General News of Tuesday, 16 January 2018

Source: starrfmonline.com

Government to set up joint admission board for all universities

Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education Professor Kwesi Yankah, Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education

Government through the Ministry of Education is set to establish a joint admission board to allow prospective students tender just one application to different tertiary institutions.

According to the Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Professor Kwesi Yankah, proposals have been made to enable prospective students desist from applying to universities separately.

“We will adopt the joint application mode where one makes a single application. This will be just like going to high school where students make selections in one application process,” the Minister said.

Professor Kwesi Yankah was speaking on 3FM’s Sunrise on Tuesday, pointing out that when the proposal is accepted, the joint admission board will handle all issues concerning university admissions.

The decision forms part of government’s efforts to reduce cost incurred in purchasing multiple admission forms.

Professor Yankah said government is outraged by the continuous rise in application fees, hence the decision to come up with a joint admission board.

“Parents spend a lot of money on application forms, and at the end of it all, their wards get enrolled into just one university.”

He further cautioned parents and students to be very cautious in deciding on the choice university they apply to.

“They should exercise some discretion to decide whether or not to apply to a particular university, checking exactly what the requirements are.”

According to the minister, many of the students may not necessarily meet requirements of some of the universities they apply to, and they may end up not being enrolled.