Management of universities have been urged to put in place strategies to enrol more fresh students in the 2020/2021 academic year.

 This has become necessary as a result of the expected increase in the number of qualified candidates from the Senior High Schools. It is anticipated that the number of qualified students will double as a result of the huge increase in the enrolment figures of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy introduced by the government in 2017.

The call was made at the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) National Forum on Education on the theme “Free Senior High School and the Double Track Policy: Implications for Quality Tertiary Education in Ghana”. The forum which was organised by National Office of UTAG in conjunction with the Canadian Association of University Teachers interrogated the Free SHS and Double Track Policies, its economic and social impact, human resource challenges, infrastructure challenges and the role of GETfund and other state institutions in finding solutions to the anticipated challenges of the policy.

FREE SHS Should Create Meaningful Access to Education

Opening the forum, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, said it was necessary to create meaningful access to education with a focus on equity and not equality. “The issue with the free SHS should not be about access or quality but meaningful access to education” he pointed out.

Future of University Education in Ghana

In his welcome address, the National President of UTAG, Dr. Eric Opoku Mensah said the Association was deliberating on the future of University Education in Ghana in the face of the government’s Free SHS Policy. “The nation is at a crossroad and the conclusions we arrive at today will contribute in shaping the way forward regarding the challenges ahead of public universities,” he noted.

Dr. Mensah noted that GETfund projects in almost all the universities have come to a halt. “This is worrying when existing facilities cannot even provide adequate space for current students. What will then happen in 2020 when the products of the free SHS are ready to enter our universities?” he queried. Another challenge he mentioned was the inadequate lecturers in the various public universities arguing that “We cannot continue to make our universities competitive when our universities have to wait and receive clearance before recruiting faculty for new and expanding programmes.”

Age Limit for Professors' Post-Retirement Contract

The National UTAG President was also worried about the directive by government through the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) that lecturers on post-retirement contract beyond the age of 65 would cease to be on government’s pay roll.  “There is no doubt that our universities cannot pay the salaries of these professors from its Internally Generated Funds. This certainly cannot be the case if our universities are going to be positioned to provide the requisite training for the next generation,” he noted. He said UTAG and Vice Chancellors Ghana were willing to engage government in order to protect teaching and research in Ghanaian public universities. 

Resource Universities

Sharing his views as a panelist at the programme, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K. T Oduro, lauded government for bringing relief to parents of beneficiary students of the Free SHS. He added that the policy has also enhanced enrolment statistics. “Available records show that only 74% of qualified Basic Education Certificate Examination candidates get access to senior high school with 26% handicapped” he stated.

In his recommendations, Prof. Oduro called for timely release of funds for universities to complete stalled projects and clearance  from government for the recruitment of academic and other professional staff.

Free SHS Should Provide Opportunities for Universities

Prof. Nana Afia Amponsaa Opoku-Asare of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology,  said the Free SHS was a bold policy by government and views from the public suggested that they have were appreciative for  the opportunity to educate their children in SHS without any financial commitment.

In her view, there were several opportunities for universities to increase intake even with the current staff strength. “We can tap the resources of non-professional teaching staff when it becomes critical,” she suggested. Prof.  Opoku-Asare said the universities should take advantage of technology to offer tuition through distance or online mode.

Preparatory Session for Free SHS Leavers

The Dean, Faculty of Educational Studies, University of Education Winneba, Prof. Samuel K. Hayford, observed that considering the manner in which the Free SHS was being implemented, it was obvious that quality would be negatively affected, therefore, it was necessary to make up for the shortfall. He recommended that  universities should organise preparatory sessions before admitting students form the Free SHS.

Prof. Hayford advised government to improve and add to the existing infrastructure on the campuses of the various universities.

The University of Cape Coast has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Final Vision (FvTech), a technology solutions company based in Canada, to provide lecturers and students access to educational materials from Database for Development & Excellence (AIDDE) e-library.

The Vice-Chancellor Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, signed on behalf of the University whiles the Chief Executive Officer of FvTech, Dr. Bazir Serushago, signed for his organisation.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Prof. Ampiah said there were several limitations with the use of text books and other printed materials as compared to the electronic versions. He noted that the collaboration between UCC and FvTech would afford lecturers and students the opportunity to get access to a collection of educational materials from renowned academics, organisations and publishers all over the world. “What excites me the most is that our lecturers who have published text books, research articles can put them on the platform so that they can receive royalties based on the number of users of their materials,” he indicated.

Prof. Ampiah said his vision was to digitise the University and, therefore, the MoU was a step in the right direction. “The electronic library will also help with our online distance programmes since most of the students will not be on campus to have physical access to the Sam Jonah Library” he noted.

On his part, Dr. Serushago, said his team developed AIDDE e-library and the e-Teaching Technology for the digitisation and sharing of Educational resources from African universities. He noted that through the Africa Innovation Challenges Platform (AICP), universities and industries would share educational materials including thesis, academic textbooks, research materials, journals, research articles and other publications as well as industry manuals and articles in Africa and the rest of the world.

Dr. Serushago said AIDDE Platform currently has over 50, 000 educational resources including, new academic textbooks, publication, journal, articles from publishers and partners from Europe, Africa Renowned Professors, and North America. He added that “textbooks from our publishers and the partners are among the biggest e-book publishers in the world”.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. George K. T. Oduro said Dr. Serushago could be an asset to the School of Medical Sciences considering his specialisation in Allergy and Immunology. He said the University was aware that Dr. Serushago had won a grant to undertake a solar energy project in Takoradi and indicated that “UCC is interested in partnering you especially in the research component of the project. In this way we can train students in this area”.

Present at the meeting were the Registrar, Mr. John Kofi Nyan and Mr. Anthony Ardiabah of the Directorate of Information and Communication Technology Services.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery has held a consultative forum to discuss pertinent issues relating to academics and students’ welfare.

Addressing the students, the Dean, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Dr. Dorcas Obiri-Yeboah, urged the students to report issues concerning their academics on campus and clinicals in various health facilities for redress.  She urged them to comport themselves and reminded them that their ultimate goal in the University was to excel and impact positively on the lives of people after their studies.

The Head of Adult Health Department, Dr. Andrews Adjei Duruye, explained the relevance of ‘clinical practical experience,’ adding that “it helps equip students with adequate practical skills and expertise.” He advised the students to be committed to activities of the School and take their studies seriously.

The Head of Mental Health, Dr. Nancy Enyan-Ebu, spoke about the need for proper course registration and rectification of incomplete results (ICs). She also advised students to attend lectures and indicated that “Attendance to lectures will equally count in the scores of every course so you should not be absenting yourself from lectures”.

Dr. Enyan-Ebu urged them to always take notice of the provisional timetable for examinations so that they don’t miss any of their courses.  She cautioned them to desist from examination malpractice since the University frowned on such act.

On her part, the Head of Maternal and Child Health, Dr. Evelyn Ampofo, told them to do everything possible to pass the licensing examinations adding that “This is the only way you can become a qualified professional nurse in Ghana and elsewhere around the world”.  

Highlighting on welfare issues, the Faculty Officer, Mr. John L. Yen, asked the students to officially write to the Dean’s office for approval if for any reason they would want to defer the programme or absent themselves from lectures. Mr. Yen informed them that management had not concluded discussions on prefinancing the School's cloths as requested by the Nursing Students Association. He told them that the NUSA dues have been incorporated into their fees so that they would not be financially burdened by the Association again.  

The students had opportunity to ask questions on issues concerning course auditing, clinical experience, basic nursing ICT, review of curriculum, and others.

Miss Damata Seidu, a student of the School was honoured for emerging as the winner of the NUSA “Writing Challenge Competition” with her article on “hand washing”.