Minister of State in charge of tertiary education, Professor Kwesi Yankah has urged Ghanaians to take advantage of the new educational reforms introduced in the country to advance their educational qualifications. The reforms have among other things, reduced the average age of entering the university from 21 to 17 years old.

According to him, the alterations has made it easy for graduates to be able to attain a PhD below the age of 30.

“The current trend of obtaining PhD at the advanced age, should give way to doctoral degree attainment in a modern society at a prime age. This has been considerably facilitated reforms which have drastically reduced the average age of entering a university from 21 in the yesteryear to 17.”

“This should be followed by structural reforms in all graduate schools, including accelerated doctoral programs where smart final year undergraduate students are earmarked and soon put on accelerated doctoral programs. As is done in several countries. The University of Ghana itself has experienced such reforms in the past and should maintain the momentum and speed up doctoral training and thus pave the way for other universities” He added Prof Kwesi Yankah was speaking at a PhD forum organized by the school of graduate studies with support of the University as part of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the University of Ghana.

The theme for the occasion is ”promoting PhD education in Ghana”

The purpose of the forum is provide a platform for stakeholders of graduate education to discuss merits and challenges of PhD training in the country and also to sensitize and appeal to all stakeholder to support PhD education.

The forum will also provide the starting point for an inclusive dialogue on the merits and challenges of PhD training in Ghana in general and in the end tease out how to address some of these challenges to enhance Ph.D. education in the country.