Abetifi, Nov. 14, GNA - The Presbyterian University College (PUC), Abetifi, is offering entrepreneurship skill training to enable graduates of the institution to establish their own businesses and to replace, regenerate and replenish the country's skilled workforce. The University has also made entrepreneurial skill, French and English language compulsory to equip the graduates adequately to establish businesses and to be competitive in the neighbouring countries.

The Principal of the PUC, Professor Kofi Sraku-Lartey, stated this at the third matriculation of the University for 138 fresh students 93 for Business Studies and 43 for Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

They included those for regular, weekend, long vacation and preliminary studies to cater for potential students who could not have been able to obtain university education. The Principal said the PUC, which was established in November 2003 with 55 students now had a population of 326, made up 106 females and 220 males.

He noted that Ghana lacked people of sound character with high sense of integrity needed if the country was to move forward to meet the challenges of transforming from a developing nation to an advance one.

Professor Sraku-Lartey said the PUC had also made environmental science compulsory for all disciplines to enable the students to take up the crusade since "our efforts at developing the country will fail unless we first learn how to keep the environment clean."

He advised parents to pay their ward's fees and to provide their other educational needs to supplement the Presbyterian Church's 60 per cent contribution towards the training of the students. The Principal announced that academic programmes would commence at the Akuapem and Asante Akyem campuses at Akropong and Agogo, respectively, next academic year to offer disciplines such as BA in English, French and Ghanaian languages such as Ewe, Akan and Ga. Other disciplines would be BSC in Business Economics, BA in Tourism, Health and Medical Sciences, including nursing. In a welcoming address, the Kwahu Presbytery Chairperson of the Presbyterian Church, Rev. Osafo Boateng, explained that the establishment of the University was to complement the government's efforts towards the development of the human resource base and leadership training.

Other areas include participation in education, health care delivery, agriculture and vocational training to enhance the country's development.

He advised the students to be disciplined and to concentrate on their studies to enable them to make effective use of the knowledge they had acquired at the university to move the nation forward. The Kwahu South District Chief Executive, Nana Kofi Onwona Asante, said the District Assembly would continue to support the University to develop its infrastructure to enhance the performance of the students.