Our society needs visionary, innovative people...Says Fr. Boakye-Danquah

THE GHANAIAN society has suffered a lot as a result of mediocrity. It is now waiting for people of integrity, honesty and sincerity, as well as hard-working, self-giving with a vision and sense of innovation, to make a difference in the world, Rev. Fr. George Boakye-Danquah, Rector of the Spiritan University College (SUC), has stated at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region, on the occasion of the first matriculation ceremony of the university.

“We need people with a disciplined orientation for the building of a better Ghana and Africa as a whole, and not a duplication of the past and old,” he added.

According to him, admission into tertiary education was not synonymous to indiscipline, and therefore, challenged the matriculants to allow discipline to be their hallmark, as they begin their academic pursuit at the SUC.

“We expect you to be law-abiding, so that as it becomes your pattern of life, you will be likewise in the future in the society. It takes courageous persons to be disciplined,” the Rector noted, and added that he does not need to over-emphasise the importance of decorum to an institution like the SUC.

Fr. Boakye-Danquah entreated the new students to do more research work, and read, “for no knowledge is a waste,” while urging them to be original in their thinking, by allowing the philosophical background that would be supplied to their intellectual treasury, to guide them examine critically whatever idea that would be sold to them.

“Your youthful vigour and capabilities are always admired and held in high esteem, and for that reason, many would like to hide behind you to achieve their aims and goals, both positively and negatively. Let your contributions be for the good of the community in which you live, especially during this time of elections,” the Reverend Minister advised.

The Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof. Kwasi Kwafo Darkwa, on his part, congratulated the corps of administrators of the Spiritan University College for their zeal and enthusiasm to see to the realization of the vision of the forefathers, who established the institution.

“I must also commend the Catholic Church for accepting to train other human resources, other than Catholic Priests at their institution,” he stated, and continued that KNUST, as a leading centre of academic excellence and research in Ghana, recognised the new Catholic University as an academic institution, that shared in the broad mission of developing world class human resource capabilities to meet national development needs, through teaching, research and community service.

According to Prof. Darkwa, even though the Spiritan University was not a science and technology biased institution, the KNUST accepts its application for affiliation to their College of Art and Social Sciences to award a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Social Science, as one of the means to offer tutelage to a strategic partner in the training of social scientists.

On May 15, this year, an affiliation agreement – Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) – was formally signed between the two institutions, after Spiritan had been granted the status of tertiary education by the National Accreditation Board, which qualified it to become a university college.

The KNUST Vice-Chancellor said by the tenets of the MoU, his institution, through its relevant departments, would exercise oversight responsibility over the Spiritan University College, in respect of teaching and learning facilities, as well as the conduct of examinations.

In addition, until Spiritan attains the status of a fully-fledged university, KNUST would moderate all its programmes as far as possible, Prof. Adarkwa assured.