Economic and geographic constraints exclude many Ghanaians from higher education especially those in underserved communities. With the aid of technological developments and the help of educational volunteers, access to a tuition-free online education is within reach of many people across the globe. Some nonprofits, like University of the People is an institution venture that is beginning to revolutionize higher education by providing universal access to tuition-free online education, even in the poorest areas of the world.

It’s so unfortunate that most disadvantaged rural high school graduates have a slim chance of enjoying higher education due to poverty. The cost of higher education is also unbearable for most parents but some of this online tuition-free institutions presently charge only a nominal application-processing fee based on the economic situation in each applicant’s country or place of residence. Many bureaucrats who are not ready themselves to offer such poor children with either free grants or scholarships for their higher education sometimes see such empowering programs as fairy tales but most of these tuition-free institutions like University of the People has support of respected academics, humanitarians and other visionaries like Clinton Global Initiative, Yale University Law School, Hewlett Packard (HP) and many more.

Envisioned a world of empowering information that transform lives, World Partners for Development (WPD), an international nonprofit organization is linking thousands of disadvantaged students around the world with some genuine online free certificate and degree programs in many disciplines to help build their future. You can access most of these schools and free courses from our website www.wpdprojects.org. This collection of courses includes courses in Computers, IT Literacy, Languages, Health and Safety, Liberal Arts, Business, Sciences, vocational training, Religion, customer service and many more. WPD also connect communities to educational programs across the globe through video conferencing. Our team of volunteers from the U.S. and Ghana will have a free community forum on such online educational programs at our Pokuase office on the 24th of this month. Any inquiries can be made through our website.

Let’s all help, especially the government, NGOs and individuals in building a better future for the disadvantaged and underserved students that seek access to online higher education or online skills training by providing them or their communities with computers with Internet connection because if they have access to computers with effective mentoring, they can have their own affordable and suitable university campus.

Phil Darko WPD - USA/Ghana