Govt to open dialogue on research fund - Ablakwa

The government is committed to open dialogue with teacher unions over their concerns about the research fund, a Deputy Minister in charge of Tertiary Education, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa,  has said.

According to him, the establishment of the fund is not meant to take away or reduce allowances of lecturers but to create a pool of resources to enable lecturers in both public and private institutions to have access to funds to generate knowledge and apply them for development.

He indicated that the government  do not believe that confrontations and threat of strikes would solve the problem adding that “we would very much appreciate it if teacher unions would accept to dialogue with us”.

The Deputy Minister was speaking at the seventh graduation ceremony of the Regent University College of Science and Technology (RUCST) in Accra. 

Mr Ablakwa noted that education in the country had been lauded for its stability and certainty and any threat to the academic calendar would place a larger threat to the development of the sector.  

He congratulated the graduates and urged them to apply the knowledge they had acquired to develop themselves and the country.

He promised that the government would provide an enabling environment for them to have good returns on their investments.  The ceremony 

At the ceremony, which was on the theme: “The Need for Transformational Leaders for Our Time”, 442 students were honoured with first and masters degrees in Business Administration, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Human Development and Psychology, Divinity and Theology. Regent and private universities commended 

The Deputy Minister commended private universities for their contribution towards the development of the country and its citizens.

He commended the RUCST for its contribution, especially in the area of science and technology education. 

He indicated that without the private institutions education in the country would not be what it was today and that government recognised their importance in the delivery of quality education.

Mr Ablakwa  said the government would partner with the sector to provide quality education for all Ghanaians.   Founder and President 

In his address, the Founder and President of the University, Rev. Professor Emmanuel Kingsley Kwabena Larbi, called for issues concerning education in the country to be handled objectively, devoid of partisan political considerations. 

In today's world, he noted, education was key to the progress and prosperity of individuals and communities. 

“As a nation,  we should be prepared, and indeed willing to sacrifice our last pesewa to educate the last soul because education is our future and our future is our education! Quality education for that matter,” he added.  Advice to graduating class

To the graduating class, Professor Larbi indicated that the continent and the country was in urgent need of selfless, dedicated, visionary, result-driven, God-fearing, ethical leaders and urged them to make a difference wherever they found themselves . 

“The need is urgent and the cry is desperate. Our resources have not always been honestly, fairly and equitably distributed. Those employed to manage our state institutions and our collective resources have not always been the best, you must be different,” he urged them.