The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu has charged students to be proficient beyond the four walls of the classroom in order to plant their feet in laudable positions in the competitive job market.

Professor Owusu, addressing students and stakeholders of the University said the duty of lecturers at the tertiary level is to guide students unearth their potentials but not to make them masters in the career paths they have chosen to pursue.

“We train you here not to be an expert at the academic level. Our main business is to train critical minds, to train minds that are inquisitive, minds that probe, so when you leave here after school you will need a bit of training in the industry to build you up,” he expressed.

He maintained that students must be unrelenting to be able to climb the educational ladder to attain their goals, arguing that the level of one’s expertise cannot be achieved at one goal.

“If you want to be a specialist then you would have to move further up the educational level; to do your masters; to do your PHD then you can call yourself an Electrical Engineer, a Civil Engineer an Entomologist etcetera,” he stated.

Prof. Owusu further called on students to be proactive and not only rely on their tutors for directions.

“It is also up to you to do that bit to make sure that you up yourself as far as post-graduate training is concerned. So don’t think that we train you here and you leave after four years and you’re supposed to be a boss or an authority in your field,” he advised.

Professor Owusu was speaking at a forum organised at the University of Ghana under the theme, “The Power of Partnership: Strengthening Education” which capitalizes on the importance of partnering with competent bodies to achieve a mutual course.