Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has assured Ghanaians of the government’s commitment to implementing its manifesto promise of establishing Technical University and University of Health and Life Sciences in the Bono East Region.
“We are going to operationalise them. Our interest is not only the numbers; it is also to ensure that we can diversify the tertiary space,” she said.
The Vice President gave the assurance in Accra when she paid a courtesy call on the Ministry of Education.
The Vice President met directors and coordinators of agencies under the ministry to chart the path forward toward improving education in the country.
The proposed Technical University, according to the government, is expected to be established in Techiman, the regional capital, and the University of Health and Life Sciences built at Kintampo.
She said the government priority on technical education raised the status of the Polytechnic to Technical Universities to spur economic growth.
“We didn’t think it was right to tell anyone that if you are studying a technical subject, the highest you could go was at the Higher National Diploma.
“We thought that wasn’t fair. If the person has the talent and has the interest to go further, why can’t the person go? So we created the space for people to fly as high as they could go,” she said.
She expressed concerns about the spate of indiscipline in schools, calling for support for them to come out of such behaviours.
Vice President Opoku-Agyeman underscored the need to support teachers to instil discipline in schools and also ensure a serene learning atmosphere.
The Vice President said the government commitment to operationalise the no-fee policy was to alleviate the financial challenges of students who gain admission.
“And I have no doubt that all of us will put our hands on the wheel and ensure that we are building a very stable country for all of us,” she said.
She pledged the governments resolve to ensure theĀ sustainability of its policies to enhance educational outcomes.
She urged leaders of all agencies under the ministry to work together to reset the country’s education for sustained development.
“There is so much talent in almost every agency that we can learn from and can share to ensure that the results are positive for all of us,” she said.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, commended the Vice President for the visit, pledging to work with stakeholders to advance education.
He said the Ministry was working to avoid gaps in the availability of textbooks in schools and pledged to revolutionalise STEM to serve as a catalyst for development.