up of the Central Business School.

The various schools include Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Engineering and Technology, School of Pharmacy, School of Architecture and Design, School of Graduate Studies and Research, the School of Medical Sciences, and School of Nursing and Midwifery.

Out of the total number of students who graduated, 805 were from the various undergraduate programmes and 95 from various graduate programmes.

Out of this number, 72 received 1st class degrees with 20 of them as best graduating s
tudents.

The overall best student, Ms. Daniella Kosiwa Anani, had a CGPA of 3.95.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Private Universities need to focus on relevance, agility and excellence to ensure that their institutions adapt and succeed in the education marketplace.

Professor Ato Essuman, Dean, School of Research and Graduate Studies and Professional development, Methodist University Ghana (MUG), said if they were to prosper and be successful they must be relevant to the societies in which they exist.

Prof Essuman made these remarks when he delivered a public lecture organised by the MUG on the topic, ‘Ghana’s Private Universities in Crises: Were They Founded as a Necessary Risk or a Public Relation Gimmick? Time To Rethink,’ in Accra.

‘They should assert their importance as critical builders of knowledge and human capital,’ he said.

The Dean said whether they were seeking solutions to global conflict, or developing their understanding of literature, they must be relevant and be willing to engage with society to show how that was the case.

‘True relevance can mean substantial change for some – more flexible models
, mixed-mode pedagogy, learning while earning and block study,’ he added.

He said Universities had traditionally been slow to respond to external influences; ‘slow but sure’ has often been the motive but the pace of externally driven change would surely only increase.

He said those institutions that were agile would have the ability to adapt continuously to be the most successful.

‘That may mean changing some deep-rooted ways of working as Private Universities, and build the ability to be ahead of the game rather than responding after the event.

Prof Essuman said excellence in the development of knowledge and inspiration of learners was critical for all, such that Private Universities could not prosper if they were not good at what they do.

‘In the new world, being excellent across all academic and professional operations will be crucial, good enough will not do,’ he added.

He said to survive in the education marketplace, Private Universities must become more ‘business-like’, while at the same time focu
sing on what they were good at and emphasising the very things that make them different.

Prof. Essuman said few Private Tertiary Institutions pay attention to planning to enable leadership to give strategic direction to the institution.

Out of 15 institutions sampled, only four had strategic plans which had not lapsed and only two out of the four whose plan had not lapsed, got serious with its implementation and monitoring.

He said many acknowledged their importance but were demotivated by the inadequate resources to fund it.

‘The fact is, it is actually the lack of resources that a preparation of a strategic plan should be a priority,’ he added.

He said the strategic plan helped the organization to be proactive rather than reactive, instilled a shared sense of responsibility and increased operational efficiency among leadership.

The Dean said the lack of it presented chaos due to the ad hoc nature of decision-making and actions based only on leadership experience and discretion and indiscretion.

He sa
id it was important for Private Universities to focus on soft skills in the curriculum and align their educational offerings with in-demand skills.

The Dean said the hard skills that were in demand change frequently in the rapidly changing world, but soft skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, negotiation skills, interpersonal skills, and leadership skills could prove to be invaluable in the eyes of employers.

‘Designing well-rounded curricula that balance out disciplinary depth by encompassing these skills will give students an edge beyond the ivory tower,’ he added.

He said Universities must ensure that what they were offering to students was relevant to industry.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A total of 767 students from the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa in the Western Region on Saturday graduated with various degrees, diplomas and certificates at its 15th congregation.

Out of the figure, 80 graduands received postgraduate degrees, with 13 been awarded Doctor of Philosophy degrees, 582 graduands were awarded first degree in their respective engineering programmes, seven had diplomas and 98 were awarded certificates.

Mr Abdul-Rahman Ishaak from the Department of Mining Engineering, received the Vice Chancellor’s overall best graduating student award, sponsored by the UMaT Alumni Association.

He took home laptop computer, cash prize of GHS2,000.00 and a certificate.

For this year, the best workers awards instituted by the University to motivate all staff to put up their best and work in the interest of the University, went to Mr Hermas Abaah Akolgo and Mr Roland Blisette, for the Senior and Junior Staff Categories. Each had a cash prize of GHS2,500 and citation.

Professor R
ichard Kwasi Amankwah, Vice Chancellor of the UMaT, in his address announced that the Minerals Engineering Department published 53 papers and won the award for the Department with the Highest Number of Publications.

On achievements, he said ‘UMaT won the 2023 Regional Petrobowl Contest. In addition, the UMaT Drillbotics Team placed first in the Virtual Directional Drilling Rig Simulator Design option in the 2022/2023 International Drillbotics Competition.

The UMaT Internal Audit Team was adjudged the Best Internal Audit Unit, Tertiary Category for the 2022/2023 auditing year at the Annual Internal Audit Conference. Congratulations to all the teams.’

Prof Amankwah explained that the University has taken major steps to maintain its position among forward looking Universities by deepening research and advancing their interactions with Government, industry and the community within the triple helix engagements and partnerships.

‘The University continues to support responsible mining and for the year under cons
ideration, they observed the Sustainable Small-scale Mining Awareness Day on 2nd June by engaging the Akoon Community Mine to create awareness on the need to adopt sustainable and environmentally friendly methods in Artisanal and Small-scale mining,’ he stated.

For many years, the Vice Chancellor noted that residents of mining communities have complained that they were not offered employment in the industry and companies on the other hand explained that it was due to the absence of qualified personnel in the communities.

‘To promote skills development in mineral-rich communities, the University teamed up with the Bibiani Community to operationalize the Bibiani Community School to build the capacity and prepare community members to take up professional jobs in the mining and minerals industry. More of such community schools will be established in other mineral-rich communities,’ Prof. Amankwah said.

In addition, he said the University organized its Annual Innovation and Career Fair to promote innovation amo
ng their students. Junior and Senior High Schools in the Municipality were given access to the campus to visit their laboratories to interact with lecturers.

According to him, ‘during this year’s event, one student group, Team Tech Works, who produced an electric-powered wheelchair was adjudged the winners. As part of the University’s Corporate Social Responsibility, UMaT would develop and donate two of the motorized wheelchairs to the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital in due course.’

‘UMaT received massive support from many institutions for which we are grateful. Many thanks go to the Government for the support through the Minerals Development Fund (MDF) to complete the legacy projects. The Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) has allocated USD 2.0 million to support the University to establish the Jewellery Centre.

The MIIF has also confirmed its support for the establishment of the Ghana Mining Museum at UMaT’ he emphasized.

Prof. Amankwah further said ‘The Ghana Chamber of Mines provided financial support t
hrough its Tertiary Education Fund (GCM-TEF). For the initial five years of support, the Chamber gave scholarships to brilliant but needy students, research grants for lecturers and postgraduate students, and built a Faculty Block.

Looking at the level of transformation witnessed in UMaT during the first phase of the implementation of the fund, the Chamber has signed off funds for the second phase to UMaT for the next five years. UMaT is indeed thankful to the Chamber.’

He Indicated that ‘AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Limited also established a disability friendly ICT Laboratory in UMaT called the ‘AngloGold Ashanti Inclusive Tech Lab’. Thanks for helping UMaT to improve upon the inclusivity

Also, the University has an engagement with Atlantic Lithium to conduct feasibility studies on the lithium-value chain and assess the viability of how the by-product, feldspar, can be applied in other industries, especially the ceramics industry.’

‘We are also grateful to Rocksure International Limited, AngloGold Ashant
i Obuasi Limited, Newmont Goldcorp Ghana, Gold Fields Ghana Limited, US Department of State and US Embassy Ghana for sponsoring many programmes in the University. To all the companies that supported activities in the University, we say many thanks.

To the mining and allied companies, our state-of-the-art environmental laboratory is available and while thanking you, I would urge you to extend the support by bringing your samples for analysis in the UMaT Environmental Monitoring Laboratory,’ the Vice Chancellor added.

The former President, His Excellency John Agyekum Kufour, Chancellor of the UMaT, in a speech read on his behalf implored the graduates to uphold the highest ethical standards in all their dealings and provide professional services to the national and international communities.

‘I trust that our graduands are able to add to knowledge and also solve some of the problems of our country that will put communities and organizations to their next level of development,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News
Agency

The Anyinam D/A Girls’ Model School has grabbed three awards from the farm project competition organized by Blue Skies Foundation and Kosmos Innovative Center, in the Eastern Region.

The school picked Best Entrepreneurial School of the year, Best Student in Agriculture (Junior High School Category) and the best Teacher Award in the Southern Zone of the school farm project awards.

The project aimed at encouraging the youth, especially females, to boost interest in agriculture and farming, began in 2015 and had so far engaged students in the production of sweet pepper and garden eggs.

Disclosing this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mrs Mercy Obesebea Asare, headmistress of the school, explained that 77 JHS and SHS schools were selected in the Eastern Region and other schools across the country.

Five girls were selected from each school to participate in the competition in which simple farm tools and seeds were provided by the organizers to be nursed, grown, managed and sustained by the competit
ors.

Mrs Obesebea Asare said, as part of the school’s co- curricular activities, the school first participated in the competition in 2022, which they cultivated sweet pepper (Bell pepper) which was processed into pepper sauce for sale ‘and the income generated was used to buy a printer for the school administration block.’

She said in this year’s competition, the school had harvested four tons of garden eggs (Eggplant), which they intended to process into crispy garden eggs flakes to be sold for income.

The garden eggs variety (KIBIBI F1) cultivated for this year’s farm project contains nutritional values such as Iron, Magnesium, Vitamin B1, B6, Potassium and antioxidants such as chromogenic acid and anthocyanin’s which help to prevent cancer and also improves vision.

The headmistress indicated that they hoped to use the income from this year’s project to purchase a projector for the school’s Information Communications and Technology (ICT) laboratory to aid effective teaching of ICT, an examinable subject
.

She said the school had reserved seed capital for next year’s project and had plans to expand the land size and integrate new technologies such as drip irrigation into their production.

Mr. Kwabena Panyin Nkansah, Atiwa East District Chief Executive, expressed appreciation to the organizers for the gesture and promised the assembly’s support to ensure the success of the competition.

He was hopeful that targeting girls in the project would go a long way to help minimize the high rate of teenage pregnancy in the district and the region at large.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Echoing The Voice Of Africa’, a book highlighting the greatest quotes of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, has been launch in Accra.

Authored to inspire Africans to aspire for and build a better Africa, the book sheds light on some of the powerful quotes of the contemporary Pan-African Monarch.

It also carries quotes and rich African symbols that touch on issues pertaining to African Unity, Africa Self- Dependence, South-South Cooperation, African Women, African Youth, African Children, Education, Migration, Patriotism, Democracy, Human Rights, Culture, Religious Tolerance, Sustainable Development and other important issues of continental concern.

At the launch at the Institute of Social Statistics Economic Research (ISSER), Mr Kojo Yankah, Founder of the Pan African Heritage Museum, and President, African University College of Communications, indicated that the book did not only provide an insight into the philosophy of King Mohammed, but conveys a Pan-African voice that inspires the unity of Africa.

He said
the important part of the book was that it provided information about the African story and cleared misconceptions about Africa and Africans.

‘We do not write our own stories, and those who write them create the impression of disunity between us,’ Mr Yankah said.

‘This book is very useful in promoting unity on the continent, and it is my hope that it would go further,’ he added.

The author, Peter Panyin Anaman, who leveraged his experience as a student in Morocco, said the book brought to bare the priceless wisdom of statesmen, which never got the deserving impact among the Africans.

He explained that the 225-page book, the first of a series of books, was to inspire generations.

‘This book can be used as a research tool for speeches or written masterpieces,’ he said.

Peter Panyin Anaman is the Executive Director of Global African Heritage Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, established for research, documentation, preservation and promotion of African heritage.

He had his senior secondary educ
ation at Saltpond Methodist High School in Ghana, and was offered a Scholarship to further his education in the Kingdom of Morocco.

Peter Anaman holds a Certificate in French Language from Universite Mohammed V. Souissi Rabat, Morocco, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics Science and Management from Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Fes-Morocco, where he served as Financial Secretary of the National Executive Council to the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students of Morocco, and also as founding President of the Ghana Morocco Old Students Association.

Present at the launch, was Madam Imane Ouaadil, the Moroccan Ambassador to Ghana, who received a copy of the book on behalf of King Mohammed VI.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr George Sarpong, the Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission (NMC), has asked Ghanaian youth not to allow the play up of tribal politics, currently ongoing in the media space, to influence their voting decisions.

He noted that the current situation where the media describes the 2024 general election as the battle between two northerners was worrying and that the disturbing phenomenon should engage the attention of all peace-loving Ghanaians.

Addressing a durbar to climax the 80th Anniversary of the Effiduase Senior High School (EFFISCO), Mr Sarpong said never in the history of Ghana had a contest between two presidential candidates from a particular geographical area or region been played up in such a tribal or regionally biased manner.

‘The ‘Northernisation’ of political candidates in the 2024 general election in the media is very worrying and needs urgent action of all Ghanaians,’ he stated.

‘At no point in the history of Ghana had people referred to a political contest as a contest betw
een southerners, not even in the all-Akan contests between Mr J.A. Kufuor and Prof J.E.A. Mills, or between Prof. Mills and Nana Akufo-Addo in the previous elections,’ he observed.

‘Therefore, there is no reason why the next election should be referred to as northerners contest.’

It was important to hype the qualities of the two candidates and what they had to offer rather than ’emphasizing that Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is a Mamprusi from Walewale, North East Region, and Mr John Mahama is a Gonja from Bole, Savannah Region,’ which played down their qualities and unacceptable, Mr Sarpong said.

‘The danger I’m drawing attention to is in the subtlety of the messaging in labelling all these diverse cultures as ‘northerners’,’ he said.

‘It denies them social equity and limits their opportunity for accessing public office since it makes it easy for us to sprinkle a few in positions and tell ourselves that we have satisfied the north.’

‘This inequality is how we subtly kill vision and undermine social progress.’

Mr
Sarpong, who is also an old student of the school, stressed the need for the youth to stand firm and vote for humble and visionary candidates, devoid of tribal or religious affiliations.

Young Ghanaians should give opportunity to a candidate who embodied the EFFISCO vision, resilience and excellence.

He advised the youth to see beyond the present; envision greatness, and set a purpose for their lives by choosing a leader with track records in the economic growth and development of the country.

The person who may define the positive course of their lives might not necessarily come from their hometown, tribe or religion, he said.

Mr Ishaq Kyei-Brobbey, the Headmaster of the school, touching on academic progress, said the 2022 WASSCE results reaffirmed the vision of the school as centre of excellence.

The percentage of credit passes A1 – C6 in English Language for the school was 82.7 per cent with 99.04 per cent for Mathematics.

Other subject areas like Science recorded 97.42 per cent pass, whilst Social S
tudies recorded 88.51 per cent.

With Ghana on course to developing her human resource capacity, EffISCO was strongly aligned, he said.

Currently the school has a student population of 3,581, comprising 1,787 males and 1,794 females, whilst the staff strength is 270, comprising 170 teaching staff and 100 non-teaching staff.

Awards were given to deserving students and staff members for their hard work.

Source: Ghana News Agency