A group photo after the programme
The School of Education, one of the schools under the Military Academy and Training Schools (MATS) of the Ghana Armed Forces, last Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Education, Winneba (UEW).
The MOU, which aims at providing a platform for personnel to academically upgrade themselves, will also give similar opportunities for civilians within their catchment area. This engagement is expected to improve the efficiency, competence, and professional capacities of personnel, especially after their retirement.
Speaking to the media, Brigadier General Twum Ampofo-Gyekye, Director General in Charge of Training at the General Headquarters, Burma Camp, who signed the MoU on behalf of the GAF, said the two institutions have been engaging in discussions for some time and believe it was time to formalise the agreement.
“We seek to attain knowledge and for our personnel to upgrade themselves. The discussions have been ongoing for some time now, so today we came to formalise the partnership between the GAF and the UEW,” Brigadier General Twum Ampofo-Gyekye said.
Expressing excitement about the partnership agreement, Major Hilda Asiedu, Officer Commanding the School of Education, said the GAF considered several factors before choosing the UEW for the partnership.
She explained that MATS as a training command and the School of Education under the GAF Education Unit, looked at the broad spectrum of courses being run by the university and also considered the number of teachers within the unit, after which it decided that UEW would be the best choice since it is recognised as a leader in the field of higher education for teachers.
“We looked at the courses that are being run and we also looked at ourselves as an educational unit and the fact that we have a lot of teachers within our unit.
Tuition
Major Hilda Asiedu said the military has reached an agreement with the university for some selected personnel who enrol in various programmes to have a part of their fees waived off.
She indicated that the unit has a process through which it will select students who will merit the waiver, and added that others who will enrol may be required to fulfil payment of their fees.
Requirements
According to Major Hilda Asiedu, the agreement allows all military personnel to enrol in any programme at the university.
UEW Excitement
For his part, Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni revealed that the university had decided not to affiliate itself with any other institution for them to focus on its numerous distance education centres as it has merely forty institutions that it is affiliated with worldwide.
He, however, disclosed that the university had to revisit the decision because of the compelling reasons cited by the GAF for the partnership.
The Vice Chancellor described the decision by the GAF to partner the university as heart-warming considering there are several reputable institutions that the army could have decided to partner.
The Vice Chancellor expressed his gratitude to the Chief of the Defence Staff and all high-ranking officers of the GAF for the partnership, and assured that the university will do its best to fulfil its part of the agreement.
Other officers present at the signing ceremony were; Lt Col Michelle Yaw Borbi, Deputy Director Training General Headquarters, Burma Camp, Lt Abel Nartey, Lt Israel Nyako, Mr. Laud Hammond, Mr. Emmanuel Boye and Mr. Godsway Kporgbe, all Instructors at the School of Education MATS, Teshie, in Accra.