GRASAG assures Government support

Winneba (C/R), Oct 22, GNA - The Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG) has assured the government of its determination to help build a dependable human resource base for the country. In an address Mr Betrand-Russel Quaye, National President of GRASAG, called on the Government to put in place permanent measures to guarantee adequate financial support for the research activities of its members in the country's universities.

He was addressing the maiden senate meeting of the Association at Winneba, at the weekend.

Thirty-Five delegates from government sponsored universities in the country attending discussed matters affecting the Association and educational development in the country.

Mr Quaye pointed out that for the Government's poverty reduction programme to realised, there was the need to build a powerful, reliable and sustainable human resource base.

He said since graduate students played a vital role the Government must work out what he described as, "an inspiring financial package," to motivate graduate students to undertake research to enhance industrial growth and curb the rate of unemployment.

Mr Solomon Kwashie Abbam-Quaye, District Chief Executive for Awutu-Effutu-Senya, briefed them on the problems and potentials of the district and asked the graduate students to conduct research into issues that had direct bearing on the socio-economic development of the area. He assured those who would take up the challenge of sponsorship by the District Assembly to boost their morale and expressed concern that most of the project work of university students had not benefited society.

Mr Abbam-Quaye pointed out that if the university authorities considered such research works to be irrelevant to the needs of society then there was no need to continue them as part of the academic curriculum of their institutions.

He praised members of GRASAG for their decision to use dialogue to resolve their problems and advised them to maintain the spirit in the interest of national cohesion and progress.

Mr Abbam-Quaye urged graduate students to impart the spirit of understanding and co-operation to those who had not reached their level to foster closer ties between the authorities and the students for better academic and research work at the universities.

Mr Eric Anane, Secretary of the University of Cape Coast branch of the Association, stressed the need for graduate schools to fashion research that would help solve problems of the society.

He pointed out that most of the research works produced by the Universities did not conform with the development requirements of the society hence the inability of the nation to secure lasting solutions to the problems confronting the nation.

Participants later visited JAROWA Farms, a private agricultural project, near Awutu-Beraku to round off the meeting. Mr Quaye, Mr Samuel Richard Ziggah, Vice President and Mr George Afrifa, Secretary led them.

Other national executive officers in the team were, Ms Christiana Koranteng, Treasurer, Mr Kenneth Kpedekpo, Organiser, and Ms Abigail Awuah-Peasah, Women's Commissioner.