Prof. Kwasi Yankah (5th left), Prof. E. Adow Obeng (4th left) and committee members in a group photograph
THE MINISTER of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Professor Kwasi Yankah, has inaugurated a 12-member committee to oversee the implementation of the new placement system for public universities.
The new system is to replace the current admission system of students to the various state-owned tertiary institutions.
The committee chaired by Professor Adow Obeng is expected to produce a detailed road map of the setup and full operations of the proposed centralized admission and placement services.
Members of the committee include Prof. E. Adow Obeng, Prof. Mohammed Salifu, Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, Prof. John Owusu Gyapong, Prof. Mrs. Smile Dzisi, Mr. Kwaku Ansa Asare, Mr. Ernest Wesley-Otoo, Mr. Anthony Baffoe, Mr. Robert Abeku Ansah, Mr. Kingsley Sarpong Akowuah, Mrs. Sheila Naa-Boamah and Mr. Emmanuel Baidoo.
Speaking at the inauguration of the committee on Thursday, January 17, 2019, in Accra, Prof. Yankah admonished the members of the committee to determine the centralized admission placement services, set up budgets and sources of funding . . . and foresee the appropriate technical infrastructure.
He said: “The programme when enrolled will restrict the candidates from multiple admissions which sometimes end up blocking and depriving some other applicants; hence every university has a limited number of students to admit in a particular academic year.”
Though “the universities across the country still reserve the right to conduct further exams after admission aside from the WASSCE but must comply with the general admission qualification spelled out to various institutions,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the committee, Prof. Adow Obeng hailed the tertiary education minister for bringing up the policy to streamline and sanitize the anomalies in the tertiary education in the country.
According to Prof. Adow Obeng, “the centralized placement and admission services will streamline the processes of admission into the tertiary institutions and the private universities to come on board; it will cut down on protocol admissions into the tertiary institutions to bring sanity onto our university systems.”
Meanwhile, the committee was required to submit its final report to the ministry of state in charge of tertiary education for the commencement of the programme by Friday, February 15, 2019.P