The Minister of State in-charge of Tertiary Education, Professor Kwesi Yankah, yesterday inaugurated the Governing Council of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) with a charge on the members to use their vast experience to restore calm on the campuses of the university.
The council, chaired by Prof. Emmanuel Nicholas Abakah, is expected to champion, among others, the implementation of the core objectives of the university, promote income-generating activities, establish committees or boards considered necessary and assign any responsibilities that it might consider necessary.
The members of the council are the Vice-Chancellor of UEW, Prof. Mawutor Avoke; Dr Efua Esaaba Agyire-Tettey, Mr John Darko and Neenyi Ghartey VII, all government nominees.
Others are Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi representing the Ghana Education Service (GES); the Director-General of the GES, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa; Mr Christian Addai-Poku from the Professional Teacher Organisation, Prof. Mohammed Salifu from the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), Mr Bruno Bajuaose Chirani, Dr Samuel Ofori Obuobisah Bekoe, Prof. Yaw Serekye Annor and Prof. Stephen Jobson Mitchual, all Convocations.
The rest are Ms Theresa Ackon representing the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), Mr Emmanuel Osei Sarpong representing the alumni, Mr Stephen Osei Akyiaw representing the Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG) and Mr Patrick Agyei representing the Students’ Representative Council (SRC).
Prof. Yankah announced that the government was committed to establishing a research fund for the sole purpose of funding relevant and sector-specific research work in institutions of higher learning.
“This is in addition to the book and research allowance,” he said, explaining that the move was part of efforts by the government to deal with the problem of funding higher education in the country.
Prof. Yankah noted that adequate funding of higher education had been one of the challenges for successive governments, especially at the graduate level.
He announced that a draft bill for the establishment of the research fund was near completion and consultations for stakeholder inputs into the bill were currently underway.
“We are hopeful that sooner than later, the fund will be established to offer an appropriate funding regime for research in our institutions of higher learning.
“We place huge emphasis on the continuous linkage of academia with industry and the world of work to ensure curriculum relevance, thereby reducing graduate unemployment,” Prof. Yankah said.
Prof. Abakah expressed gratitude for the confidence reposed in them as members of the council, describing their appointment as “a call to duty”.
He pledged that the council would work hard in collaboration with all stakeholders to push the developmental agenda of the university.
Prof. Abakah acknowledged that the council was inaugurated at a time the university was in a “monumental crisis” and charged the council to immediately find ways for an amicable solution.
He immediately convened an emergency meeting scheduled for today to address the current crisis.
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