Regional News of Sunday, 20 February 2011

Source: GNA

Private tertiary institutions should have access to GETFund

Kenyase (Ash), Feb 20, GNA - rofessor Steve Sobotie, President of th= e Garden City University College (GCUC) at Kenyase near Kumasi, has appealed to government to help tertiary institutions to access the Ghana Education Trust (GET)Fund.

He noted that the public tertiary institutions have limited resources, thereby hampering their ability to admit the growing number of tertiary education seekers who mostly turn to the private institutions to realise their dreams.

Professor Sobotie indicated that in view of the crucial role the private institutions play in education delivery and empowerment of the youth, the Fund could help improve infrastructure and other facilities for the benefit of the nation.

He was speaking at the second congregation of the GCUC at Kenyase on Saturday.

In all, 230 graduates in Business, Nursing and Information Communicatio= n Technology (ICT) were awarded Bachelor Degrees The President said training of the youth to equip them with the requisite skills and knowledge should be a priority to stakeholders since they constituted a strategic component of the country's human resource ba= se. In addition, government should step up efforts to support graduates with the Venture Capital to encourage fresh graduates to set up their own businesses. He advised the graduates to maintain high moral standards in their endeavours and also work harder wherever they find themselves to help achieve their objectives.

Oheneba Adusei Poku, Akyempimhene of Kumasi, appealed to the governmen= t to establish more entrepreneurial training centres to help equip students with knowledge and skills to contribute to development after their courses. He said entrepreneurial training helps the youth to be innovative such that they are able to make good use of the knowledge and skills they have acquired.

Oheneba Poku who spoke on the topic: 93Galvanizing the energies of the youth of Ghana towards the middle income status", urged all Ghanaians to support the government attain its development goals. Professor Peter Donkor, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), said the University has affiliation with 15 other universities including the GCUC and called on those universities to work assiduously to strengthen their partnership.