Govt commits GH¢255.5m to expand access to tertiary education
The government has committed GH¢255.5 million towards expanding access to tertiary education to accommodate the expected increase of students seeking tertiary education.
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The amount represents 32.33 per cent of the Ghana Education Trust fund (GETFund) allocation for 2017 to the tertiary sector for the implementation of priority projects.
The Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who announced this in a speech read on his behalf at Tarkwa in the Western Region, also indicated that preparatory works for the establishment of the University of Education and Sustainable Development were ongoing.
9th Congregation
Addressing the 9th congregation ceremony of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), the minister further announced that discussions were ongoing with the Korean Exim Bank to provide additional financing besides the parliamentary approval of 45 million Euro facility from Italy.
Currently, the student population of UMaT is 2,248, out of which 223, constituting 9.92 per cent, are postgraduate students pursuing MSc, MPhil and PhD programmes.
Book and research allowance
Dr Prempeh again indicated that for this year, a total amount of GH¢55 million had been allocated for the payment of book and research allowances.
He added that the ministry had received, processed and forwarded audited claims amounting to GH¢53.57 million from the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) to the Ministry of Finance, and payment would commence this quarter.
The minister also pointed out that the government had committed itself to the establishment of a research fund for the sole purpose of funding relevant and specific research works in the institutions of higher learning.
According to Dr Prempeh, a draft bill for the setting up of the fund had been completed and consultations for stakeholder inputs were underway.
Pre-tertiary education
He said to improve the quality of education at the pre-tertiary level, the government had committed itself to reforming the curriculum at the pre-tertiary stage to focus mainly on, writing, arithmetic, reading and creative arts while it was also committed to the promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
In addition to this, "We seek to realign all technical, vocational, engineering and technology (TVET) institutions with the ministry to promote standardisation and linkage to technical universities, and to position them to be at the forefront of the government's ‘one-district, one-factory’ programme.
Best engineers
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, who was the guest of honour, observed that UMaT was training some of the best engineers for the accelerated development of the country, acknowledging that in recent times, the university had made strides in the training of quality engineers in mining, petroleum and allied disciplines.
"Some of these engineers are working in Ghana and other parts of the world providing quality services to their companies,” he said.
Plastic waste
He also acknowledged the progress made in pioneering a technology in the university that used plastic waste to upgrade bauxite ore to yield 90 per cent alumina as against the present grade of 40 to 45 per cent.
"As a result of the increase in the grade of the ore, the price increase would be about 10 times.
“This technology, I am informed, has been tested successfully on the Awaso Bauxite ore. Let us do what is necessary to transition from the rest stage to the industrial scale whenever you are called upon to do so," Prof. Boateng urged.
Specialised institution
The Vice Chancellor, Prof Jerry S.Y. Kuma, said as a specialised institution that trained engineers, UMaT's programmes were designed such that a balance was achieved between theory and practical exercises both in the laboratory and on the field.
"This balance is to enable our graduates to get the requisite hands-on skills to prepare them adequately to enter the world of work. Field trips were, therefore, arranged for all students to mining and allied industries, " Prof. Kuma explained.