Prof. E.O. Owusu speaking at the graduation ceremony
PROFESSOR EBENEZER Oduro Owusu, President of the Presbyterian University College, Ghana (PUCG), has called on the government to speed up the establishment of National Research Fund to encourage graduate students and researchers to find answers to the numerous developmental challenges facing the country.
Government, he said, should regard research as the only path to breakthroughs and development, adding that any nation that does not invest in research cannot develop beyond the service industry and will only seek to grow the service industry at the expense of the production industry.
Prof. Owusu was speaking at the fourth graduation ceremony of the school of graduate studies of the PUCG last Saturday, June 4, 2022, at Akropong in the Eastern Region.
He noted that the attitudes of graduates must be seriously worked on with the pursuit of more result-oriented skill sets in order to ensure and sustain research and impact-fulfilling strategic approaches.
“As we thrive to produce result-oriented students for national development, I will plead for some level of governmental support in terms of the physical space, ICT, research equipment and support, as well as scholarships to be extended to the private universities as well,” he said.
The PUCG president emphasised the possibility of programme development that would take into consideration the local resources, contents, and needs to ensure job creation and productivity.
Prof. Owusu also appealed to the government to extend GETFund projects and assistance to private universities, considering their role in helping to reduce the manpower deficit of the nation, positively building capacities for nation-building, and assisting with job creation and overall development.
He said PUCG which is on a course toward attaining presidential charter status considers issues of integrity, selflessness, maturity, emotional stability, and ability to work with little or no supervision and in a team in its approach of training graduates.
A total of 309 students made up of 188 males and 121 females trained in teaching, finance, religion, administration, sanitation, social work, forestry, and health graduated
FROM James Quansah, Kumasi