Mr Francis Ganyaglo, Deputy Volta Regional Minister, has expressed hope that the three tertiary institutions in the Ho Municipality would make conceptual and practical impact on development of the region.

The three schools are Ho Polytechnic, E.P University College (EPUC) and University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).

Mr Ganyaglo made the remarks at the launch of the EPUC’s 5th Student’s Representative Council (SRC) Week in Ho on Friday, on the theme: “Private Universities: A Window of Hope for Nation Building”.

He said besides offering the people increased access to tertiary education, the three higher educational institutions through research and other collaborative scholastic pursuits should positively influence development planning in the region.

Mr Ganyaglo called for collaboration at the levels of students, lecturers and management, to promote body-politic of the area.

He lauded the EPUC for providing opportunities for graduates of polytechnics and other educational institutions to do advance studies, “top ups,” thereby improving the human resource base of the nation.

Mr Ganyaglo said private universities had been established in the area at the right to provide higher education for the ever increasing secondary school leavers.

He promised to scale up value of his yearly prize for the Best Marketing Student of the College.

Dr Lynn Kisembe Darkwah, Registrar of the All Nations University College, Koforidua, said a university graduate should remain functional and an asset to society.

She said the formation of a group of unemployed graduates was pointless, since as graduates they should be busy helping to solve the supposed unemployment problem.

Dr Darkwah said the mindset of tertiary students to finish school and be provided with a job and good pay and to enjoy life was grossly flawed.

She lauded the EPUC for the good management-student relationship since its inception five years ago.

Martin Kwame Sedem, the SRC President, said the emergence of private universities was commendable since it could help in producing the human resource needs of the country.

He, therefore, called for support for these universities to improve their contributions to research and scholarship.

Mr Sedem said the SRC provided a modern notice board, garden seats and customized wall clocks for lecture rooms among others to the EPUC.

Activities lined up for the week event include donation to the children’s ward of the Ho Municipal Hospital, blood donation, lectures and a float.