‘Help Solve Ghana’s Problems’ — Bawumia tells Fresh Graduates

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has challenged graduates coming out of the country’s tertiary institutions use the skills and knowledge acquired to help find solutions to societal problems.

That, he said was because a good sociery required a generation of citizens who are always looking for opportunities to lift the weak and opening doors wider for the less privileged.

Addressing the First Session and 13th Congregation of the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) in Accra Saturday, he told the graduands “mother Ghana needs you; your intellect, your knowledge, your discipline and your dedication to work.”

The occasion was also used to confer an Honorary Doctorate Degree on the Minister of Energy and former Education Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, for his remarkable and exemplary leadership as well as promoting quality education through the implementation of the Free Senior High School Policy.

In all, the University graduated 870 students from the School of Graduate Studies and the Law Faculty.

They comprised 764 students from the School of Graduate Studies and 106 from the Law Faculty.

There were 55 students of Master of Philosophy, 591 Master of Business Administration, 107 Master of Art and 11 Master in Insurance Risk Management.

The current student population stood at 18,074 comprising 1,687 post-graduates, 13, 434 undergraduates, 2,793 and diploma students.

UPSA now runs 30 programmes while seven new programmes are at different stages of accreditation.

Dr Bawumia took the opportunity to commend school for living up to its responsibility of training and educating professionals who were serving in various capacities and institutions, contributing their quota to national development.

He reiterated the fact that education remains the heartbeat of the Akufo-Addo government and was not only passionate but also committed towards producing citizens who are productive, problem solvers and innovators and had the nation at heart.

That, he said was evident in the government’s rollout of various technological and digital interventions to enhance the delivery of social services, key among which he mentioned the Digital Property and Addressing System, unique identity cards (Ghana-Card), Mobile Money Interoperability Payment System, Paperless Port System and introduction of a digital portal (Ghana.Gov) for collection of revenue and payment of government services as some of the measures to ensure financial inclusion and promote accountability and transparency in the public sector.

“Digitisation is a catalyst for reaching every youth with quality education and we are determined not to leave anyone behind,” he assured.

He also talked about the provision of free wifi in some 772 public second cycle educational institutions and 13 public universities as well as connecting internet to some education offices as some measures undertaken by the government to enhancing teaching and learning and research in schools.

On his part, Vice-Chancellor of UPSA, Prof. Abednego Amartey outlined some key achievements the University chalked during the year under review.

He mentioned the enrolment of 20, 247 new students at the beginning of 2020/2021 Academic Year, commissioning of the main auditorium,new Astroturf, construction of new student hostels and two-storey multipurpose twin towers to serve as lecture halls.

He indicated that the University leveraged on technology and online applications for on and off campus teaching and learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic and would continue using it going forward.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent