President Mahama urged to be firm with decision on UDS

Wa, May 2, GNA - Youth groups in the Upper West Region have expressed dissatisfaction with a recent media publication that kicked against government's decision to elevate the Wa, Navrongo and Nyankpala campuses of the University for Development Studies into autonomous universities.

The Coalition of Youth Groups said the publication, which was initiated by a section of youth from the Northern Region, hid under the excuse of asking for broader consultation to kick against such a decision by the Government.

Mr Prosper Puo-ire, the Convener of the Coalition of Youth Groups, at a press conference, said they believed that those behind the publication were misinformed about the whole policy.

He appealed to President John Dramani Mahama not to listen to such calls and be firm in executing his agenda of creating autonomous universities out of the University for Development Studies (UDS).

Mr Puo-ire said it was worth noting that the university's current policy in which all the three campuses depended solely on the central campus in Tamale was responsible for the litany of challenges that confronted the university.

Enumerating a number of challenges that the current policy presented, Mr Puo-ire said it was common knowledge that students, lecturers, and administrators among others spent a chunk of their contact hours travelling amidst daunting challenges from satellite campuses to the central campus in Tamale to perform trivial functions such as signing and endorsement of documents.

Again, the multi campus nature of the university put a strain on lecturers who had to deliver lectures on campuses across all the three regions of the north, adding this adversely affected teaching and learning as students in the various campuses competed for lectures.

The group expressed its optimism and trust in the competence and experience of the 10-member committee headed by the renowned Dr Mrs Christine Amoako-Nuamah to do due diligence to the task ahead.

It congratulated the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs for taking that bold step to knock on the doors of Government to fulfill its manifesto promise by granting the region an autonomous university.

Mr Puo-ire reminded those behind the publication that the creation of new universities was the prerogative of the Government based on the manpower needs of the country and the technical advice from the National Council for Tertiary Education.

GNA