Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia
Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has charged tertiary institutions in the country to keep up with the global educational ecosystem, and produce the best for the job market.
He said the new normal in the workplace had prompted universities to respond to their students’ needs, the job market, as well as the digital-based nature of future professions, “all within the context of a society undergoing continuous transformation.”
Speaking at the investiture ceremony of a new Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA), Dr. Bawumia said that “Ghanaian universities must have a student-centered and collaborative approach to student welfare practices and must lean further towards flexible, adaptable hybrid schemes and highly contextual educational models to remain relevant in the future.”
“UPSA and other universities must become flexible, dynamic, and be willing to transcend current practices to enable exploration, innovation, and the creation of better academic and vocational practices to face this new world of constant change,” he added.
Gov’t commitment
The Vice-President also reiterated the government’s commitment to investing more in education to ensure a better future for the youth and the country.
He said the government’s goal in prioritising education at all levels in the last five years had been to provide inclusive access and train citizens who will contribute meaningfully to the nation’s development.
“Education sits at the core of government’s agenda. His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is passionate about producing citizens who are productive, problem solvers, innovators, and have the nation at heart,” Dr. Bawumia said.
“Five years ago, the government rolled out a bold flagship programme: the Free Senior High School policy. This programme was to pave way for Junior High School (JHS) graduates who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to further their education, to be able to do so with their more privileged peers,” he added.
According to Vice-President, “today, Senior High Schools are graduating twice the number of students they used to, if not more. Enrolment in Senior High Schools increased from 881,600 at the end of 2016 to the current level of 1,212,255 in 2021. This represents the biggest increase in secondary level enrolment in our recent history.”
Retooling
Dr. Bawumia underscored the need for both government and tertiary institutions to adopt innovative ways of absorbing and granting easy access to the high number of qualified SHS graduates seeking tertiary education following the overwhelming patronage of the Free SHS policy.
“Tertiary institutions will, therefore, need to equip themselves to accommodate these students. The infrastructural development underway at UPSA is an illustration of how tertiary institutions can mobilise, to absorb incoming students,” he said.
Congratulating the new Chancellor, Dr. K.K. Sarpong, who is also the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Bawumia urged him to bring his wealth of experience to bear on his new role.
“I hope that under the stewardship of Chancellor K.K. Sarpong, UPSA will keep soaring and become even greater than it is today,” the Vice-President said.
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