University Courses Must be Relevant to Our Needs- Education Minister

According to the Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the government is not only poised at increasing enrollment in tertiary institutions but also focused on impacting the youth with the relevant knowledge and skills critical to the development of the country.

By this, he said, the country will transition from poverty into fortunes.

Acknowledging the significance of the tertiary enrollment ratio to any country’s development, the lawmaker indicated that access alone may not necessarily solve the country’s problems if the right courses are not rolled out for students.

“We are keenly aware that countries that have developed their fortunes have improved their gross tertiary enrollment ratio, and we have to do the same in Ghana. We cannot wish to become developed if we don’t improve the percentage of our youth who are securing tertiary education. Access is not enough; we have to make sure that the education they are pursuing is relevant to the needs of our country.”

“So the teaching and learning programs at this University must involve the students, research, and be innovative-driven so that we can provide our nation with the relevant skills that we need to transform our fortunes.”

With that said, he outlined some University projects the government seeks to embark on to provide the needed skills and knowledge to the workforce.

These include an upgrade of the Akrokerri College of Education to the College of Arts, Science, and Technology alongside five others throughout the country, the Akrodie University of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the establishment of the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences at Bunso as well as the Mampong University.

He said this while addressing an audience at the climax of the 57th Congregation of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on March 23, 2024.