Ghana government asked to create Human Capital Development Policy
Vice-Chancellor of the Central University (CU) has asked government to create a human capital development policy that will guide Ghana to evolve the right human resource she needs at any particular time.
Professor Bill Buenar Puplampu says Ghana should be able to determine, “What skills are needed in 20-30 years? What capabilities do we need to nurture? We have a rather low legal density north of the middle belt of the country; we have few anaesthetists, not enough nephrologists, pulmonologists and cardiologists.”
Professor Puplampu said this on Saturday during the 17th Congregation of the Central University at the Miotso Campus, Dawenya, Greater Accra.
Commending the government on rolling out the free Senior High School (SHS) policy, he asked that curricula content should be looked at, adding that, “We believe the transition to Technical Universities must come with a legal restriction on such universities to prevent them from becoming humanities’ institutions. Commercialization has also blurred the distinctions on the landscape that we risk educating for its sake.”
Professor Puplampu called on the state to streamline the modalities to enable private universities access the GET fund for infrastructure development at reduced rates of interest, indicating that “as citizens, our taxes and levies go into the fund.”
He asked the state to institute mechanisms for open calls for relevant research, training, partnering and policy formulation dialogue initiatives as competitive exercises that all universities should bid for.
“This would strengthen the policy-academic relationship and promote stronger niche universities because we all develop to find and specialize in those areas where we have strengths,” he added.
On the unrest in some university campuses in Ghana, the Professor asked government to work with university authorities to prevent a situation where unfortunate noises would be made “suggesting that under this government inappropriate attacks are being launched at university systems. I know that is not the case, so I am concerned about that impression.”
He lauded the Professor Yankah-led reforms which were bringing to the regulatory space the prospect of the Ghana Tertiary Education Authority/Commission, but called for a critical review of the access regimes for entering universities and other tertiary institutions, saying that “the grade D7 is not a fail and should not be the barrier that it now is. ”
Professor Puplampu recommended an entrepreneurial funds and incubation centres dedicated to graduate-led start-ups adding that, “Ghana beyond aid will be a reality if our young people have needed support to create many new SMEs which deploy their talents and create employment.”
This year’s congregation recognized 1598 persons who graduated from various programmes and levels.
Miss Ewudiwa Elizabeth Maame Esi, level 400 Human Resource student, came out as the Overall Best student with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 4.0. She was also the best Human Resource student and Best Graduating Female student.
Central University currently has 7,072 students with over 1,461 students enrolled this academic year.
Forty six percent (46%) of the population are Science students with the rest being Business, Law and Humanities students. Seven per cent are foreign students with five percent graduate enrolment. CU has graduated over 15,000 students in her 20-year history.
In his message to the students, the Vice-Chancellor informed that CU offered prospective students an environment where the whole-man was nurtured body, soul and spirit for them to become transformational leaders after school.
“We live in a society where boldness, tough decisions and a dedication to the collective institutional good is often ridiculed and will earn you names and the anger of certain people,” he said.
Source: GNA